Second-quarter collapse dooms Veterans girls in loss to Tift County

KATHLEEN — The Lady Warhawks (1-4) came out with a solid first quarter, but a 25-9 second period from Tift County (5-2) put Veterans in the hole for good in a 69-53 Friday night final at The Hanger.

The starters (Francesca Jones, Rayven Hodridge, Camila Vicioso, Syniah Rankin and Brea Shannon) had a great showing in the first quarter.

They got to the free throw line (some of that admittedly from undisciplined Tift County defense), the turnovers were low and they were able to generate some kind of half court offense.

Jones piloted the quarter with 8 points as Veterans went up 20-13 to end the opening period, but the Lady Blue Devils put on an 8-0 run through the first three minutes of the second to go up 21-20. The Lady ‘Hawks never led again after that.

“Three of our starters got in foul trouble so they had to come out in the second quarter. [It] messed [with] the continuity, the flow of the game a little bit,” Head coach Tracy Fendley said. “We played some young girls who are still working on ball handling and making adjustments, and they struggled a bit in the second quarter. They got to work through it, grow through it and get better.”

The worst of it was three straight steals leading to points for Tift County with under 3:30 to go until halftime. Veterans went from up seven to down nine looking to make a comeback in the second half.

They did make a good effort after the break, subbing Shannon for Kiersten Rogers and putting up a fight early. Ayonna Scott and Rankin rebounded well at times generating extra opportunities on offense.

But, so far, Veterans’ offense is not built for big scoring outputs like in recent years. They work the ball around, get post touches or a mid-range jumper if they can’t get a shot at the basket.

So while they did pull within six with under three minutes to play in the third, that’s when Tift County turned on the afterburners and put the game away.

From 2:39 left in the third quarter to the end of the game the Lady Blue Devils outscored the Lady ‘Hawks 23-14 as they ran out in transition and got to the free throw line.

UP NEXT

Veterans has a quick turnaround for their next game as they’ll head up the road to Warner Robins on Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. tip.

Tift County has a little longer before their next game. They host Lee County on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m.