Tallulah Falls’ boys basketball team needed an extra frame to secure a win over White County, who forced overtime with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. TFS went on to win 73-66 on Saturday at home.
The Indians opened up with a 12-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Anfernee Hanna 3-pointers and one by Diego Crotta. Vlad Popescu added seven points in the first period, with Hanna recording eight as TFS held a 20-13 lead after one.
After TFS led by five at halftime, he third period saw the Warriors go ahead momentarily 30-29, but a 3-point play by Hanna reclaimed the lead for TFS. Popescu hit a shot from downtown for the 35-32 advantage.
After going down by three points, the Indians used an 8-0 run that was highlighted by a go-ahead 3-pointer by Lincoln Hall. That shot put TFS up 49-46. The Indians built a six-point lead, though the Warriors refused to go quietly. The visitors pulled within two points with one minute to go, and were down three with 2.6 seconds on the clock. White County guard Jadon Yeh hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as the horn sounded to send the game into overtime tied at 61.
In the overtime period, Popescu opened up the scoring with a clutch shot from downtown to press the lead up to three.
Popescu led the team in scoring with 26 points (with four 3-pointers), while Hanna chipped in with 21. Hall finished with nine points, Diego Crotta eight, Krystian Jankiewicz five, and two apiece for Joey Lamm and Zakhar Valasiuk. The Indians improve to 5-1 on the season with their second straight win.
The JV team took a 53-40 win to remain undefeated. Andrija Vujacic had a game-high 16 points, followed closely by Jay Taylor’s 14. Petar Radovic added 11, Teryk Tilley and Hayden Bootle five apiece, and two by Timothy Bain. TFS JV is now 3-0 on the season.
On Thursday night, the TFS boys took a 50-47 win at Prince Avenue Christian in a rematch from last season’s region championship game. Just like last year’s overtime game, this one came down to the wire.
The Wolverines rallied multiple times, lastly for a 45-45 tie before Popescu hit on his third trifecta to reclaim the 48-45 lead with just a few minutes to go. TFS held a one-point lead with 27 seconds to go and possession when Jankiewicz banked in a shot in the lane with eight seconds to go, pushing the lead up to 50-47. The defense held on for the win despite Prince Ave getting the last shot.
Hanna had a game-high 27 points, and Popescu had 14 including three 3-pointers. Jankiewicz finished with seven and Hall had two.
The Indians (5-1) return to action Wednesday night against Lake Oconee Academy.
Lady Indians drop two over weekend
The Lady Indians dropped a 55-52 nail-biter in a Thursday road game at Prince Avenue Christian. Haygen James hit a late jumper to get TFS within a single point, but PAC held on for the win.
TFS got out to a quick 7-0 lead in the opening quarter, which was kicked off by an Allie Phasavang 3-pointer. Denika Lightbourne notched the next four points as part of the 7-0 opening run. Tanisha Seymour’s putback made it 9-2 early, though PAC charged back with a 12-1 run to take a 14-10 lead at the end of the first.
The Lady Indians’ dry spell came to an end with a second-quarter long jumper by Seymour to pull with 14-12. TFS tied it on a wide open layin by Haygen James off a great pass by Lightbourne. The Lady Wolverines began to pull away midway through the second when Phasavang connected on her second triple of the game to cut the deficit to 20-18. Lightbourne hit a trifecta at the top of the arc for the 21-20 lead. Prince Ave closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 29-21 halftime lead.
Out of the break, baskets by Seymour and Lightbourne quickly sparked a PAC timeout with Tallulah Falls trailing 29-25. Phasavang’s third trifecta, followed by a putback by Seymour regained the TFS lead at 30-29. Seymour stretched it to 32-29 with a jumper moments later. Again the Lady Wolverines took a lead, but Molly Mitchell’s jumper made it a 40-38 game with TFS just behind. The Lady Indians trailed 44-38 going into the final period.
Buckets by James and Phasavang got the game within 44-42 early in the fourth. With 3:04 to go in the game, Lightbourne connected on a pair of free throws to tie the game at 46 apiece. Phasavang hit her fourth 3-pointer in the closing seconds, and James had a late jumper to make it a one-point game, but Prince Ave held on for the victory.
Phasavang led TFS with 17 points, while Lightbourne had 14 and James 11. Seymour finished with eight points and Mitchell two.
On Saturday, the TFS girls varsity and JV squads squared off Saturday at home against White County. The No. 6-ranked Lady Indians took a 73-40 loss, while the JV team also fell in a 50-25 battle.
White County pulled away with a 23-point second frame to take a commanding 35-12 lead at the half.
In the third, the White County lead ballooned up to 62-29. Both teams traded points the rest of the way to finish out the contest. Denika Lightbourne scored a team-high 27 points, followed by Haygen James and Tanisha Seymour with four apiece, two each for Breelyn Wood and Nahia Suarez, and one point for Molly Mitchell.
The Lady Indians (2-4) take on Lake Oconee Academy on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, the JV team was doubled up in its first game of the season. Pola Pilicka led the Lady Indians JV team with eight points, while both Millie Holcomb and Kovanne Strachan had six apiece, and Lana Malbaski had five.
– Brian Carter