Tift basketball teams top Lowndes

Published 12:45 am Friday, January 3, 2020

TIFTON — There is a superstition out there that one should not sweep on New Year’s Day. Fortunately for Tift County, they broke out the brooms Friday, Jan. 3, defeating Lowndes in a pair of varsity basketball games.

Both the Blue Devils and Lady Devils started the Region 1-AAAAAAA campaign 1-0, courtesy of a 62-51 triumph (girls) and 63-56 win (boys).

Tift’s Devils also picked up their first home win of the 2019-20 season, but it didn’t come easily, both for themselves and for head coach Xavier Holmes.

The Devils blew an 18-point third quarter lead and briefly trailed by five before earning the win.

“It was tough,” said Holmes. “You wondered whether you were going to get a stop.” And he found himself pondering, “How can you stop the bleeding?”

The Blue Devils seemed destined for smooth sailing when a three-pointer by Azaria Smith with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter gave them a 37-19 lead.

Lowndes surged for the rest of the third and by the time DeAunte Hunter got two points on a Tift goaltend midway through the fourth, the Devils trailed 50-45.

“Live ball turnovers,” said Holmes. That was the main culprit. Lowndes had multiple steals during the streak, both off passes and the Devils’ own fumbling.

Though the game took a 23-point swing in 11 minutes, the young Blue Devils decided they had enough of the jitters. Jyamier Beckhom’s steal tied it at 50 with 3:14 left. Jalon Baker made two free throws and 52-50 for the Vikings at 2:36.

That was the last lead they saw.

Smith drove through the lane and scored at 2:18.

Seconds later, Lowndes missed the front end of a one-and-one. Smith was soon fouled on a made basket and while he missed the free throw, Jatarion Warren came up with the rebound. He, too, was fouled.

Warren made both charity shots for a 56-52 advantage at 1:56. Any hopes of a Lowndes comeback dimmed as Beckhom picked off a pass and hit a layup.

Smith notched a free throw with 28 seconds left to go up 62-52. That made a 15-point swing in three minutes.

Lowndes avoided their second double-digit loss of the night with two late baskets.

“What we did in December and November showed up in that game,” said Holmes. “We didn’t give up, we didn’t panic. We held our own.”

Tift County struggled offensively during most 2019-20 home games, but had little issue in the first two quarters.

Smith and C.J. Henley made three-pointers to open the game and the Devils were up 16-6 at the end of the first period. The contest opened further in the second as a generous Tift worked match-ups to their advantage.

Kobee Smith slipped inside and scored on a pass from Azaria Smith. Tyler Parker forewent an easy bucket to serve Warren on a thunderous slam dunk. Parker had the favor returned by both Azaria Smith and Henley as the points total ticked upwards in a hurry. It was 32-17 at intermission and Lowndes was in deep trouble.

The Vikings had some tricks of their own in the third. Following Azaria Smith’s triple, they scored 18 of the next 22 points. Lowndes was scoring from everywhere, from inside shots from Jaylon Jones to threes by Jalon Baker and drives to the hoop by Tony Wiseman.

At 1:38 in the third, the once-safe Tift advantage was down to 41-37. They found brief breathing room on buckets by Warren and Henley, but Baker hit two free throws with 10 seconds left. Trouble had just begun.

Lowndes scored the first 11 points of the fourth, setting up Tift’s comeback.

“It’s going to take some growth,” said Holmes, adding his young team would have to learn how to play with a lead.

Warren’s 15 points topped Tift, which picked up its fourth win of the season. Azaria Smith was close behind with 13. Henley, a freshman, finished with nine. Wiseman and Baker led the Lowndes attack with 16 each.

LADY DEVILS 62, LOWNDES 51

Tift head coach Julie Conner was unable to remember the last time her team beat the Vikettes by more than 10 points. That happened four years ago, but it had been eight since the difference was as much as 11 points.

The final score was opposite of the first half, which Lowndes led for almost the entirety.

Six seconds, however, erased both that and every bit of Vikette momentum.

Tift trailed 30-29 when Shakiria Chaney went to the free throw line with 18 seconds left in the half. Chaney made both for a 31-30 lead. Lowndes took the inbounds pass, but got caught in the corner by Nicky Jones, who forced a jump ball by the Vikettes’ bench.

The jump went to Tift. Jones was left uncovered on the inbounds pass and, at almost the same spot she forced the turnover, she sank a three-pointer with 12 seconds left. The Lady Devils went into the locker room ahead 34-30.

After the contest, Conner said that series made the game.

Taje Middleton opened the third quarter with a shot behind the arc for Lowndes. Two Chaney baskets and another Jones three-pointer went in before the visitors scored again.

Up 44-38 at the start of the fourth, Tift pulled away. Cali Conner assisted Chaney and Jones on two quick shots. Jones threw an outlet pass to Chaney for a layup and it was 54-40 at 4:54.

Middleton made a three-pointer and Amyah Espanol scored to make it 54-45, but as the Lady Devils have done all season, they started to streak. San Graddic had a personal 6-0 run. She made two more points on an offensive rebound and it was now 62-47 with 1:50 left. That was more than enough for victory.

Freshman Faith Johnson rang two three-pointers for a 6-0 Lowndes lead to start the contest. Chaney and Conner cut that to 6-5. For nearly all of the remainder of the first half, it felt like Tift was that same single point behind.

Espanol gave the Vikettes a 19-13 lead. Later Kiersten Graham’s free throw made it 26-22, Lowndes. Chaney cut both leads to one point. She then gave Tift a brief lead at 27-26.

Johnson scored back-to-back baskets. Finally, Chaney hit free throws with 18 seconds left to go up 31-30. It was Tift’s game the rest of the way.

Four players scored in double figures for Tift. Chaney notched 22. Jones had 11. Graddic had 10, as did freshman Janie Ragsdale. Ragsdale helped the Lady Devils survive the second period with strong play under the basket.

Middleton’s 19 and Johnson’s 18 paced Lowndes.

The Blue Devils and Lady Devils will visit Crisp County Tuesday. They’ll be home against Camden County next Friday at 6 p.m.