TCHS Wins Region Championship
The Toombs County High School Bulldogs boys’ basketball team are the Region 3AA Champions. The Lady Bulldogs finished in fourth place in the Region. Both teams will be playing in the GHSA State Playoffs beginning this week. The Lady Bulldogs took on Pierce County, Brantley County, and Vidalia on the way to their fourth-place finish. The boys rolled over Brantley County and then Vidalia in the Championship to bring home the Region Championship.
Girls vs. Pierce
The Lady Bulldogs played in a Region play-in game on Tuesday of last week against the Lady Bears.
The Toombs County Lady Hoop-Dawgs defied expectations and battled through adversity to clinch a spot in the state playoffs! Their Tuesday evening upset against region opponent Pierce County, the number 3 seed, proves what this resilient team is made of.
Returning from wrist surgery in mid-January, Aniyah Mckinnon hasn’t missed a beat. Leading the region in scoring, she’s been the driving force behind this impressive playoff run. Brinley Miller, a sharpshooter from the outside, has rained down a season-total continued from page
of 52 three-pointers, proving to be a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Down low, the duo of Arianna Hill and Kayla Brewton has dominated, while Tytiana Moore provides lockdown defense off the bench. In the backcourt, Romia Morris, Shania Brown, and Natalie Quintero add depth and hustle, showcasing a well-rounded team effort.
The win against Pierce County was extra special for Head Coach Melody Walker, marking her 200th career victory. This monumental achievement is a testament to her dedication and leadership, inspiring her team to consistently push for excellence. Congrats to Coach Walker on this achievement.
Toombs took the win over the Lady Bears, 5649, to keep their hopes alive of making the State Playoffs.
Girls vs. Brantley
Toombs ran into a buzzsaw in their next game as they faced the Lady Herons of Brantley County. Brantley got on the board early and often and pulled away from Toombs for the win. Brantley won the game 51-11 over Toombs.
Boys vs. Brantley
Toombs got on the board first with a threepointer, but things slowed down. It was 5-2 with just 3:48 left in the first. Dominic Eason threw one down and then Jesus Quintero hit a basket and was fouled. He added a free throw to give the Bulldogs a 10-2 lead with just over three minutes on the clock.
Brantley hit two shots to close it to 10-6, but baskets by Eason and Parker Stanley pushed the lead back out to 14-6. But by the end of the first quarter Toombs was on top 16-11.
In the second quarter of the game, Toombs extended their lead to 28-20 heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs pulled away as they outscored the Herons 25-12. That gave them a 52-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Toombs went on to win the game over the Herons, 70-48, to advance to the Championship Game against Vidalia.
Girls vs. Vidalia
The Lady Bulldogs faced off with the Lady Indians of Vidalia in the consolation game of the Region Tournament.
It was a slow start for both teams as the Lady Indians were on top 12-7 early in the second quarter of the game. VHS was on top 14-9 and then pushed the lead to 19-9 late in the first half.
In the third quarter, the score was 21-14 with VHS out in front. Toombs trailed 31-22 late in the third quarter and was down 35-22 early in the fourth. Brinley Miller added a three-pointer to make the score 35-25, but VHS pushed the lead to 43- 28.
It was 54-34 later in the fourth quarter and the Lady Indians went on to win the game 64-41.
The loss put TCHS in fourth place heading into the State Playoffs.
Boys vs. Vidalia
Toombs kicked things off with a three-pointer by Quintero, but Cori Mincey threw down a dunk to make it 3-2 early. Jayon Coleman gave VHS the lead, and then DJ Wallce made it 6-3 with a pair of free throws. Wallace gave the Indians an 8-3 lead with 5:20 left in the first quarter as VHS came out of the gate hot against the #4 ranked Bulldogs.
Quintero closed the lead to 8-6 with another three, and then Eason tied the game with a nice move in the paint, 8-8. VHS took the lead back and was on top 14-8 with 2:04 left in the first quarter.
By the end of the first quarter, the Indians were out in front of the Bulldogs, 16- 10.
After a few early baskets in the second quarter, Eason closed the lead to 19-14, but it was 23-14 with 5:10 to play in the first half after a basket by Dugan Johnson for VHS. Eason hit a basket, and then Gavin Fletcher hit a three for Toombs to make the score 25-21 with VHS in front by just four.
Eason hit a basket and a free throw with just over a minute to play in the first half as Toombs made it 25-23. That was the score at the end of the first half with the Indians out in front.
The big story in the second half of the game for Toombs was that they rebounded the ball much better than in the first and that was the difference in the game.
Early in the third quarter, Toombs took the lead and then were in front 30-27. Quintero hit two three pointers to push the TCHS lead to 36-30, and then a three by Eason made it 39-31. The score at the end of the third was 42-30 as the Bulldogs had pushed their lead to 12 points.
Eason hit another three early in the fourth quarter, and then Eason and Quintero took over as they began to get their shots to fall. Toombs went on to win the game over the Indians, 55-35.
Toombs was led by Eason with 27 points with Quintero adding 20 in the win.
VHS didn’t have any players in double figures on the night with Coleman scoring 9 in the loss.
With that, the Bulldogs will head into the GHSA State Playoffs as the #1 seed out of Region 3AA and the Indians will be the #2 seed.
The Lady Bulldogs took on Central Macon on Tuesday after presstime in the first round of the State Playoffs. If they won that game, they would move on to the second round to face the winner of Thomson and Sumter County later this week.
The TCHS boys also play Central Macon, but their game will be at home on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. If the boys move on from that game, they will play the winner of Thomson and Fitzgerald later this week.
