Savannah area girls see region races heat up
The girls basketball rivalry between Calvary Day and Savannah Country Day typically results in hotly-contested affairs — and Friday night was no exception as SCD prevailed 46-44 in a pivotal Region 3-3A matchup.
Savannah Country Day, under veteran coach Kenny Conroy, in his second year leading the program, improved to 10-3 on the season with a 7-0 mark in region play as the Hornets sit atop the region standings.
Daniel Jackson, the longtime Calvary Day assistant, is in his first season leading the Cavs after the retirement of veteran Jackie Hamilton. Jackson has Calvary, which reached the Class 3A state semis last season, playing well once again with a 9-4 overall record and 5-1 mark in region play. They are in second place in the region race.
SCD took control of the game with a 14-4 advantage in the third quarter to take a 12-point lead headed into the last stanza and withstood a late rally by the Cavs. The Hornets had a balanced attack led by senior AC Davis, who scored 14 points, and Sarah Catherine Gilpin, who had 12, while Stella Oelschig added nine.
Destini Gooddine led Calvary with 16 points and Breanna Jones had 12 points and nine boards, while Da'Maris Shields added 11 rebounds. Zora Geiger has also been a key contributor this season.
"I thought we played pretty well, we kept things under control and did a lot of good things," Conroy said. "We missed a lot of layups early, but the girls stayed focused and played hard. We've got a good group of players with great chemistry — and they love to compete."
Johnson sits in third in the region standings at 7-6 overall and 4-2 in region play. Senior Amayah Hamilton is averaging 14.4 points and 14.3 rebounds per game, while Bryahnna Patton has emerged as a game changer as the sophomore is averaging 16.2 points per game.
Here's a look at where teams from the Greater Savannah area are in contention in other regions.
Region 1-5A
Bradwell is having another excellent season under veteran coach Faye Baker, in her 29th year leading the program. The Tigers are tied for the lead in a rugged region with a 15-1 overall record and 3-0 mark in region play. Statesboro (14-1, 3-0) and Ware County (13-5, 3-1) are right there in the hunt.
The Tigers, ranked No. 7 among Class 5A teams in the state by Sandysspiel.com, are led by junior Parris Parham, who is averaging 20.4 points and nine rebounds per game.
Region 3A Division I
This region has Savannah-area flavor as Bryan County (13-2, 5-0) sits atop the region standings followed by Woodville-Tompkins (8-9, 4-2) and Savannah High (7-7, 3-2).
Veteran Coach Mario Mincey is leading another strong squad at Bryan County, which is ranked No. 9 statewide in its classification by Sandysspiel.com. Senior Kayley Wedlow is averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.6 steals per game and junior Ashanti Brown averages 14.4 points and 13.6 rebounds per contest.
Woodville lost a lot of talent to graduation, but the Wolverines are solid behind the play of senior post Brianna Pelote, who is averaging 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. She recently reached the 1,000 point career milestone.
Savannah High is set to host Woodville on Friday in an important region matchup. The Blue Jackets are led by Ernajah Mallard, averaging 14.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and Tania Bryan, who averages 16.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
Region 1-7A
Richmond Hill (13-5, 1-2) is currently in fourth place in this rugged five-team region where every team has at least 10 wins, lead by Camden County at 16-3 and 2-0 in region play.
The Wildcats have been playing well with point guard Makiyah Matthews as a leader along with May Inyang and Jada Brown.
Region 3-4A
New Hampstead is looking to earn a playoff berth with a top four finish in this five-team region. The Phoenix sit in third place with a record of 8-5 and 1-2 in region play. A'Kera Jackson and Gianna Brown have each posted 40 point games this season.
Region 2-6A
South Effingham is in fourth place in the region as the Mustangs are looking to earn a spot in the playoffs. Elena Hairston leads the team with 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and three assists per contest. The Mustangs are 5-12 overall, but have a 2-1 mark early in region play.
Region 2-3A
Trinity Myers is averaging 14.2 points and sophomore Grace Ellington is averaging 13.0 points per game for a Knight squad (5-8, 2-2) that's tied for fourth in its region.