ATHENS GA. - The top-seeded Hebron girls basketball team (29-1) defeated St. Francis (26-5) 71-62 in the semi-final round of the Class A-3A Private state tournament on Friday, March 6. The victory over the Knights clinches the Lions sixth-straight state-championship game berth.

Hebron has won three of the last five state championships (2021, 2023, 2024), and will look to win its fourth in six years.

Unlike the majority of their 29 wins this season, the Lions faced an early deficit in Friday's final-four match up at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Ga. With less than four minutes to go in the first quarter, Hebron trailed the Knights 6-4. However, a 10-3 run got the Lions in the driver's seat, pushing them to a 20-14 lead going into the second quarter.

The score was close for most of the contest, with St. Francis took a brief lead in the second quarter, which Hebron squashed in the late minutes of the first half.

At the start of the final period, the Lions held a 58-48 lead, and the momentum shift that followed gave Hebron enough momentum to handle any late effort by the Knights.

A 10-2 run in the fourth proved to be the deciding factor, as the Lions took a commanding 68-50 lead, which was contested near the end, but was futile when the final buzzer sounded.

Senior Tennessee signee Gabby Minus paced the Lions with a team-high of 21 points and 11 rebounds. The future Volunteer took over in the second half, giving Hebron some much needed separation.

However, when the Lions were in the thick of it, and the Knights were pushing for momentum, it was senior Georgia signee Alanna Beckham who kept the opposition at bay, forcing herself to the free-throw line multiple times, and forcing St. Francis into foul trouble.

Overall, Beckham had 16 points, seven rebounds and 9-10 made free-throws.

Junior Michel Robbins also contributed well on offense, scoring 17 points with five rebounds and two steals. Junior Nariah Nelson added 13 points, eight rebounds, one steal and one assist.

Hebron, which just cracked into the MaxPreps' national top-25 (25th), will now march into Macon for a bout against No. 3 Holy Innocents, which will be a rematch of last year's title game, when the Golden Bears won 57-39. The reigning state champions punched their ticket to Macon after a close 49-44 win over Greater Atlanta Christian.

This year's state title is set for next Wednesday, March 11 in the Macon Coliseum at 1:00 p.m.