Bringing Elite hoops focus
Teams in the state quarterfinals hope to continue their success in the postseason.
Teams in the quarterfinals hope to continue success.
For a basketball team to make it past the first two rounds of the state playoffs, it needs far more than just talent. A lack of focus amid the road trips or battles against top-ranked teams can lead to nerves, even for the most accomplished players.
The three local teams still alive in the postseason are all aware of this. Model and Darlington’s girls, and the Chattooga boys have fought and earned their way to be among the Elite Eight in their divisions. But as the brackets narrow, coaches know the competition only becomes more physical and those remaining must stick to what they do best.
“We have a sort of mantra to control the controllables,” Darlington coach Tommy Atha said. “Just control things by boxing out, playing hard, and helping your teammate on defense. If we can do that, the rest will take care of itself.”
Model’s Lady Blue Devils will have the spotlight all to themselves Tuesday as they host Bryan County at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Class AA girls’ state playoffs. Darlington’s girls and the Chattooga Indians will play their games Wednesday, both on the road.
The Lady Tigers travel to Gainesville to face Lakeview Academy in the Class A Private Elite Eight, while Chattooga is at Swainsboro High School for a Class AA showdown.
“We’re obviously excited to be in the quarterfinals. We are blessed and privileged to be where we are,” Model coach Sally Echols said. “We hope that with Bryan County coming up here we know our fans will be behind us and that’s always reassuring.”
The Lady Devils (24-5) are back in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row and will be pushing to break through to the Final Four after winning their first two playoff games by more than 30 points each. Bryan County (24-4) has had similar margins of victory, pairing a strong guard game with an effective post attack, according to Echols.
If trends hold true, however, Model’s up-tempo defensive game will be the pacesetter for how the Lady Devils approach the Region 2-AA champions.
The performances of players like Victaria Saxton and Bailey Upton have seemed to only improve as the season has continued.
Tuesday’s game will be a chance for Echols and her experienced team to reach the semifinals after being eliminated in the Elite Eight the last two seasons.
The coach said while they haven’t focused on it, they are aware of it.
“It’s probably in the back of their minds, but we don’t go into any game thinking it will be our last,” Echols said. “You hope that the girls remember the sting of the past just enough that it sparks their fire for the future.”
The No. 11 seed Darlington Lady Tigers (23-6) were able to post a 57-51 win over higher-seeded Calvary Day in Savannah last Wednesday thanks to Anna Claire Atha and Caroline Dingler combining for 18 points in the final quarter. The duo has been a tandem threat for opponents this season as Darlington has focused on teamwork to help them through challenging situations.
It was something that became more pronounced between the Lady Tiger’s 44-39 first-round win over Athens Academy and their victory over the No. 6-seeded Lady Cavaliers.
“Once we got to Savannah, the team was just more relaxed,” Coach Atha said. “We were more at ease with the moment, and we were able to play our style of basketball.”
Lakeview Academy (25-4) was seeded as the No. 3 team in the Class A Private bracket, having won the Region 8-A championship. Despite the even bigger gap in rankings, Darlington matches up well with the Lady Lions. And after a five-hour trek last week, a much shorter trek northeast of Atlanta.
The Chattooga Indians (26-1) certainly appeared settled in last Thursday when they beat Thomasville, 68-51, extending their win streak to 22 straight games.
They’ll have to continue that streak on the road against a Swainsboro team with a 19-10 record.
The trip from Summerville to Swainsboro is a little more than four hours, making it the furthest Chattooga will have traveled this season by a wide margin.
Once there, the Indians will play a team that has won seven of its last eight and pulled out a minor upset over Monticello in the Sweet 16.
Chattooga coach Jared Groce has been behind his team from the start, as both underdogs and favorites, and he’s sticking with them.
“But the main thing with this team is we are going to do what we do,” Groce said. “No matter what the size of the other team is or what their strengths and weaknesses are, we are sticking with what we do. It has worked all season, and we are going to continue that.”
‘But the main thing with this team is we are going to do what we do. No matter what the size of the other team is or what their strengths and weaknesses are, we are sticking with what we do. It has worked all season, and we are going to continue that.’ Jared Groce Chattooga basketball coach