TIFTON — Tift County’s boys basketball team will make its season debut next Tuesday, hosting Westover at 6 p.m.

Both boys and girls will play for Tift. The Lady Devils are two games into their 2024-25 campaign.

This will be the first real look fans will have at the Blue Devils. Tift did not play a scrimmage game against another school, but did have an intrasquad scrimmage Nov. 8 as part of a meet and green for middle and high school players.

Head coach Tommy Blackshear’s team is tall but have one key position to figure out: point guard. Blackshear said all three players to potentially pencil into that position are injured. Those are Damieon “Pokey” Dixon, Kamari Holloman and Jaden Nelson. All three were banged up playing football.

“We’re trying to get some guards,” Blackshear said. Currently, he’s looking to Jay Wilson to start at point against Westover.

Outside of shoring up the guard situation, Blackshear brings back a crew with a good amount of playing time. “We have more experience,” he said.

Quay Bell, J.J. Lamar, Kaden Lawson and Cordell Nelson are among the Blue Devils’ first options this year. All played varsity last year, with everyone but Cordell Nelson playing significantly.

Lamar averaged six points per game and Lawson averaged 5.4. Bell, Lawson and Lamar combined for a big chunk of Tift’s points in the region third place game against Veterans.

One thing Tift County will have this year is serious height.

“We have some size,” Blackshear understated. Lawson and Nelson are both around 6-foot-8. Another giant is a newcomer, Rio Brewton. Blackshear estimated him at 6-foot-5. “We’re expecting big things out of him,” he said. Marshall Howard, who is nearly Brewton’s size, should see some early playing time as well.

Also coming off the bench is Ben Hill, who had a cup of coffee with the Blue Devils varsity a season ago.

Blackshear believes his team will be fine by February, when the region tournament rolls around. Tift County has the longest active state tournament streak in the state, now at 31 seasons.

Getting there will be tough. The Blue Devils are back in their old region, which, thanks to GHSA clipping Class 7A, has the same name as where they were last year — Region 1-6A. All of Tift’s old friends in 1-6A: Camden County, Colquitt County, Lowndes and Valdosta, plus Richmond Hill.

Camden won Region 1-7A last year and Blackshear expects them to be good again. Valdosta and Lowndes will be solid and Colquitt has two transfers in to help. Both Valdosta and Camden finished at 20+ wins. The other three squads combined for 20 wins.

Defense, as always, will be the key for the Blue Devils to excel. Blackshear said they are as dedicated as always. Tift gave up 49 points per game in 2023-24. Only Camden was better among their region opponents.