Tift to try to top 2012 tourneys

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Tift County Blue Devil Donell Tuff finishes off a slam dunk against the Brunswick Pirates in the Region 1-AAAAAA finals Friday, Feb. 15. Tuff scored 12 in the 88-72 blowout. Shine Rankin Jr./sgasports.net

February 19, 2013

Tift to try to top 2012 tourneys

Becky Taylor CNHI The Tifton Gazette Tue Feb 19, 2013, 09:07 PM EST

TIFTON — Cobb County will be invading the home floor of the Tift County Blue Devils tonight for a pair of first round state tournament games. At 6 p.m., the girls will square off with the Campbell Lady Spartans (14-14). Following that contest, the Devils meet the McEachern Indians (14-12). Campbell is from Smyrna, McEachern, Powder Springs.

Tift clinched the No. 1 seeds out of Region 1-AAAAAA after sweeping the region finals on Friday, Feb. 15 in Valdosta. The Lady Devils defeated Valdosta, 57-50 while the Blue Devils blasted Brunswick, 88-72. This enables them to host not just the first round games, but also — if they continue winning — second round and quarterfinal games.

It will be a long trip for both schools, Smyrna being 175 miles from Tifton and Powder Springs slightly further at 180 miles. Lady Devils head coach Julie Conner said she hopes road weariness will play a part in Wednesday’s game. She and Dr. Eric Holland, coach of the Devils, both went to the Marietta Garden Saturday to see the Region 4-AAAAAA consolation games.

Campbell, she said, “came out like a ball of fire.” They hit several three-pointers in the opening quarter before their opponent, Hillgrove, was able to shut them down. After that, things fell into place for Hillgrove, who won 70-57, sending Campbell to the No. 4 slot in the region.

Conner said she was impressed by the depth of the Lady Spartans’ bench. “Everybody played,” she said. “He (Coach Randy McClure) subbed constantly. Hillgrove had to stay focused.”

Campbell missed the state tournament in 2012, after advancing to the semifinals in 2011. They had made the state tournament 12 years before having to sit out last year. Conner’s team, 21-6, is in for the third straight year. They lost in the first round last season to Stephenson, 67-47. In 2011, they advanced to the second round where they were defeated by the team they nearly had to face this year — Hillgrove. Hillgrove instead will face Valdosta.

Holland’s crew, 23-4 this year, gets a team that should have slept well Saturday night. McEachern fell to the No. 4 slot after losing their consolation game to Campbell, 80-78, a battle that went five overtimes before it was decided. Junior guard Logan McIntosh was the Indians’ high scorer with 28 points.

“They’re a pretty good, well-coached team,” said Holland. Mike Thompson’s squad has been one of streaks. They lost five of their first eight games to start the season, but bounced back for three straight wins. They have not gone an extended winning streak this year, but managed to pull ahead after the rough start and come in with a record of 14-12.

Like Campbell’s girls, McEachern missed the state tournament in 2012. Thompson’s team made it to the quarterfinals in 2010, but failed to advance. They have been to the quarters three other times in their long history, but have never advanced further.

For Holland, this will be a chance to avenge last year. After making the semifinals in 2011, they were knocked out in the first round last year by Westlake, 63-60. Led by Kansas signee Brannen Greene, one of four seniors on the roster, the Devils will be trying to put another big banner on the wall, that of Class AAAAAA state champions. Former head coach and current Cook coach Tommy Blackshear won state in 1996. Two other teams, both in the days of Tifton High, were runners-up in 1954 and 1961.

“It’s a blessing from God to get back,” Holland said. “We’re going to try to get further than last year.”

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