When Mary Roberson was a freshman, the Citizens Christian girls team won four games.

Now a senior, Roberson will get a chance to win a state championship Saturday.

The Patriots earned that shot Thursday with a 42-30 win over Georgia Christian in the GISA Class A semifinals at Hawkins Arena. Citizens Christian will play Crisp Academy on Saturday in the championship game.

“I told my one senior to remember that year when we won four games and where we were and where we are now; now she has a chance to play for a championship,” Citizens Christian head coach Eddie Rish said. “We’re really excited about getting the chance to play for a championship. We’re proud just to be there.”

Rish said his team beat Georgia Christian twice during the regular season, once in overtime and the other time by 10 points. He expected a close game Thursday and got it … for a half.

But the Patriots (29-2) pulled away early in the second half by scoring the first eight points of the third quarter. That spurt gave Citizens Christian a 26-13 lead, and it led by double digits the rest of the game.

Kyndal Day led a balanced attack for Citizens Christian with 12 points, while Lauren Burke had nine, Mary Roberson had eight. Jacey Pruitt added seven, and Jeris Johnson had six.

Morgan Sykes led Georgia Christian with 14 points, but the Generals (15-9) failed to score in double digits in the first three quarters.

“We knew it was going to be a close ballgame, but we felt like our pressure would wear them down a little bit,” Rish said. “That’s a talented team, and they have a terrific coach. We just felt like we could wear them down, and we were able to do that.”