Lady Devils hold on for win in playoffs
The 16-12 lead Darlington’s boys held at halftime of their game Saturday wasn’t ideal, but it worked for head coach Bradley Pierson and the approach he wanted his team to take.
Battling to control the game from the start, the Tigers and Fellowship Christian forced each other to make each basket count in a 46-36 win for Darlington in the Huffman Center to kick off the Class A Private state playoffs.
The victory ends a nine- year drought for Darlington, which last won a first-round state playoff game in 2009.
It’s also the Tigers’ first playoff win under Pierson, who came on as head coach at his alma mater last spring.
The home team never trailed but was never up by double digits until Sam Tackeberry hit a pair of free throws with 5.9 seconds left to set the final score.
Pierson said he made sure his team was prepared on defense, going to a zone look against the Paladins.
“Watching film on them this week, we knew they like to play fast and aggressive defensively,” Pierson said. “We didn’t want to get into a 70- or 80-point game with them. So we set the tone defensively and kind of kept them off balanced.”
The lead stayed in the range of four to six points through most of the game until the fourth period when Darlington’s starting five got in a rhythm that put them up by nine after a 3-pointer from Barrick Wade with 4:36 to go.
Andrew Land then hit another 3 from the corner a couple of minutes later to make it 41-33 and set up the final phase of the game where the Tigers went 5- of- 7 at the line.
“It was kind of a disjointed game offensively, but I thought we had good contributions from all five starters,” Pierson said.
JD Hull and Eli Brooks each had 12 points for Darlington to set the pace for all scorers.
Tackeberry finished with nine points, while Land hit a pair of 3’s on the way to eight and Wade had five.
The Tigers (14-10) went 10-of-15 at the line as a team, while Fellowship Christian was 3-of-8.
Darlington, which is ranked 12th in the last GHSA Class A Private Power Ratings, moves on to the Sweet 16 to face a familiar foe in No. 5-rated North Cobb Christian. Both teams are in the “A” subregion of Region 6- A, with North Cobb winning both meetings between the two teams in the regular season.
The game is tentatively set for Thursday at North Cobb Christian. A time is yet to be determined.
Chattooga’s season came to an abrupt halt Saturday as the Region 7-AA champion Indians came up short against Monticello, 49-44, in Summerville.
The back-and-forth battle in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs was capped by a 14- 8 fourth period in favor of the visiting No. 4- seeded Hurricanes that sealed the upset.Jamarious Mosteller paced Chattooga with 16 points but was held scoreless in the final eight minutes. Devin Price added 11 for the Indians, while Jundraius Adams hit a pair of 3- pointers en route to eight points. Chattooga ends the season with a 23-4 record.
A tough matchup in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs didn’t go Pepperell’s way as the Dragons fell to Elbert County 72-46 on the road.
The loss ends a roller coaster season for Pepperell, which finishes with a 14-11 record after going 9-5 in Region 7-AA and finishing third in the region tournament.
Through all of t he build up to it and the emotional swings that were a part of it, the Model Lady Blue Devils pushed through their first-round state playoff game and avenged a loss that threatened to haunt them two years later.
No. 6 Model opened Friday’s game with a strong statement and overcame adversity in the second half to defeat No. 7 Putnam County 70-64 to open the Class AA state playoffs.
“I felt like we just came out harder as a team than we have in any other game, and we had the right mindset,” senior forward Victaria Saxton said. “We were intense. We were just ready. We were all excited. It was just … we were having fun.”
Saxton recovered from a severe cramp midway through the second half and finished with 38 points and 17 rebounds for Model, which led nearly the entire game and fought off a rising Lady Eagles team in the final period to secure the win.
Putnam County had been ranked in the top five in the state most of the season until back-toback losses in its region tournament last week seeded the Lady Eagles fourth, setting up a rematch with Region 7-AA champion Model.
The Lady Devils were defeated by Putnam County two years ago in the Elite Eight.
“We felt like we needed to prove something and show what we’ve really got,” Saxton said.
Model (23-3) went on a 12-3 run in the first period and was ahead 16-7 heading into the second. Then the Lady Devils produced a 15-2 run that led to a 35-17 lead at halftime.
“We knew it was going to be a tough contest, and I think knowing that, the girls were better prepared than they would have been had it not been Putnam County,” Model coach Sally Echols said. “We say it all the time, but it falls back on our defense. And I feel like our defense in the first half really set the tone for us.”
The Lady Devils recovered from a small Putnam run at the start of the second half and took their biggest lead of the game after a 3- pointer from Libby Upton — who finished with 13 points — put them up 44-23 with 3:43 to go in the third.
Saxton was challenged by a Putnam County player a short time later and stumbled out of bounds. She came up limping, which t urned i nto a pained expression and a trot straight to the Model locker room area.
“It was in both legs, and it was probably the worst cramp I’ve ever had. It was unbearable,” Saxton said. “I was just like, ‘I’ve got to do this. I’ve got to get back and be strong for my team.’”
After Model’s medical training staff worked on her leg for the remainder of the third period, Saxton re-entered the game with 6:27 left to rousing applause from the home crowd.
“It just made me feel loved,” Saxton said of the reaction. “I just love our fans. They’re just so supportive and happy for everybody. We have a great support system.”
The South Carolina signee went on to score 10 more points and pull down three rebounds before the final buzzer sounded.
While she was out, Upton, Moe Welch and Elizabeth Duke did their best to take up the slack. Putnam County (20-5) found a renewed energy with s ophomore Jashanti Simmons led the charge, scoring 10 in the third and seven in the fourth before fouling out with 1:55 left.
Senior forward Rykia Pennamon scored 17 of the Lady Eagles’ 31 fourth-period points, including going 7-of-8 at the line.
For Echols, i t was shades of two years ago when Model led by 12 at halftime before Putnam County mounted a comeback and won.
“We said we don’t want the same ending to that story as we had the first time around. That’s been two years ago, but this senior group remembers that well,” she said. “Basketball is a game of runs, so you have to hold steady. You’ve got to get your mindset right and just keep playing through it, and I felt like we were able to do that.”
Model will host Callaway in the Sweet 16 on either Wednesday or Thursday.