Greenbrier makes strong showing in playoffs

The Greenbrier High School volleyball and softball teams didn't bring home state championships, but both squads made strong statements in the Class AAAA state tournament.

In softball, Greenbrier won two games at the state finals last week in Columbus, where the Lady Wolfpack advanced all the way to Saturday's championship brackets.

Greenbrier had never won a game at the Class AAAA Elite Eight in Columbus, but the Lady Pack broke that drought with wins Thursday over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (4-0) and Northgate (1-0).

Junior pitcher Kristan Glover worked complete games in both wins, while senior Ashlee LaFontaine paced the opening victory with three hits and two RBIs against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. Freshman Tiffany Blackburn drove in the only run to lift Greenbrier past Northgate.

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Greenbrier's run ended with a 3-1 loss to Hardaway in extra innings on Friday. The Lady Pack's season closed with a Saturday defeat against Ringgold. Greenbrier finished 2003 with a 35-6 ranking a No. 3 ranking in the state.

The Lady Pack volleyball team also advanced to the Elite Eight in the Class AAAA playoffs. Greenbrier opened the postseason on Oct. 25 in Atlanta; there, Greenbrier won three matches to qualify for last weekend's state finals at Marist.

Greenbrier lost its matches to Riverwood and Sandy Creek last Saturday, but the Lady Pack still finished with a 38-9 record and a No. 5 Class AAAA state ranking.

Lakeside High School's volleyball and softball teams also qualified for the state playoffs, but did not fare as well as their Columbia County rivals.

In volleyball, the Lady Panthers lost two matches on Oct. 25 and were knocked out of postseason contention. The Lakeside softball team managed to advance through state sectional play, then won its opener at the Elite Eight competition last week in Columbus.

Lakeside outlasted Ridgeland 1-0 on Thursday, but then were eliminated from the finals with losses to eventual state champion Hardaway (10-0) and Marist (9-0).