DALTON, Ga. — Even if Bria Clemmons’ high school basketball career at Northwest Whitfield had ended a year ago, it still would’ve gone down as one of the best the school had seen. In her first three years playing under coach Greg Brown, Clemmons racked up a laundry list of accomplishments while helping her team to 20-win seasons each year, state playoff appearances each year and playoff wins in two of the three years. 

Through three seasons in the blue and orange, Clemmons had built a really good career. Some might even call it a great career. Great, but incomplete. There remained a missing line on her résumé, one final accomplishment for Clemmons to achieve.

Three straight seasons Northwest played its way to a region championship game, only to fall short of taking home the title. In her senior year, Clemmons was determined to go out a champion.

“I told everybody, I told my dad, I told coach Brown, I told everybody, I’m not leaving without winning a region championship,” Clemmons said. “The whole season I was focused on winning one game at a time and getting to finals and finishing the job.”

This past season, Northwest went back to the region championship and matched up against Heritage High School, the same team that denied it the title a year earlier. Clemmons took the floor that night with a clear fire in her eyes, letting nothing stand in the way of her and her teammates claiming the long-sought after championship. 

She led the charge in a convincing 72-49 victory, and finally raised the region championship trophy she spent so much time and effort chasing.

Her efforts in leading Northwest to a title has earned Clemmons the honor of being The Daily Citizen’s All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second straight year. 

Clemmons is joined on the All-Area first team by her Lady Bruin teammate Holly Heath, Southeast Whitfield High School’s Emileigh Earley and Maddie Pearson, and Christian Heritage School’s Kelsey Schneller. The All-Area second team consists of North Murray High School’s Kailee Tipton and Sarah Plemons, Dalton High School’s McCall Maret, Christian Heritage’s Meghan Schneller and Murray County High School’s Ciarra Hatton. 

After winning the region title, Clemmons led her team to a win the first round of the playoffs, the third time in her career she accomplished that feat. Northwest’s run and Clemmons’ career ended in Class 4A’s Sweet 16 with a 61-48 loss to Henry County. But for Clemmons, closing her time at Northwest with a championship was a great way to go out. 

“Being here four years and losing three years in a row, I just wanted to come in here and make sure we left with a region championship. So I’m happy with how it ended,” she said. “That was my goal when I got here and I’m glad we finally fulfilled our goal.” 

The week of the region tournament, Northwest prepared as fully as possible as it appeared to be on a collision course with Heritage. The two schools tied for the regular season title with their only region losses coming to each other. 

“That whole week of practice we focused on every aspect of the game, defense, offense, everything,” Clemmons said. “(Coach Brown) had a plan for everything, everything they could run, everything we can run and every way we could beat them. We prepared for last-minute plays, down the stretch, we were fully prepared for everything.”

The Lady Bruins’ preparation combined with their drive and determination led to a dominant performance in the finals. The whole team played a role in Northwest’s win but nobody shined as bright as Clemmons who poured in 21 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds.

While the Clemmons’ determination to win was obvious the week of the region tournament, Brown said he saw it going back to the team’s first offseason workouts. 

“You can see that from last summer when started getting back going again,” he said. “You could really tell, her and the other two seniors (Henley Brueckner and Chandler Hiland) but with her especially. I saw her really working on her game and really pushing herself to not be satisfied, to figure out what it was going to take to get us over that hump and take that next step as a team. Seniors always realize it. At some point it sets in that this is it. I think she really took advantage of that situation.”

Never settling for second-best was a trait instilled in Clemmons from a young age. Growing up in a basketball family and playing since she was 6 years old, Clemmons was always surrounded by people that kept pushing her to be her best.

“I’m just thankful and blessed. I’ve had a sister and a dad and a mom to push me to do my best and always do my best,” she said. “They pushed me to always work hard and never settle for just being a ball-handler or being able to shoot cool layups. I’ve always been pushed by coach Brown, too, and all my AAU coaches, my family, my friends, my coaches, my teammates. They’ve just pushed me to keep going and not just settle with being second in region or just winning certain awards. I’m blessed to have people around me to keep pushing me to do better.”

Clemmons said she welcomed the way her family and coaches pushed her and credited them with making her the player she is.

“Having a dad to push me, yell at me after games. If I was terrible, he’d tell me I sucked. I’d cry and say I’d quit, but having him there to push me and coach Brown yelling at me, getting in my face, that just pushed me to work harder,” she said. “Having that support and having them be there when I wasn’t doing my best and when I was, I’m just thankful for that.”

As soon as she got to Northwest, Clemmons had an immediate role on the team. She learned under talented players that came before her and developed into the team’s leader when she was an upperclassman.

“Starting out as a ninth-grader. she came in at a really good time in our program,” Brown said. “Halle Ford, who was a tremendous player for us, was a senior Bria’s freshman year and I felt like she kind of showed her the ropes a little bit. Bria played as a freshman and contributed to what we did a good bit. Then Bria took over the full time role as a point guard her sophomore year and played for three years, just had an amazing career.” 

Clemmons has never been a score-first point guard. She’s always been content with doing the little things to make her team better.

“I try not to focus on the points, she said. “That’s one major way most players contribute to their team, but I knew that if I was not as selfish, then we could have more success. I understand going out there and scoring and being a threat, but I also understand getting my players open and us not being a team with just one good player, making them have to defend all five players on the floor.”

Clemmons was a factor all over the floor. In her senior year, Clemmons averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 steals a game. 

“She always did what we needed to be done to be successful,” Brown said. “I think that was the great thing about her, she was very unselfish, was just fine doing what we needed done to win. Winning a region championship her senior year, I think she’d be the first to tell you that capped it off and made it from a good career to a great career. I think she’ll go done as one of the best that’s every played here.”

Clemmons said she isn’t sure what her future holds. She’s talking with several colleges about possibly playing at the next level but added that if it’s not to be, she’s going out on a high note.

“I want to keep playing basketball,” she said, “ but if not, I’ll just be content with how things ended in high school. I’ll be happy and probably just go to Lee or Dalton State. Hopefully, I’ll be playing college basketball.”