Youth leads Terrell County girls into state semifinals

The Terrell County High School girls basketball team is two wins away from a GHSA Class A public school state championship as they will take on Taylor County in the state semifinals at Armstrong State in Savannah Saturday at 3 p.m. Head coach Tammye Jenkins-Ware said things are coming together at the right time.

“I see the girls gelling and coming together and making the connections of all the X’s and O’s that we have been drilling in practice,” Jenkins-Ware said. “It’s all beginning to make since to them. It’s like the light has come on. This young team has come to the realization of commitment and dedication. It hasn’t always been that way but now, they are beginning to see that hard work pays off.”

Terrell County entered the state tournament as the 12th-seed according to the power ranking system used for seeding purposes. The Lady Greenwave are currently 19-9, having advanced to the semifinals with a 34-33 win at fifth-seeded Claxton and a 41-31 win at fourth-seeded Commerce.

“Our success thus far has totally been a team effort,” Jenkins-Ware said. “Each unique and individual talent all come together to make this team special. They each know their roles, accept their roles, and when all of that comes together, it makes us a special team.”

This year’s squad is a very young team. At least four freshmen either start or see quality playing time, including twin sisters Jamya and Jameil McDaniel. According to Jenkins-Ware, that has made it difficult at times due to inconsistency.

“We’ve had our ups and downs through out especially with being inconsistent, but I personally think that’s due to being such a young team,” Jenkins said. “Despite the downs of our journey, the ups have made it such an enjoyable ride.”

The Lady Greenwave will try to continue their ride on Saturday, but it won’t be an easy task against Taylor County. The Lady Vikings are undefeated at 29-0. Should Terrell pull off the upset, they face the possibility of seeing their region rival Randolph-Clay in the state finals if the Lady Red Devils can get past Turner County in the other semifinal.

“We still have challenges that we face and realize by us being young and inexperienced,” Jenkins-Ware said. “This is an obstacle that we face in each game rather a win or loss. The good thing about it is that we are constantly learning and growing from our mistakes.”

No matter the outcome, Terrell County has made tremendous strides this year with a very young squad. The experience gained this year will only make them stronger.