HELPING HANDS: Hannah Grace Murphy and Kate Phillips extend helping hands to Elaine Mercer after Mercer was fouled on a made basket in the 4th quarter.

CHULA – Tiftarea Academy remained in the mix of District 1-3A Monday in a split of make-up games versus Southland Academy.

The Lady Panthers are now over .500 in the standings, raising their record to 4-3 after a 32-27 victory. Tiftarea’s boys made a run in the 4th, but it was too late and they fell, 59-53.

The Panthers remain in the mix in 1-3A, something that comforted head coach Rob Flick even as bemoaned the foul trouble that cost him three usual starters against Southland.

”We just dug ourselves in a hole too much,” said Flick. That Tiftarea is their situation – third in the district as of Monday with a 7-10 overall record is remarkable considering they were a one-win team a year ago.

”We’re inexperienced,” he said. “We hit some big shots.” and they fought, he said. Tiftarea was down double digits in the 4th quarter.

LADY PANTHERS 32, SOUTHLAND 27

Lexi Connell broke a 27-27 tie with 1:32 remaining in the contest with a pair of free throws. Isabel Fernandez added a free shot with at 0:58 for a tiny bit of cushion.

Fernandez made it a two-possession game with 18 seconds left, an unusual sequence that began with her being fouled during a defensive rebound. Fernandez reacted, resulting in a technical foul that also was her fifth foul.

After lots of discussion by the referees, Fernandez was allowed to shoot the free throws. She was momentarily taken off the line after the first shot, but allowed to stay in. Fernandez made the second to go up 31-27.

On the other end of the floor, Southland missed both technical shots, then two more on a foul during the ensuing possession.

Amelia Mercer knocked down a last free shot with two seconds to go.

Monday’s contest was unusual in another way. Each team posted a scoreless quarter in the 1st half. At the end of a quarter, Tiftarea led 11-0. Halftime, they still had that lead, only it was 11-10.

Ultimately, the Lady Panthers went 11 minutes without points. The icy spell didn’t hurt much; when Amelia Mercer knocked down two free throws at 4:44 in the 3rd, the new score was 13-13.

Southland finished the 3rd and began the 4th on a 7-0 run, four of the points by Mary Easterlin, to go ahead 21-17.

Elaine Mercer and Kate Coogle knotted the score at 21, beginning a seesaw battle spanning the next four minutes. Neither team led by more than two points and there were four ties during the 4th.

Fernandez led Tiftarea with 9 points, with Amelia Mercer at 7. Easterlin was Southland’s leader at 12 points.

SOUTHLAND 59, PANTHERS 53

Banks Simmons opened the 4th period with a basket, apexing Southland’s lead at 47-32. Slowly, Tiftarea whittled down the score, getting it under 10 at 2:10 on a high 3-pointer b Andrew Connell.

Thomas Coogle had a block, then scored at the other end to make it a 53-47 game. Connell’s offensive rebound at 1:25, closed it to four, 53-49, they could only barely get closer. Perry Usher made a pair of free throw for the Raiders and though Coogle returned fire, they couldn’t take advantage seconds later when a jump ball went their way. Tiftarea made it a one-possession game with 21 seconds remaining when Caden Grier fed Elijah Smith in the post, but Peyton Gilbert made a single free throw two seconds later and Tiftarea would not score again.

”It started to work out,” Flick said. “It was just too little, too late.”

Southland’s biggest asset Monday was big man Will Godwin.

Godwin played the entire 32 minutes, scored 19 points and lived around the paint. When he wasn’t scoring, Godwin set picks, vacuumed up everything in his vicinity and, mostly importantly, stayed out of foul trouble. Flick said that foul trouble limited him three days earlier in Americus, allowing Tiftarea to win.

Elijah Smith’s old-fashioned three-point play made for a 10-10 tie at 1:47 in the 1st. After Elijah Smith tied it at 16 seconds into the 2nd, Ben Smith knocked down a 3-ball for their last lead, at 19-16.

Within a minute, Southland went ahead 21-19 and the Panthers never caught up again. The Raiders ended the half on a 10-2 run for a 33-23 lead.

Three Raiders finished in double figures. Besides Godwin’s 19, Usher netted 16 and Simmons contributed 13.

Elijah Smith scored 22 for Tiftarea.

Between games, Tiftarea’s winter sports athletes were recognized for Senior Night.