WESTOVER THANKSGIVING SHOOTOUT: Terrell County girls surge past Dougherty

ALBANY — The Terrell County Lady Greenwaves put the finishing touches on an impressive victory in the Westover Thanksgiving Shootout Saturday with a 61-42 victory over Dougherty.

Led by a 22-point effort from Jamya McDaniel and 14 rebounds from Brittany Williams, Terrell won its second game in as many days over a Dougherty County school. On Friday, Terrell pounded Albany High 58-12.

Charlene Jackson’s Lady Trojans led 19-5 at one point in the first quarter, but from that point on, it was all Lady Greenwaves. The visitors came off the bench roaring in the second quarter, outscoring Dougherty 23-6, and ending the half with a bang as McDaniel drained a 3-pointer right before the buzzer.

“I think we were more intense on defense.” Terrell coach Tammye Jenkins Ware said of her team’s surge in the second period. “We came out a little sluggish, but once we picked up the defensive intensity, it made a difference.”

Timerius Whiting added 12 points, three rebounds, and four steals for the Greenwave, part of a tenacious effort. Terrell County grabbed 36 rebounds, an astonishing 21 of which came on the offensive glass. Eleven of Williams’ 14 boards came on the offensive end. The Lady Greenwave grabbed 15 steals.

“That’s one of the things we’ve been focusing on this year,” Jenkins said of the consistent hustle play. “Defense and rebounding. Offense is going to come. We started this summer, that’s been our focus.”

Thirteen of the Lady Greenwaves’ baskets were a result of assists, and with Williams’ commanding presence in the paint, second-chance opportunities weren’t hard to be found.

“She’s very athletic,” Jenkins said of Williams. “She has great potential, and she’s very coachable. On top of that, she keeps her head in the books.”

The Lady Greenwaves moved to 2-1 on the season, while Dougherty fell to 1-2. Terrell County will start their region schedule Tuesday when they travel to Newton to take on Baker County. Dougherty will take on Monroe on Tuesday.

In the final two games of the tournament, Jonesboro took a 61-57 victory over Monroe, while Columbia scored a 37-29 victory over Westover.

Columbia coach Cayla Moore, who played under Westover coach Lewis Smith, got the better of her mentor in Saturday night’s late game.