Lithia Springs’ season came to an end last Friday as the Lions lost to Miller Grove 65-47 in Lithonia.

The loss dropped Lithia Springs to 24-6 on the season and matched the first Elite Eight appearance for the Lions since 2008, which also ended against Miller Grove.

“I saw us jump all over them and lead the whole first half,” Lithia Springs coach Jason Slate said.

“Then, mysteriously, we have got half our team sitting over there with two fouls. We had play kids that didn’t really need to be in that game and allowed them to get back into that ballgame.

“Once they caught us, they went to their zone and spread it out all over the floor. We couldn’t buy a shot, they were able to slow the pace of the game down and they won.”

Still, the season was a successful one for a team that has become a perennial power in Region 5-AAAA.

This year marked the third in a row where Lithia Springs won at least 20 games and a fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament.

“I thought we did get a lot better from the beginning of the year to the end,” Slate said. “That does say a lot about the kids and how they worked. Losing as many kids as we did off of last year’s team and then coming back and going to the Elite Eight again, that felt good.”

The Lions will face a tall order next year replacing seniors David Taylor, Justin Champion, Deionte Griffith, Trey Bussey, Malcolm Buckhalter and Larry Prueitt.

“I definitely think we will be going back to square one,” Slate said. “We will be losing four or five starters. We lose a couple of our top subs off the bench. So, it’s going to be interesting.”