TIFTON —
For the first time in seemingly forever, the Tift County Blue Devils play at home. Tonight, they host the Camden County Wildcats in a pair of Region 1-AAAAAA games, starting at 4 p.m. It will be their first home appearance since Jan. 11. They had one final obstacle last night as they traveled to Brunswick for a battle on the coast with the Pirates.
Camden was home last night against the Colquitt County Packers. The Wildcats have hit a rough patch lately. They have yet to win a region game and last won Dec. 29 against Class A Charlton County.
The Lady Cats recently sprang an upset over Valdosta, 74-50. Valdosta had taken the first game between them, 58-39.
For Lady Devils coach Julie Conner, she hopes she will finally have a game with some breathing room. “I’d love to beat someone by 20 or 30,” she said.
They defeated Coffee by eight last Saturday, 45-37. This was a night after needing a huge fourth quarter to defeat Colquitt County. On the 15th, Conner recorded her first victory in Albany over Westover. Of course, it was a close one, 67-62.
Conner, who was recently named a member of ABAC’s Athletic Hall of Fame, has been pleased with the development of her squad through this stretch.
Dee Dee DeShazer, the team’s high scorer on the year, did not figure into the top three at Coffee. Alexis Johnson scored 15, Staceyanna Murrell, 10, and Brakia Bateman had nine.
“Everyone has been doubling down on Dee Dee,” she said, which she said has allowed others to step up. “I’m very, very proud,” she said of how they have responded.
The win over Coffee boosted their season record to 15-3. They have won 12 straight games, a streak that stretches back to Dec. 19, the first game of the Florida road trip.
The Devils lost their first region game of the year against Coffee, 88-83, a game that did not feature Brannen Greene. Greene did make the trip to Springfield, Mass., for the Hoophall game against the St. Anthony Friars, a school listed in the top 10 nationally in multiple polls. Tift had the lead at the end of the third quarter and gave the Friars quite a scare, though they ultimately lost, 60-54.
By losing their last two, Tift is now 14-4 and 5-1 in the region. It has cost them their No. 1 ranking in Class AAAAAA in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, but Score Atlanta has kept them in their perch. The latter poll has taken notice of the Lady Devils as well. They are ranked No. 8 this week.
Next week, Tift County gets a full serving of teams from Lowndes County. They travel to Lowndes next Friday and host Valdosta Saturday.
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
tift county basketball logo
Blue Devils finally return home
- Local Sports
-
-
Gattis’ grand slam leads Braves past Twins 8-3
Evan Gattis no longer seems amazed by his improbable rookie season.
Yet, there are still times when it’s a bit of an adjustment for the Atlanta Braves catcher.
Like when someone recognizes him in the grocery store.
“It’s a little weird,” the 26-year-old Gattis said. “I’m not used to that yet.” - Sports briefs for May 23
-
Two from Tift named 1st team All-Region
The Tift County Blue Devils, who were only just barely eliminated in the state quarterfinals, placed two players on the All-Region team for 1-AAAAAA. The region, which sent three teams to the elite eight in the state tournament, named Lowndes’ Danny Redshaw Coach of the Year.
-
Battle for state golf title held at Spring Hill
Spring Hill Country Club was temporarily home to 16 different schools Monday. All 16 locked irons in a battle for the Class AAAAAA state boys golf championship. After the dust had settled, top honors had gone to the Norcross Blue Devils, who finished two strokes ahead of the Peachtree Ridge Lions, 294-296.
-
Spurlin snags state title
The future looks bright for Tift County gymnastics if Brooke Spurlin’s recent showing at the USA Gymnastics Level 6 state meet is any indication.
-
Tift County High has summer basketball camp
Boys and girls basketball camps will be held at the Tift County High gymnasium for kids in grades Pre K-6, directed by Lady Devils head coach Julie Conner. There are several different camps being offered, including sessions in June and July.
-
Spring game goes well for Devils
The blue squad was the victors 17-10 over the white team Friday in the annual Tift County Blue Devils spring game. The contest was the first preview of the 2013 team, which opens the regular season on Friday, August 30, with a home game against the Westover Patriots.
-
Greene named Parade All-America
-
Lady Devils golfers finish 7th
- Baseball camp at Devil Diamond
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
