Blue Devils reach .500 with win over Lee

Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, January 26, 2022

LEESBURG — The score was not high, but it was enough Tuesday night to get the Tift County Blue Devils to .500 in basketball.

Tift defeated Lee, 34-31 to even their mark at 9-9. Unfortunately, the night was not a sweep for Tift as the Lady Devils were upset, 55-54.

Devils head coach Tommy Blackshear reported that Tyler Parker scored 16 of Tift’s 34 points. “But we played great team defense because we struggled to score,” he said in a text message. “The defense held them down and gave us to win late in the fourth quarter.”

Tift has a chance for a winning overall record this weekend.

Friday, they travel to Lowndes for a Region 1-7A showdown and Saturday they go to Sumter County.

“It’s going to be hard against Lowndes and Americus, but we’re going to try hard,” he said.

Lowndes is 1-7A’s leading team at the moment, with a 3-0 mark.

The Lady Devils saw their six-game win streak come to end at Lee at the hands of a well-regarded Lady Trojans club.

They led 19-13 at the quarter and 31-28 at halftime, but found themselves tied, 37-37 after three frames.

Tamyra Carter scored 17 points and Caitlyn Burgess netted 13. Shakiria Chaney added 8.

In good news for the Lady Devils, their three-point shooting touch returned in Leesburg. Nine shots from behind the arc connected.

Tift is now 13-4 for the year.