slideshow

slideshow

Wes McCard

Sports Editor

The Thomaston-Upson County 10 & Under Girls All-Star Team defeated Carrollton and Villa Rica to advance to the State Playoffs, and win the District 4 Championship. Below are game recaps from the tournament.

Game 1

Thomaston-Upson: 22

Carrollton: 21

The girls from T-Town faced off with the All-Stars from Carrollton in the first round of the District 4 Tournament. As the start of the game, things seemed bleak for the hometown kids. Carrollton jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after the first quarter, holding the Thomaston-Upson All-Stars scoreless in the first quarter.

However, in the second quarter of the game the T-U girls came alive, outscoring Carrollton 9-2 in the second quarter and trailing 11-9 at halftime. Maliyah Howell paced the T-U All-Stars with five points in the second quarter to bring the hometown team back into contention.

In the third quarter the T-U All-Stars held the team from Carrollton scoreless, while scoring eight points and taking a six point lead in the game. Jakera Ellerbee scored four of the eight points for the T-U All-Stars in the third quarter. The Carrollton All-Stars made a run in the fourth quarter, but the T-U All-Stars held on for the 22-21 victory.

Maliyah Howell led the hometown team with seven points, including making five of seven free throws. Jakera Ellerbee added six points, Alonzea Montgomery and Y’Twanese Underwood each tallied four points, while D’Kaija Fagan chipped in with one point.

Championship Game

Thomaston-Upson: 31

Villa Rica: 2

After escaping with a one point victory in their first game of the District 4 Tournament, the T-U All-Stars made the Championship Game an absolute debacle, by drilling the Villa Rica All-Stars 31-2. In short, the hometown girls held Villa Rica without a shot attempt until the fourth quarter.

Thomaston-Upson used a tough full court press, forcing turnovers at will, and scoring on easy layups. With 4:13 left in the fourth quarter, the Villa Rica All-Stars scored their only two points of the game, with fans from both teams giving a standing ovation.

Maliyah Howell paced the T-U All-Stars with 10 points. Alonzea Montgomery added eight points, Jakera Ellerbee netted seven points, while Zykeria Geiger, Y’Twanese Underwood, and D’Kaija Fagan each chipped in with two points in the victory.

The 10 & Under All-Stars will travel to Tift County to play in the State Tournament on Friday. Their first game is slated to start at 6 p.m.