Jalaya Miller (playing in a regular season game) accounted for most of the Lady Devils’ offense against Marist.

TIFTON — Hoops came to an end for Tift County teams last week. The Blue Devils fell in the first round at Brunswick in overtime 60-57 on Feb. 22. Two nights later, Marist eliminated the Lady Devils in a Sweet 16 matchup, 61-37.

It was a red hot Marist that ended 2022-23 for the Lady Devils.

“I couldn’t ask for more,” said head coach Julie Conner about her team’s effort Friday night as she and the team traveled south down I-75. “I’m so proud of our girls.”

Led by Kate Harpring, Marist scored 20 points in one quarter, then nearly doubled that in the 2nd to lead 37-16 at intermission. Harpring, a freshman, is ranked by ESPN W as one of the top players nationally in the Class of 2026. She scored 26 points on the night.

Harpring was not the only scoring sensation on the floor.

Jalaya Miller finished with 20 points for Tift County, including all eight of their tallies in the 3rd period.

“She had an incredible game,” Conner said. Twenty points is a new career high for Miller.

The Lady Devils outscored Marist 13-11 in the 4th quarter, finishing on an 8-2 run. They avoided a mercy rule, with two Miller baskets in the last couple of minutes of the 3rd.

Faith Hillmon, Makayla Bryant and Jimmya Cushion had baskets in the first four minutes, keeping Tift close at 8-6. Marist was a force on the offensive glass, though, and coupled with a deadly outside aim, they finished the 1st on a 12-3 streak.

The Lady Devils had trouble shaking Marist on offensive, getting few clear looks. Miller had success driving inside and also hit a pair of 3-pointers.

Jakembre Beckhom had a pair of 4th period buckets. She and Hillmon had 4 points apiece. Cushion scored 7and Bryant rounded out the scoring with 2 points.

Tift ends with a 22-6 record for the season. Elsewhere in the state, the remaining Region 1-6A teams were eliminated as well. Rockdale County defeated Lee County, 65-43 and Lovejoy gave neither to Veterans, 72-53.

BRUNSWICK 60, DEVILS 57

An unlikely shot completed a comeback that sent the Pirates to overtime. They built on that momentum from there to win.

Davis Byrnes had a put-back to begin overtime. Teams alternated baskets after, Tift last holding the lead at 57-55 when Tyler Parker stole the ball and assisted Henry Gebhart with 1:20 to go.

A three-pointer put the Pirates ahead seconds later. Two free throws with 20 seconds to gave them the three-pointer margin. Tift attempted a 3 in the waning seconds, but had it bounced off the rim.

Brunswick led 16-14 after a quarter. The game was even tighter from there: 24-24 at the half and 36-36 through three frames.

The first six points of the game belonged to the Pirates, then Tift rallied for 12 straight, the final three coming on a Gebhart shot from behind the arc.

Brunswick began a run of its own and gained a small lead at the end of the stanza.

In the 3rd quarter, the Devils built a seven-point lead, 32-25, before the Bucs came back again.

Up in the 4th quarter, Gebhart hit two free throws with 30 seconds left for a 50-46 advantage. Brunswick made one free throw with 18 seconds to go, missed the second and put back in an offensive rebound to get to 50-49.

Kobe Farrie drained one from the stripe with 10 seconds remaining. The Pirates drove the floor and hit a turnaround jumper as time expired to send the game to overtime.

Gebhart finished with a season high 18 points for Tift. Byrnes scored 8 with McKyler Horne, Parker, Will Clark and Christian Jones at 7 each.