Tift completes weekend basketball sweep

Published 11:45 pm Saturday, January 22, 2022

TIFTON – The Tift County Blue Devils extended their good play Saturday night against Coffee, as well as their win streak to three consecutive games. The Lady Devils made it a weekend sweep with a win as well.

Shots weren’t falling for the Tift girls, meaning the 45-31 final score played much closer than it ended up being. The Devils held Coffee to four third quarter points, then rallied in the fourth to hold off the Trojans, 51-47.

The Lady Devils shook off a cold first half Friday to decimate Camden County. They had another chilly 16 minutes Saturday, but never could fully find the range in the second half.

Coffee used its size to keep hanging around, leading to a chance in tactics to power through.

Head coach Julie Conner said her squad was a bit disappointed but she liked that they had to win in a different manner. Senior Shakiria Chaney became their focus in the fourth, taking passes all around the paint and using her size, quickness and determination to score or to get Coffee to foul.

The Lady Devils were ahead 18-13 at intermission against Coffee, with only a single three-pointer to their credit. Even without that magic working, they seemed on the cusp of rolling in the third. Mya Cushion scored four quick points and Caitlyn Burgess went the length of the court to lay in a defensive rebound.

Those points staked Tift to a 24-13 lead 90 seconds into the quarter. They were still up nine when Chaney took an assist from Faith Hillmon at 5:09.

But Coffee wasn’t going away. Jordan Thomas and Tyrianna Woodgett scored consecutive baskets and when Destiny Douglas ended the frame with a free throw, it was 27-22.

Then it got closer.

Thomas was the first to net points in the fourth. At 7:45, the Lady Trojans were ever closer, 27-24.

Chaney, however, came up with a steal and was fouled on a made basket at 6:59. The free throw went through as well to push it to 30-24.

Coffee made free throws and Thomas cleaned up the boards, but in between a rare three had fallen for Tift, courtesy of Braxton Gipson.

Hillmon assisted Chaney on a jumper at 3:52. Makaylee Carmichael made a free throw at 3:34 to close to 37-31. That ended up being the final point of the night for Coffee.

Gipson upped the margin to nine points on a shot, then Cushion made it 12 on a three at 1:25 to eliminate any chances of a comeback.

The Lady Devils were ahead 8-7 at the end of the first quarter, the big basket being Gipson’s three-pointer. Douglas gave Coffee a 10-8 lead to start the second.

Tift had an 8-0 run in the second, with six points from Chaney.

Chaney fired in 18 points for the night, 9 in the fourth as Tift continually went to her. Gipson scored 9.

Douglas topped the Lady Trojans with 12.

TIFT 51, COFFEE 47

Tift head coach Tommy Blackshear said Friday night that his team had a chance to build on their first region victory of the season. They did, but it did not seem that way for much of the first half.

Tyler Parker scored off an inbounds pass at 4:05 of the first quarter for an 11-6 lead, but when Marquavious Bussey’s jumper off an offensive rebound went through the hoop with 21 seconds left, the Trojans were ahead 13-11.

The visitors ran their consecutive points streak to eight to open the second before popped in another bucket. Torrance Galmer scored eight points in the period, including a three with one second left, but all Tift coul do was pull to 31-25.

The tide turned in the third. After the teams swapped baskets, Henry Gebhart came through with a jumper and Galmer hit from range again, drawing to 33-32.

Junitho Benson scored seconds later to keep his squad up 35-32, but there was no stopping Tift.

A free throw by Christian Jones tied it at 35 at 2:17 before an inbounds pass lofted to Parker put them ahead at 1:52. Another Jones free throw extended it to 38-35 going into the fourth.

Galmer nailed a three off a Parker assist to start the fourth. That seemed to rouse the Trojans out of their slumber. Larry Daniel and Benson went back-to-back over the course of 45 seconds to pull to 41-39.

Galmer – who else? – hit a clutch runner at 5:42, but Bussey hit one shot, then a three at 4:46 for a 44-43 advantage. They had a chance to do more damage, but Coffee missed six consecutive free throws, with one trip to the line ending in a lane violation.

Gebhart and Jones regained the lead with a baseline drive and offensive return, respectively. The Trojans missed the front end of a one-and-one – their seventh straight miss – but made up some for it with a single point at 1:59. Daniel then knotted it at 47-47 when a tip-in fell through at 1:10.

Fortunately, the Trojans couldn’t capitalize further. A turnover went to Tift with 44 seconds left, then Devils had another chance at an inbounds under their basket. They went to their bread-and-butter and Parker put them ahead 49-47 with 35 seconds to go.

Coffee missed on their end and Parker grabbed the rebound. He passed it ahead, where a Trojan knocked it out of bounds with 17 seconds left.

The Devils successfully inbounded and ran off five seconds before Gebhart was fouled. He mad both ends of the one-and-one with 12 seconds showing. Coffee turned it over again and the Devils secured the win.

Galmer sizzled for 21 points Saturday, with five three-pointers. Parker scored 12 and Gebhart and Jones were both at 6.

Coffee had a trio of scorers finish with 9, Zay Simpson, Tyriq Edwards and Bussey.

Tift goes to Lee County next Tuesday and Lowndes next Friday before a Jan. 29 showdown at Sumter County.