Earlier this year, the LaFayette Lady Ramblers overcame a 20-point second-half deficit on the road to stun Pepperell, 57-56.

There would be no dramatic comeback this time around.

The Lady Dragons (14-10) opened the game on a 15-0 run, led 19-3 after one quarter and blitzed LaFayette, 69-38, in the 6-AA opener at Georgia Highlands College in Rome.

Pepperell led 38-22 at the break then blew the game wide open with a 16-3 fourth quarter.

Kristin Henderson and Jennifer Bruce had 18 points each in the win while Lyndsay Franklin added 15 for the Lady Dragons.

Jenny Link had 11 for the Lady Ramblers while Miranda Caheely added 10.

LaFayette head coach Matt Swanson said losing the coin flip to Chattooga on Saturday took the winds out of his team's sails.

The Lady Ramblers beat Chattooga in dramatic fashion last week, but fell back into a tie for third in the North subregion on the final day of the regular season when they lost to Dade County and the Lady Indians beat Adairsville.

Had the Lady Ramblers won the coin toss, they would have been the No. 3 seed and matched up against Armuchee with a state berth on the line.

Instead, the coin flip relegated them to the No. 4 seed, forcing them to play No. 5 Pepperell for the right to face top-seeded and third-ranked Model in the quarterfinals.

I didn't think we matched up too well with Pepperell anyway," Swanson said. "Then the coin flip really was disheartening."

Despite the lopsided final loss, Swanson said the Lady Ramblers' 12-14 season, an eight win improvement over last year's 4-22 campaign, contained more highlights than lowlights.

"I told them in the locker room after the game that last year's seniors laid the foundation and this year's seniors built the frame," he said. "They have set such high standards that for next year's group to do better, they are going to have set a school record for wins.

"We're definitely going to miss our seniors because of all they have meant to the program, but the good news is that we have a lot of talent coming back. Expectations are going to be high."

The other first-round girls' contest saw Darlington edge Adairsville, 50-49. Darlington will take on Dade County Tuesday night.

In boys' action, Model topped Dade County, 66-55, and will next face Calhoun on Wednesday.

Chattooga got a scare from Armuchee but prevailed 64-58. The Indians will face Coosa Wednesday night.

The LaFayette boys take the court Wednesday at 5:30 to face Pepperell. The winner moves on to the semifinals against the Chattooga/Coosa winner and earns a state playoff berth