On Tuesday evening, Tallulah Falls played host to White Creek Christian. The Lady Indians middle school team, as well as the Indians B-Team, earned a split as the boys won and the girls fell in what marked their season-opener.
GIRLS
The Lady Indians opened the 2021-22 campaign with a 29-21 loss against White Creek. The girls trailed from start to finish, though they trailed just 7-4 after one quarter. A 13-2 run in the second had White Creek up 20-6.
TFS drew closer in the third after outscoring the opposition 8-2. That left it at 22-14 heading into the final stanza. There, the teams traded buckets and closed out the 29-21 final.
Emily Cai led in scoring with eight points, adding 14 rebounds and four steals. LB Kafsky had seven points, adding four steals and two assists. Charlotte Stafford and Emily Shoemaker both had two points. Narissa Dawson added one point.
BOYS (B-TEAM)
The Indians B-Team (3-1) stayed hot to start the season, earning a thrilling come-from-behind 32-28 victory over White Creek Christian. TFS trailed 14-8 at the half and surged back in the second half to earn the win.
After White Creek went up 8-4 heading into the second, both teams missed opportunities in the second as the visitors held a 14-8 lead going into the locker room. The boys edged White Creek 11-8 in the third to pull within 22-18 with six minutes to go. In the final quarter, Ethan Phasavang and Jack Green had a stretch of clutch baskets, as did Isaac Farris. Green’s 3-pointer with 3:26 to go gave TFS its first lead at 25-24. Less than a minute later, Green’s triple with 2:48 on the clock put the Indians up 28-24, and the boys closed out the rest of the way.
Green led the offense with 14 points along with his two 3-pointers. Phasavang, who also drained a 3-pointer, recorded a dominant performance with seven points, eight assists, five steals, three rebounds, and a block. Farris added eight points and three steals, while William NeSmith did much of the tough work with eight rebounds (seven offensive) and five steals. Brantley Addison had two points and Lincoln Hicks had one.
– Brian Carter