Dunwoody senior Lisa Gardner (in red) was part of three Final Four teams. (Photo by Mark Brock)

For the third consecutive year the Dunwoody Lady Wildcats made a strong run in the Class 5A state playoffs by reaching the state Final Four before falling.

Dunwoody faced off with defending state champion Columbus and their tall front line for the second consecutive season in the state semifinals only to come away with a season ending loss.

Columbus won last year’s semifinal meeting 3-1 and took this year’s 3-0 by scores of 25-18, 25-20, 25-18 as the Lady Wildcats battled in an effort to become the first DeKalb County team to reach the state finals.

Dunwoody (36-15) became the first DeKalb team to reach three consecutive Final Four rounds in the state playoffs compiling a three year record total of 108-44.

The three year run started in 2013 with an improbable run to the Class 5A semifinals after ending the regular season at 23-23 and on a four match losing streak. Six consecutive victories later had the Lady Wildcats in their first Final with an Area 6-5A title as they became just the third team in county history to reach the semifinals following in the footsteps of Chamblee (2004) and Lakeside (2012).

The exciting run came to an end with a loss to eventual state champion Sequoyah in the Final Four.

The 2014 season came with high expectations as the Lady Wildcats rolled to a school record 43 wins (43-5) and into the Final Four for consecutive seasons. The season ended with the loss to Columbus, but Dunwoody’s Paige McKnight (now a starting freshman on Georgetown University’s squad) was named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year becoming DeKalb’s second player to win the award. She joined Nikki Hawkins of Chamblee who won in 2004.