Indians Fall In Elite 8
The Vidalia High School Indians basketball teams both fell in the Elite 8 of the GHSA State Tournament last week. The Lady Indians fell on Tuesday to East Laurens, and the boys lost on Wednesday to Toombs County.
Girls vs. E. Laurens The Lady Falcons jumped out to a 6-1 lead early in the first quarter. They pushed that lead to 8-1 with 5:10 left in the first. But the Lady Indians went on a run as they closed the lead to 10-9 with 1:45 on the clock. The Falcons added a basket, but Takaiyah Bacon closed it back to 12-11. By the end of the first period East Laurens was up 16-11 as they made a couple of shots down the stretch.
With just over six minutes left in the first half, the Indians trailed 18-13 after a fast-break basket by Mischa Wardlaw. It was 18-15 after a shot by Hannah Nichols, and then another basket by Wardlaw made it 18-17, with VHS down by just one.
But too many turnovers started to add up against the Lady Indians as East Laurens pushed their lead to 29-22.
continued from page
And by the end of the first half, the Falcons had pulled away to a 38-27 lead over the Lady Indians.
Late in the third period, a basket by Cori Warner and one by Zamiyah Hodges helped, but the Indians were trailing 50-39 heading to the fourth.
With six minutes to go. it was a nine-point lead, and VHS made it a seven-point game with just four minutes left to play. With 2:52 left, the lead was 52-46 for the Falcons. Hodges closed it to 52-48, and it was 55-52 with just one minute left to play after baskets from Hodges and Nichols.
VHS could not complete the comeback as East Laurens pulled away in the final minute on free throws. VHS fell to the Lady Falcons, 61-52.
VHS was led by Nichols with 15 points, Bacon posted 10, and Hodges had 6 in the loss. The Lady Indians finish the year with a record of 23-7.
Boys vs. Toombs
What a game it was between archrivals in the GHSA Elite 8, but things did not fall the way that VHS wanted as they fell by just three points to the Bulldogs.
Toombs got on the board first, but a basket by Jamorion Phillips and Rashad Brown put the Indians on top 4-2 with six minutes on the clock. Jayon Coleman pushed the lead to 9-6, but a three from Toombs tied the game at 9-9. With 3:30 left in the first, the Indians were back in front 11-9 after a basket from Brown.
Toombs took the lead back, 15-14, with less than a minute to go in the first, and that was the score when the buzzer sounded.
With six minutes left in the half, the Bulldogs led 20-14. DJ Wallace got a shot to go for the Indians, and then Brown closed it to 22-20 with 3:10 to play. Neither team got much to fall over the remainder of the first half with the Bulldogs holding a 26-22 lead.
In the third period, the Indians outscored the Bulldogs 11-5 as they took a 33-31 lead into the fourth quarter. But in the fourth, the score was tied 35-35 with 5:45 left in the game. TCHS took the lead back, but a three from Coleman gave the Indians a 38-37 lead.
With 2:30 left, the game was tied at 38-38, but with just two minutes left to play, the score was 41-40 with Toombs on top. VHS took the lead back on a basket by Coleman. VHS was up 43-41 with less than a minute to play, but a three-pointer from the Bulldogs gave them a 44-43 lead with just 30 seconds left. VHS tried, but they couldn’t get anything to fall as TCHS added a pair of free throws down the stretch as the Bulldogs took the win, 46-43.
The loss ended the Indians’ season with a record of 22-7.
