Albany boys advance in Region 1-AA Tournament

BLAKELY — After a brief rest following a strenuous six-game week, the Albany High Indians looked fresh to start the Region 1-AA Tournament. They defeated Berrien 57-47 Tuesday evening at Early County High.

The victory earns the Indians a date with top-seeded Thomasville Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. as the tournament semifinals and final shift to Thomasville High School. The victory also earns Albany High a berth in the Georgia High School Association Class AA state tournament.

Darrell Bryant finished with a game-high 23 points, while Adrian Mills chipped in 10.

The Indians took control of the game from the opening tip, building a 9-4 lead early. Berrien, however, used a 5-0 run to tie the game with three minutes left in the period.

From there, Kendrez Johnson knocked down a pull-up jumper in the lane for Albany, then Bryant scored four quick points on his own. Kamron Peterson split a pair of free throws and drove baseline off the offensive rebound to give the Indians a 16-9 lead with about 25 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Berrien trimmed the lead to four in the second quarter, but a 3-pointer from Mills a few plays later extended Albany’s lead back to seven. The Indians went into the halftime break with a 26-19 lead.

Albany opened the third quarter with a 9-4 run, capped off by a Jacari Allen layup that made it a 35-23 game with 5:48 left in the period. Albany head coach Archie Chatmon said Tuesday was one of his team’s best nights of the season in terms of offensive execution, and it showed as the Indians built a double-digit lead in the third.

“Our guys were patient tonight and we did one of our better jobs of just sticking to and trusting our offense,” he said. “We did a great job with our sets tonight and I really think that was the difference.”

Berrien got a three to close the quarter and cut the lead to seven, and Chatmon said he urged his team to finish strong.

“I told them we’ve got to close out,” he said. “We’ve got close out on the 3-point shooter and we’ve got to continue to run our sets offensively.”

The Indians continued to be patient on offense, finding Mills wide open in the lane for a very easy two, making it a 50-39 game with 2:41 left to play. Albany was able to knock down free throws late in the game to seal the victory.

Early County 59, Albany 41

Early County jumped on Albany in the opening quarter and the Squaws were never able to recover.

The Lady Bobcats took advantage of several Albany turnovers in the first quarter, turning it into a 6-0 lead. Albany had several opportunities to score in 2-on-1 and 3-on-1 situations but couldn’t convert, and the lead quickly swelled to 13-0.

Zenovia Ellis would finally put the Squaws on the board with 2:10 left to make it a 15-2 game.

The second quarter didn’t get any easier as the Lady Bobcats outrebounded the Squaws and got a number of points in the paint. They went into the half with a 39-12 lead. Albany head coach Candenesa Thomas said Early County came out aggressive in the first half and it seemed to stun her team.

“Early County came out hard it kind of rattled our girls,” she said. “They were like ‘Oh goodness, what’s going on?’ so it was kind of a shock to them. I told them it’s do or die, and they’ve got to come out hard with the same intensity.”

The third quarter was an entirely different story as Albany held Early County to just three points for nearly six minutes.

Meanwhile, Shamya Loman nailed a jumper in the lane, followed by a basket from Ja’Nya Singleton. Zenovia Ellis then split a pair of free throws and the Squaws were able to force a turnover, get it back to Elllis for two and make it a 42-21 game.

Janaya Williams was able to end the Early County’s drought with a high-arching three, but Albany answered with an Ellis basket in transition. The Squaws’ press defense forced three turnovers off the inbound to close the quarter and they were able to convert, making it a 49-27 game heading into the fourth. Thomas said her teamed made a conscious decision in the locker room to not give up and it showed in the second half.

In the final minute of the game, the Squaws were able to force three turnovers that led to four baskets, two by Loman, one by Jakaela Dungee and one by Singleton to make the game respectable.

Thomas said if her team would’ve executed in that manner from the star, it would’ve been a different game. She’s hoping they take this as a learning experience into the offseason and come back ready to compete next year.

“It was good to see them finish that way and not give up,” she said. “We’ve got a lot coming back next year, so we’re looking forward to working with them this summer and coming back. I hope that this year was an eye opener to see that they can play and they can compete. They’ve just got to have heart. That’s one thing we’re missing, just that heart and believing in themselves.”

Ellis led the way for the Squaws with 13 points, followed by Loman with 12.