Though Cartersville played much better against the Pearls than it did in a 16-point loss Saturday, the result remained the same. With nearly 30 seconds left in the game, the Fury turned the ball over twice.
Chyna Johnson led Cartersville with 10 points and Kelisha Printup added 7.
Attempting to shake off some rust, the Fury opened the tournament with a 20-17 victory in Game 1 against the Lady Cager Green, a team out of Buford. Monica Motuba scored 6 and Caroline Bagwell chipped in with 5 points.
In Game 2, Cartersville made its first appearance against the eventual title winner. The Georgia Pearls won 34-18 as the Fury were led by Crystal Martinez, who had 6 points, and Johnson, who finished with 4.
Johnson doubled her effort in the next game, a 29-22 win over the Blue Crush of Marietta. She finished with 8 points for Cartersville while Printup put up 6, as the Fury made it into the semifinals.
Needing to beat the Cagers Blue out of Forsyth County to reach the finals, Cartersville punched its ticket with a 32-23 win. Jana Morning led the way for the Fury with 7 points and Lexy Wallraven had 6.
Prior to this weekend's tournament, Cartersville had won the Peach State Classic and Youth Basketball of America Metro Counties Shootout in May.