Newspaper Page Text
BASKETBALL
MCHS State Tournament
Wed. 6:00 (A, Boys)(Girls TBA)
RTCA State Tournament
Wed. 6:00 (H, Boys)(Girls TBA)
TCHS State Tournament
Wed. 6:00 p.m. (H, Boys); (Girls TBA)
February 24,2021
®ljt Aimanre
Section B
the
SCOUTING
REPORT
Tournaments
Remember last season. The first
NBA players coming out sick were but
a warning. Then, the ACC canceled
their tourna
ment while one
of the teams was
warming up on
the court.
I wonder how
the players, es
pecially the se
niors, felt. The
whole thing
shutdown be
cause of Covid
19.
March Madness was then killed
off before it even started. These were
only conference tournaments that
were being cancelled at first. The
NCAA called it all off not long after.
Of course, Vidalia saw their Indi
ans’ baseball season called off not
long after the colleges pulled the plug
on everything. Vidalia was 11-1 and
was ranked #1 in Class AA at the time.
The GHSA had managed to get
their tournament in. Of course,
Swainsboro won the state Class AA
final 69-65 over Therrell, yes the same
Therrell that nipped Vidalia in the fi
nal the year before.
The addition of Pace Academy to
Class AA makes this season’s field
very different. Pace won last season’s
title in Class AAA. Reclassification
dropped them down to Class AA
again.
Pace beat Jefferson by 13 in last
year’s AAA final. It was the closest
anyone came to the Knights through
the whole AAA tournament.
With most of the same cast back
from last season, the Knights are
ranked 18th in the nation, and boast a
roster with 7 players who are 6’5” or
taller. Three are 6’7” tall, including
one of the starting guards.
So, the Class AA field has two
champions from last season in their
field. Another private school is cer
tainly capable of competing with
these two players.
Lovett of Atlanta’s starting lineup
includes 6’11” Center Ryan Mu-
tumbo. If you’re an Atlanta Hawks
fan, you’ll realize that that name also
belongs to former NBA Center De-
kembe Mutumbo, a 7’2” shot-blocker
who would wag his finger at the op
posing player whenever he blocked a
shot.
He won NBA Defensive Player of
the Year during the 1996-97 and
1997-98 seasons. I think the young
man from Lovett has some potential.
The youngster has already committed
to Georgetown, where his well-known
father played.
This is also the first year in many
seasons that Vidalia has not had a
team in the tournament. The Indian
boys were upset by Toombs County
in a triple overtime thriller in the re
gion tournament.
Vidalia’s girls also missed out
when they lost in the 2-AA tourna
ment to Swainsboro.
I do hope the GHSA is able to
soldier through the tournaments de
spite the still smoldering Covid-19
virus. And I certainly hope that things
are back to normal so that baseball
season won’t end early.
By the way, the NCAA is planning
to copy the NBA by playing every
thing in a bubble. The entire 2021
tournament will be played in Indiana,
with the majority of the games being
played in Indianapolis.
Selection Sunday is scheduled for
March 14.
By John Conner
Toombs Over VHS In
Triple-Overtime Thriller
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail.com
Photo by Mike Branch
Julian Mann led the Bulldogs past the Indians for the first time since 2016, and se
cured a spot in the State Playoffs with the win,
The Toombs County High school
basketball teams took part in the Region
2AA Tournament last week with the
girls finishing in fourth place while the
boys came up with a big upset of Vidalia
and worked their way into the Champi
onship game where they lost to Swains
boro.
Girls vs. Bacon
It was low scoring between these
two teams as TCHS led 4-2 after two
minutes of play. Aniyah Mckinnon made
it 7-2 with just over five minutes to go in
the first. Bacon went on a run and took a
9-8 lead over Toombs with just over a
minute to go, and at the end of the first
the score was 11-8 with Bacon on top.
KayKay Mobley closed the lead to
1-10 early in the second and Mckinnon
tied the game at 11 -11 with a free-throw.
Bacon went back up 14-11, but the Lady
Bulldogs took the lead back 15-14 with
3:45 to go in the first half. Mobley ex
tended that lead to 17-14.
Bacon again came back to take the
lead, 19-17 with just under a minute left
on the clock. At the end of the first half
that was the score, 19-17, with Bacon in
front.
In the second half Toombs picked
up the pace and Mobley gave the Bull
dogs the lead with a three at 25-24.
Toombs was up 38-25 early in the fourth
and went on to take the win, 55-42 as
they wet on a late run to pull away.
Girls vs. Woodville
Up next for the Lady Bulldogs was
Woodville-Tompkins. Toombs had a
tough time against the Lady Wolverines
as they lost the game 62-35.
Girls vs. Swainsboro
That put Toombs into the consola
tion game where they faced off with the
Lady Tigers of Swainsboro. If it wasn’t
for a big first from Swainsboro, the Lady
Bulldogs may have pulled out the win.
Swainsboro took a 19-8 lead at the
end of the first, but Toombs came back
to close the lead to 32-25 at the end of
the first half.
In the third period Toombs trailed
51-43. Toombs tried to close that gap in
Please see TCHS page 3B
RTCA 1 & 2 In Region
Photo by Mike Branch
Morgan Newsome drives in for a basket as the Lady Crusad
ers take the Region Championship.
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 1 advance@gmaii.com
Robert Toombs Chris
tian Academy hosted the Re
gion Tournament last week
and the girls took the Region
Championship while the
boys came in 2nd. The girls
faced Twiggs Academy for
the title as they are the only
two girls teams in the Region.
The boys defeated First Pres
byterian Christian Academy
on Tuesday and then fell to
Memorial Day on Thursday
in the title game.
Girls vs. Twiggs
RTCA opened up the
game with two three-point
ers, one by Emmie Davis and
one by Ellie Graham, to take
a quick 6-0 lead. Meredith
Durden got one to fall for an
8-0 lead and Morgan New-
some made it 10-1 after
Twiggs did manage a free-
throw.
By the end of the first
period the score was 16-3
with RTCA well out in front.
Early on the second the
Lady Crusaders made it 19-5,
and then Durden began to
take over as RTCA extended
their lead to 32-7 with just a
couple minutes left in the
half. The score was 37-7 at
the end of the first half with
RTCA in command.
With 5:40 left in the third
the score was 42-9, and then
baskets by Durden and Gra
ham made it 46-9. Amily
Mixon, who is coming back
from injury, got her first
chance to play and began to
knock off some of the rust as
she scored several baskets for
RTCA. It was 50-11 with just
over a minute to play in the
third. And by the end of the
period RTCA was on top 55-
14.
RTCA took the win 69-
16 and to win the Region
Championship. RTCA was
led by Durden with 15 points,
Ansley Akins added 13, Ra
chel Threlkeld scored 10 and
Newsome posted 9 in the
win.
Boys vs. FPCA
In the boys game against
FPCA Jashaun Powell scored
several early baskets on fast-
breaks as RTCA took a 10-2
lead with 4:20 left in the first
period. MK McBride added a
Please see RTCA page 4B
Smith Resigns At VRD
On Tuesday, February 16, the City
of Vidalia Recreation Director Matt
Smith submitted his resignation to City
Manager Nick Overstreet, citing per
sonal reasons. He will remain with the
department until Tuesday, March 2.
The decision was made to appoint
Scott Strickland as the Interim Recre
ation Director. Overstreet said, “We will
be evaluating our personnel needs over
the next couple of months. We have the
utmost confidence in Mr. Strickland’s
ability to lead our recreation depart
ment.”
Please see VRD page 11B Former Director Matt Smith Interim Director Scott Strickland
