TIFTON —
After an emotional 42-38 win Tuesday night over the Coffee High Lady Trojans in the play-in game of the Region 1-AAAAA basketball tournament, the Tift County Lady Devils know they will be back in the state playoffs as one of the four teams from the league.
They now have a chance for even more.
Coach Julie Conner’s Lady Devil team will face off tonight at 7 against the top-seeded Lowndes High Vikettes. The winner of that game will move on to the region title tilt Friday at 7. No matter what happens in that championship game, the two teams that play will earn home games in the first round of the state playoffs.
So a win over Lowndes would not only put Tift in the title game and give the Lady Devils a chance to defend their region championship from a year ago, but it would also at least guarantee Tift a state playoff game.
Lowndes will come into the game with a 22-3 overall record, and ranked ninth in the latest state poll.
The Vikettes have lost two of their last three games, but do hold a 58-41 win over Tift on Jan. 24.
However, the Lady Devils were missing one of their top players, Alexis Johnson, in that contest. When Tift was at full strength earlier this year, Lowndes managed a 49-47 win over the Lady Devils on the Tift’s home court. The same court that Lowndes will have to face Tift on tonight.
The Lady Devils are at full strength now and that was evident Tuesday night as Tift overcame an 11-point deficit over the final 5:22 of the game to earn a 42-38 win over Coffee.
What made the comeback even more impressive is that Tift was down 36-27 with 2:23 left.
Brakia Bateman at that point came alive as she personally outscored the Lady Trojans, 11-1, to give Tift a 38-37 lead.
Free throws from Laken Johnson and Staceyanna Murrell would make the lead, 40-37.
A Coffee free throw would make the score 40-38, and the Lady Trojans would get the ball back with 15.8 seconds left in the game. Laken Johnson would finally steal a Coffee pass and score on a layup as the horn blew to give Tift the victory.
The Coffee High boys will try to get a measure of revenge tonight at 8:30 as the Trojans will face the No. 1-seed on the boys side, the Tift County Blue Devils.
Coffee earned a spot in the final four of the region with a 37-36 win over Colquitt County in Tuesday’s play-in game.
Tift swept Coffee during the regular season, 59-46 and 67-57.
Head Coach Dr. Eric Holland’s Blue Devil team will be trying to earn a trip to the region title game at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The Blue Devils are the defending region tournament champions.
Tickets for tonight’s region semi-finals are $7. No passes other GHSA will be accepted.
The state playoffs will begin Feb. 24, as Region 1 will face Region 2 in the opening round. The girls first-round games are set for the opening night, while the boys’ first-round contests are scheduled for Feb. 25.
Westlake is the top seed in Region 2 on the boys side with a 23-2 overall record, while Stephenson is the top seed on the girls side of that league with a overall mark of 22-4.
Some information for this story came from Bren Shepard.
Local Sports
Related Photos
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Laken Johnson goes up for a basket Tuesday against Coffee. Eddie Senkbeil/sgasports.net
Tift Lady Devils going to state
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