In 2016, the Hebron Christian girls basketball team completed their season with one victory and 23 losses. They posted fewer than 25 points per game and allowed more than double that amount. The program had no direction and no hopes of a state championship run.
Six years later, the Lions are at the peak of the girls basketball mountain in Georgia. They are unbeaten in their 23 games (through February 6) and hold the No. 2 spot in our latest statewide rankings. History is on the line again for Hebron Christian with the prospect of being considered the best team in school history and one of the best girls basketball teams in recent Georgia history at stake.
The door to “best girls basketball team in Hebron Christian history” status remains ajar due to a heartbreaking finish in 2020. That season, the Lions shocked the state by winning all 28 regular-season games, more than doubling their opponents’ scoring in each game on average. They held 10 opponents to fewer than 25 points, suffocating offenses while exploding for over 73 points per contest.
Only a battle-tested program with a stellar defense could slay the Hebron giant, and four-time state champion Holy Innocents’ fit that description. With a fundamental-focused gameplan and experience facing the state’s best teams, the Golden Bears gutted out a 52-48 semifinals victory over the Lions, cutting Hebron Christian’s miracle season short of a title.
For the Lady Lions, 2023 brings another opportunity to transcend that 30-1 team of three seasons ago. The parallels between the two squads are striking: the offense scores more than twice the points allowed, and nearly half of the Lions’ opponents have been held to 35 points or less. The key difference, however, is the strength of schedule. This year’s team has faced much tougher competition and emerged victorious, evident in a 16-point victory over Forest Park and a 21-point triumph against White County, two teams ranked within the Top 25 in Georgia.
Regardless of their region standing, the playoff challenges will come rapidly. The Lions will play a squad from Region 7 in the first round, and that region houses three of the top four teams in the classification, along with Pickens, which sports an 18-5 record in the region’s fourth spot. The depth of 3A this season poses a massive threat for Hebron Christian, and the Lions will need to continue their stellar play on both sides of the ball to avoid a repeat of 2020.
The greatness of this Lions squad will be determined by a state championship. Despite fielding successful teams the past four seasons, only one state championship has been achieved. An undefeated state championship team would solidify this Hebron Christian girls basketball program as the best of its kind, well surpassing the 2020 edition. A daunting playoff path with numerous title contenders approaches, but the Lions will be fueled by one thought: to be the greatest team in school history.
