Westover splits with Tift County; Dougherty splits with Valdosta
Westover’s Keyvon Brady (13) shoots for two after stealing a Tift County pass during the second quarter of Tuesday night’s game in Albany. Brady ended a long scoring drought for the Patriots with two steals and baskets but Tift County held on for the win.
By Joe WhitfieldBy Joe Whitfield
Sports Editor
ALBANY — Comebacks defined Tuesday night at Westover’s “Boston Garden,” as both Patriot teams rallied from early deficits against Tift County. The Lady Patriots completed a thrilling 38-37 comeback win, while the boys’ team fell short in a 47-41 loss to the Blue Devils. Tuesday’s outcomes were the reverse of last week’s matchups in Tifton, where the Lady Blue Devils won, and the Westover boys prevailed.
In the girls’ game, the Lady Patriots found themselves in a tight battle early, tied 9-9 in the second quarter before Tift County closed the half on a 12-5 run. Westover fought back, cutting the deficit to six heading into the final quarter.
Wykeria Holmes gave the Lady Patriots their first lead with a clutch fourth-quarter three-pointer to make it 30-29, followed by a three from Sydney Donaldson that extended the lead to 33-29. The Lady Blue Devils answered with a late three-pointer, narrowing the score to 38-37 with less than a minute to play. Both Holmes and Donaldson missed key free throws in the final seconds, but a late turnover by Tift County sealed the win for Westover.
Donaldson led a balanced scoring effort with 13 points, while Alex Marcus added eight, Holmes contributed seven, and Kaiya Conway scored six.
The boys’ game saw Westover struggle early, with Tift County racing to a 14-2 lead by the end of the first quarter and extending it to 18-2 early in the second. Keyvon Brady sparked the Patriots with back-to-back steals and layups to end the drought, igniting the crowd and trimming the deficit. Westover trailed 20-10 at halftime and mounted a rally in the second half but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Gregory Williams led the Patriots with 13 points, while Brady and Aden Reese added seven each.
Westover will travel to Colquitt County for a game Friday night.
Dougherty splits with Valdosta
VALDOSTA — Dougherty All-State guard Jatiana Chambers delivered a standout performance Tuesday night, scoring 31 points and grabbing 11 steals to lead the Lady Trojans to a 53-51 comeback victory over Valdosta.
The Lady Wildcats opened strong, racing to an 11-2 lead, but Dougherty closed the gap to 26-19 by halftime. Chambers took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 points as Dougherty outscored Valdosta 22-10 to secure the win. D’Asia Simmons added nine points for the Lady Trojans, while Amiyah Jackson pulled down seven rebounds.
In the boys’ game, Valdosta topped Dougherty 71-58 despite a strong effort from senior guard Juwuan Jinks, who hit nine of 10 free throws and scored 27 points. The loss marked the third straight for Dougherty.
Dougherty will play at Lee County on Saturday in Leesburg.
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