Terrell Academy Lady Eagles remain undefeated, SGA boys hand Terrell first loss

ALBANY — In a showdown of unbeaten GIAA teams, the Terrell Academy Lady Eagles (7-0) edged a resilient Southwest Georgia squad 55-50 Friday in the Deerfield-Windsor Christmas Classic opening game. In the boys’ game, Southwest Georgia outlasted Terrell Academy 49-42 to secure a hard-fought win.

The Lady Eagles led by 10 points midway through the third quarter, but the Lady Warriors surged back, narrowing the gap to 40-38 at the end of the period. Southwest Georgia took a 46-45 lead with 5:12 remaining when Kj Spann hit a deep three-pointer.

Terrell Academy responded, and the teams traded leads down the stretch. Sophomore Hadley Webb drained a three from the top of the key to give the Lady Eagles a 50-48 advantage with just over three minutes to play. Senior Jenna DeBary sealed the victory with a layup in the final 33 seconds.

“I was really proud of the way we fought back,” said Terrell Academy Head Coach Eric Israel. “This was our toughest test so far, and we gave a really good effort against a strong team. This is how region games will be—back and forth—and you can’t quit when you get down. I was glad to see our girls fight back.”

Sally Masters led the Lady Eagles with 15 points, while Natalie Oliver added 11. Spann paced the Lady Warriors with 15 points, followed by Ashlyn Dryden with 12 and Ella Ashley with 10.

In the boys’ game, the Warriors built an early lead and held off a late rally from the Eagles. Southwest Georgia led 21-12 after Weston Durden knocked down back-to-back threes midway through the second quarter.

Terrell Academy battled back, closing the gap to 23-22 before halftime on a steal and layup by Jack Douglas. The game remained close throughout the second half, but the Warriors’ balanced offense and strong defense secured the win.

“I thought we played pretty well,” said Southwest Georgia Head Coach Conley Short. “We need to do better with offensive rebounds, but we’re improving every time out. Since our boys played football all the way to the state championship, we’re still finding our rhythm. Today was a good effort, especially on defense.”

Southwest Georgia’s offense featured four players in double figures: Than Beckley led with 13 points, Grayson Cox and Colt Williams each added 12, and Durden chipped in nine.

Douglas led the Eagles with 14 points, while Holton Whatley scored 11.