Dougherty Trojans looking for consistency

AMERICUS — The scoreboard mattered Thursday, but not nearly as much as what it revealed.

Dougherty left Sumter County’s final summer play date with a pair of victories, including a hard-earned 45-40 win over host Sumter County and a sudden-death overtime victory over Lee County. More importantly, the Trojans left with another reminder that last season’s breakthrough has changed the expectations surrounding the program.

“We had a great finish to last season, but we’re still growing as a team,” Dougherty coach Terrance Noel said. “Consistency is the biggest thing for us right now. There are moments when we look like a state championship contender, and there are moments when we still look young. That’s all part of the process.”

That’s the balancing act facing the Trojans this summer.

Last season, Dougherty played with little outside pressure before making a surprising run. Now opponents expect their best, and Noel is challenging his players to embrace that reality instead of running from it.

“We’re transitioning from a season where there weren’t many expectations to one where the target is on our back,” Noel said. “We have to wear it proudly and embrace the challenge.”

The Trojans showed both sides of that equation Thursday.

Against Sumter County, Dougherty looked every bit like a championship contender during the opening half. Armeen Walker knocked down an early 3-pointer, Jherel Gibson converted free throws and Marcus Heath Jr. and Ernest Townsell added baskets as the Trojans built a 29-17 halftime lead.

Then came another lesson.

Sumter County opened the second half with a 13-0 run, turning Dougherty’s comfortable advantage into a one-point deficit as the Trojans struggled to handle the Panthers’ defensive pressure.

Rather than fold, Dougherty answered.

Gibson finally stopped the drought with a driving basket before Mikel Roberts delivered the biggest sequence of the game. After drilling a 3-pointer earlier in the half, Roberts attacked the rim with 1:15 remaining, completed a three-point play and put Dougherty ahead for good, 41-39. The Trojans finished off the 45-40 victory with timely defensive stops.

Earlier in the day, Dougherty displayed similar resilience against Lee County.

After falling behind 10-0, the Trojans chipped away before surviving a dramatic finish. Lee County forced sudden-death overtime when Kayden Drake followed his own missed free throw for the tying basket as time expired, but Dougherty responded with the only basket in overtime to escape with a 37-35 victory.

For Noel, the wins were encouraging. The inconsistency, however, remains the focus.

The Trojans flashed the offensive firepower that made them dangerous a season ago. They also experienced the scoring droughts and defensive lapses that can erase double-digit leads.

Those moments are exactly why June exists.

“There are moments when we look like a state championship contender,” Noel said, “and there are moments when we still look young.”

By the end of the month, Dougherty had shown both. Noel believes the next step is making sure one appears far more often than the other when the season begins this winter.