Tallulah Falls School hoops teams beat Highlands on Alumni Night

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  • Winston Davis
    Winston Davis
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It was a great night for Tallulah Falls School (TFS) Friday as both varsity basketball teams were victorious over the Highlands Highlanders in front of an audience that included visiting alumni; the Lady Indians defeated Highlands 58-47, while the Indians won over the Highlanders 80-56. 

The Lady Indians secured their third win in a row in their 58-47 win over the Lady Highlanders.

The two teams got off to a hot start offensively and ended the first quarter tied 14-14, but the second quarter belonged solely to TFS, who went on a 12-5 run to lead 26-19 at halftime.

A 15-13 third-quarter run by the Lady Highlanders cut the deficit going into the final quarter, but the Lady Indians were able to outscore Highlands 17-15 down the stretch to hold on for the win.

“After dropping a game to the Lady Highlanders during the first week of the season, we were able to even the score with our win Friday,” said coach Brandy Corbett. “This improved our record to 6-3 on the season.”

There was no shortage of highlight performances for the Lady Indians. Freshman Veronaye Charlton of the Bahamas had 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two deflections; freshman Denika Lightbourne of the Bahamas had 16 points, seven rebounds, five deflections, and four steals; senior Lillie Free of Clarkesville had 15 points, five rebounds, three steals, and four steals; and junior Katy Corbett of Lakemont had a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Other solid performances on the evening came from sophomore Barrett Whitener of Clayton, who finished with three rebounds, two defections, and a steal, and junior Abby Carlan of Baldwin with seven rebounds.

Between the varsity games, three new members of the Athletic Legends Hall of Honor were recognized. Ralph Daniel (Class of 1967), Mike Kemp (Class of 1969) and Chris Pic (Class of 1988) were all honored. 

Following the induction of the three alumni, the Indians took the court and dispatched of the Highlanders 80-56 for their third victory of the season.

During the first half of the game, the Indians battled a tough and resilient Highlands team, according to Head Coach Cody Coleman. 

“Early on, the scoring was back and forth,” he said. “However, after the first half, TFS jumped out to a 44-24 lead. At the start of the third quarter, the Highlanders went on a run to close the 20-point deficit.”

But the Indians were able to pull away in the final quarter to earn the win.

Led by seniors Hayden Johnson of Demorest (28 points) and Matthew Weidner of Clarkesville (20 points), the Indians were able to hold off the Highlanders to win the game 80-56. 

On Saturday, the Indians earned their second victory of the weekend, defeating the West Hall High School (WHHS) Spartans 52-45. 

“Throughout the entire game, both teams played extremely hard,” Coleman said. “The defense kept the scoring to a minimum; however, several plays changed the momentum of the game and helped us secure the victory.”

At the end of the first half, senior Winston Davis of the Bahamas hit three free-throws to put TFS up by five points. At the start of the second half, the Indians went on a run by holding the Spartans to only eight points in the third quarter, Coleman said. 

“Toward the end of the game, West Hall made one final attempt to steal a victory from TFS,” he said. “In the final stretch of the game, freshman Devonte Allen of the Bahamas secured numerous critical rebounds to help fend off the surging Spartans.”

Davis led the team with 12 points and Allen led the team with nine rebounds.

TFS will play again Friday against Creekside Christian Academy in McDonough. The Lady Indians will tip off at 4 p.m. with the Indians to follow at 5:30 p.m.

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