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The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 - Page 9
SPORTS
Svlhattia
” T-nk.
Christian Roberson (2)is chased by Randolph-Clays Adary Smith
(00) as Roberson starts a fast break. Ta'miyah Maynor (25) and
Ta'miyah Tyler trail, (photo by Nikki McFarland)
SCHS freshman Rayven Tyler (10) eyes the basket
as Taylor County's Trista Bennett (14) tries to
block her way. (photo by Nikki McFarland)
First Team All Region Ta'miyah Tyler (23) goes
up for a shot in a sea of Taylor County hands,
(photo by Nikki McFarland)
New Syfvania Times /tHOi
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Alailah Scott (12) goes up for a layup against
Taylor County’s Trista Bennett, who seemed to
everywhere Saturday night.
TAYLOR COUNTY
OUTLASTS LADY
GAMECOCKS 57-53 IN
SWEET 16 MATCHUP
Pick up your t-shirt today!
915.00
There are losses in all Game
cock sports that stick with me
through time. One of the more
recent ones is the 35-34 football
loss to Callaway from 2016.
While there have been a lot of
losses in SCHS basketball over
my time, few are memorable.
Maybe the only true one is the
1989 loss by the Gamecocks in
the state semifinal in the Macon
Coliseum. East Rome, a school
that no longer exists, hit a trey
in the waning seconds to claim
a 58-57 overtime win over
Harold Lee Scott’s Roosters.
They won the state in a rout
over Randolph-Clay two nights
later. According to a newspaper
article, the kid had not shot a
three all year.
I think that Saturday night in
the Harold Lee Scott Gymna
sium may produce another one.
It was a big night on campus. It
was the first time we had ever
hosted a Sweet 16 matchup for
“all” of our other appearances
were when this stage of the
playoffs was at neutral sites.
When things started out so well
(16-5 late in the first quarter) I
just plain thought we had fate on
our side. With all our program
has been through in the last
decade, surely the balls were do
ing to drop in the hoop when we
needed them to. Our girls have
always worked so hard. Finally
it was gonna pay off.
Things did not work out as I, or
any other of the large contingent
of SCHS fans on the home side
of the gym, hoped. We had our
chances; it just was not to be.
You may not know but with a
win we would have been hosting
Dublin in a quarterfinal matchup
this very March 2 evening.
Three straight home playoff
games- in basketball no less. I
promise that tears were shared
Saturday by players and fans
alike. There is only one senior.
After the game Head Coach
Stephanie Davis made mention
of the foundation that has been
put down for the future. “This
season is complete but now we
start our preparation for next
year,” she said. “A good founda
tion has been built so we can
build for the future.”
So one of the greatest seasons
in the history of Lady Game
cock basketball history is done
I reckon that it is time to look
toward the future. That means
looking at next year’s Region
3ADland what Stephanie
Davis’ team will face. To start
with the top three teams from
the current 3 A will be there- us,
Claxton, and Bryan County.
Woodville-Tompkins, runner-up
in 2AA, who advanced to the
second round of the AA playoffs
last week, will be there minus
just one senior. Savannah High,
the fourth seed in the state
playoffs from 3AAA, will be
there. Metter will also be there.
Remember their eighth graders
ran away with the middle school
brackets this year. Catch the
drift? Repeating will be tough,
oh so tough.
When a team has a season
like this one there are reasons.
One of them is quality play
ers. The other region coaches
in 3 A recognized that as every
starter for the Lady Gamecocks
garnered some sort of post sea
son honor. Ta’miyah Tyler and
Alailah Scott were First Team
All Region. Asia Roberson
was Second Team All Region.
Ta’miyah Maynor and Christian
Roberson were Honorable Men
tion All Region. That is quite
a feat. Stephanie Davis was
Co-Region Coach of the Year. I
will not name names as to who
the other “co-coach” was, but it
is not deserved! NO ONE did
the job that Davis did. End of
discussion.
Looking up Taylor County’s
Lady Viking history I found
some interesting numbers. They
went 31-0 in the 2014-15 season
and won the Class A state cham
pionship. As recently as the
2018-19 season they went 0-23.
Last season they were 18-4 and
finished second in their region
just as this year. Not related
but over the weekend Hancock
Central, the champion of Region
7A, ousted Bryan County, the
other girls’ team standing in our
3A. If you missed it, our region
runner-up Claxton laid an egg,
quit, or something. They lost
their first round game 54-20 to
Pelham.
So now our total focus is on
spring sports. The winter and
indoor sports are done.
Congratulations on
a great season from
The Sylvania Times
Taylor County’s visiting Lady
Vikings outscored the Screven
County Lady Gamecocks 6-2 in
the final 62 seconds to claim a
57-53 win in second round state
playoff action at the Harold Lee
Scott Gymnasium last Saturday.
The loss came on the heels of
a 60-32 SCHS win
over Randolph-Clay
on February 23 in
the first round. The
Taylor County loss
ends the season
with a 21-4 record
and just the second
region championship
at SCHS in girls’
basketball ever.
Save for 21 seconds
in the second quarter
Stephanie Davis’
Red and White led
the game for three
quarters, once by as
many as 11, before
the fourth quarter
became a back and
forth affair with five
lead changes and
two ties. The last tie
came at 51-51 with
1:12 remaining. In
the end the game
may have come down
to the charity stripe. In
the final stanza Taylor
County was 8-11 from
there while the entire
second half saw SCHS throw up
a 4-14 performance.
“We just did not take care
of business,” said Davis later.
“There is no need for would
have, could have, or should
have because we just didn’t.
This season was nothing short of
amazing. After our loss to Bryan
County (January 11)1 wrote on
their board that said we would be
region champions. That mission
was accomplished.”
The game started out much
like the Randolph-Clay game
three nights before. Alailah
Scott hit a two less
than a minute in
to give her team
a quick lead. The
lead spread to 8-1
before TCHS got
its first basket over
half way through
the quarter.
Ta’miyah Tyler hit
a trey with 1:12
left to give her
team its largest
lead of the night at
16-5. In an ending
that mirrored the
end of the second
and third quarters,
Taylor scored the
final four points to each time
close a deficit.
Taking their final four points
of the first quarter and adding
to it the Lady Vikings went on
a 12-0 run to take a 17-16 lead
with 5:05 before half. SCHS
then went on its own 10-2 run
to go back up 26-19 with 1:55
showing. Taylor scored the final
six points including four off
turnovers in the final 45 seconds
and the halftime score was 26-25
SCHS.
Back to back baskets by
Ta’miyah Maynor in the third
gave the Lady Gamecocks a
34-25 lead as they opened the
second half on a roll but the
missed free throws began to
pile up. Once again the quarter
ended on a sour note as the Red
and White allowed two baskets
in the final 30 seconds and the
fourth quarter began at 41-39.
That is where the hectic fourth
quarter began. The last SCHS
lead came at 49-47 with the last
tie at 51 -51.
For SCHS, who loses only
Maynor from the roster, a
quartet of players hit for double
figures. Scott finished with 12,
Asia Roberson 10, Tyler 10,
and Maynor 10. Off the bench
Olivia Jackson had seven big
points. Robinson pulled down
11 rebounds with Scott and Tyler
having six steals each. Christian
Roberson had five assists.
Davis also said, “We are going
to stay humble and hungry so
that we can focus and finish
next year. This season is
complete but now we start our
preparation for next year. Our
Pastor recently spoke on the
topic ‘A Good Foundation.” A
good foundation has been built
so can build for the future.
This is not the end but just the
beginning of
good things.”
On their way
to their first
state playoff
win since
February
23, 2007
(exactly 15
years before)
the Lady
Gamecocks
took a quick
lead over
Randolph-
Clay when
Maynor hit
for three just
15 seconds in
and they never,
ever looked
back. After the
opening trey
SCHS moved
out to a 13-0
lead before
their guests
scored with 1:44
to go in the first
quarter. The
score after eight
minutes reached 13-2.
The second quarter was
even more one sided as the
Lady Gamecocks had a 23-7
advantage to take a 39-9 lead
into the dressing room. Six
different players scored in
the second quarter led by the
seven of Scott and the six of
Tyler. From that point on it
was a question of how much
the margin of the final score
would be. The Randolph-Clay
deficit reached 35 at 52-17
after 24 minutes with the final
being 60-32.
SCHS recorded 13 steals led
by the six of Scott while a trio
of Lady Gamecocks hit for
double figures. Scott’s 15 led
the way followed by Tyler’s
13 and Asia Roberson’s 11.
Roberson had seven rebounds
and Tyler six.
In the end Davis was quick
to thank the community for
getting behind her Lady
Gamecocks as well as Johnny
Johnson for “all his support
through the season.”
Ta'miyah Maynor (25), the lone senior for the Lady
Gamecocks, heads for the goal while eluding Taylor
County's Trista Bennett (14). Alailah Scott (12) trails,
(photo by Nikki McFarland)
117 North Main Street
Sylvania. Georgian?
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Burton Kemp
Saturday night was a
big night, the ending
just wasn’t right
Around
the horn
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