SNELLVILLE — Tift County’s Lady Devils ended their Deep South Classic tournament in a big way Dec. 30, 2022. Not only did they earn 5th place, they defeated one of Georgia’s best teams, Forest Park.

The final score was 47-44. Going into the contest, MaxPreps had the 9-3 Lady Panthers rated as the No. 12 team in the state. By comparison, Tift (8-3) was 65th.

Forest Park led 24-23 at halftime. Tift was up 41-35 at the end of 3 quarters.

Jimmya Cushion scored 13 points for the Lady Devils with O’ashia Cushion at 12 points (all on 3-pointers). Jalaya Miller added 9 points.

Head coach Julie Conner reported that both squads made more 3-pointers than 2-pointers. Tift landed nine shots from behind the arc.

“That was a huge win for our program,” said Conner in a text message.

The Lady Devils went 2-1 at the Deep South Classic, falling to Wesleyan — No. 11 in Georgia — in a game that was close until the end. In their first consolation game, they blasted Duluth, 61-21.

Tift barely missed seeing Valdosta, the only other South Georgia team in the tournament, in the 5th place game. After falling to Collins Hill in the first round, Forest Park defeated the Lady Wildcats Dec. 29. Valdosta earned 7th place with a 57-36 victory over Duluth.

Host Brookwood won the tournament, defeating Mount Paran in the finals. Wesleyan earned 3rd place against Collins Hill.

Conner said the Wesleyan contest was played much closer than its end score. Wesleyan led 30-27 at the half and each squad scored 16 points in the 3rd quarter for to be 46-43 going into the final eight minutes.

The Cushions were at the top of Tift’s individual scorers. Jimmya Cushion scored 13 points and O’ashia Cushion and Jimelyah Cushion netted 8 apiece. Jakembre Beckhom was close behind with 7 points.

Against Duluth, the victory was never in doubt. In the 2nd quarter alone, Tift scored 22 points, more than the Lady Wildcats notched all game. They had already notched 17 in the 1st.

Jimmya Cushion scored 18 points for the Lady Devils, with Miller close behind at 14 points. Beckhom scored 7 points and Jazyiah Johnson added 6.