Pack's bite worse than bark

Nobody would blame Garrett Black if he moved to Columbus, Ga., tomorrow.

The Greenbrier girls basketball coach practically owns that city. He led the Lady Wolfpack softball team to a AAAA State Championship less than a year ago in Columbus. Last weekend, he returned to the city and led the Greenbrier girl's basketball team to the county's first-ever AAAA State Tournament Final Four appearance.

"I told my wife we're going to start looking for property around here," Black said jokingly after Greenbrier won its second game in as many days in Columbus.

His property search should start at Columbus State University's Lumpkin Center. More specifically, right on the free-throw line.

That's where the Lady Wolfpack shot its way to second-round and quarterfinals wins Friday and Saturday night. Greenbrier shot 73 percent from the foul line on the weekend including a 22-for-27 free-throw shooting performance Friday night in a 72-55 win over Hardaway.

The Lady Wolfpack hit the hardwood 24 hours later and knocked down 24-of-36 free throws for a 53-40 win over Westside, Macon in the quarterfinals.

Senior Melissa Lewis went 7-for-10 from the charity stripe in the win and said the more free-throw attempts her team gets, the better.

"For us it's a good sign. It means we're going to the basket," she said.

It also means they're going to Gwinnett County for the AAAA State Tournament Semifinals.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," Lewis said after scoring 15 points in their quarterfinals win Saturday night. "We knew we could do it. We're going to the Final Four."

Lewis totaled 28 points in the weekend's two games. Only Michelle Swiec, who scored 18 and 17 points in the games, put up higher point totals for the Lady Wolfpack.

Sophomore guard Sara Oland put up 19 points in the two games, including a key third-quarter drive Saturday night that gave Greenbrier all the momentum they needed.

Midway through the third quarter, Oland took a hard foul from a Westside defender that sent Oland sprawling to the floor and was ruled intentional.

Oland picked herself up and knocked down both free throws to give Greenbrier an eight-point lead.

It also gave Oland a headache.

"She pretty much took my head off," she said.

Greenbrier took the victory and their 28th win of the year.

The Lady Wolfpack will face Marist, ranked No. 1 in the state, at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Gwinnett Arena in Gwinnett County.