Warner Robins basketball sweeps New Hampstead as seniors shine on senior night

WARNER ROBINS — It was anybody’s game for the first two quarters, but once the Warner Robins Demons’ (13-6, 5-2 Region 1-4A) seniors came alive, it was over for the New Hampstead Phoenix (12-12, 4-5 Region) in a 75-51 Friday night final.

Three observations from senior night:

PHOTOS: See more photos from the game.

Revenge

The last time these two teams played, the Phoenix handed the Demons a shocking loss in which Warner Robins allowed their third highest score of the season, 68.

This time, the defensive intensity was there according to Demons coach Jamaal Garman.

“The defensive end, rebounding the basketball and pushing it out in transition. That was big for us today,” Garman said. “I was really proud of the effort from everybody that got a chance to play in the game. So we just got to do it again tomorrow against Benedictine.”

This win, and a Ware County loss to Benedictine on Friday, puts the Demons in prime position to improve their region standings ahead of the tournament.

War in the painted area

New Hampstead was one of the more physical teams Warner Robins has faced this season.

Every player no matter the size or build crashed the glass, got their hands in for steals and didn’t let anything go for free.

That kind of physical play, according to Garman, is what doomed them last time. On Friday they adjusted to it, though at the beginning of the game they missed a lot of point blank layups because of those contests.

“We just kept meeting their intensity,” Garman said. “We didn’t give in today. We gave in a little bit when we were down there playing when they started getting physical with us. But today, everybody stayed the course and they were just determined to win.”

“We’re on a mission right now, and they understand how hard this thing can be. But if they stay together, they work hard and depend on each other, count on each other, it can get done.”

Bradley’s barbecue

Trey Bradley and Gabe Jacobs hosted a barbecue on senior night, and plenty of other seniors also showed up to the party.

Bradley and Jacobs combined for 16 of the Demons 24 first quarter points, and 37 of their 75 total.

The offense was a bit slow moving because of the physicality, turnovers and point blank misses at the basket, but Bradley’s pull-up game (and his one-handed slam) got Warner Robins going and Jacobs joined in with three 3-pointers in the first alone.

Things cooled down in the second as they took a 34-27 lead into halftime, but Jacobs and Justin Hill came to life in the third quarter to blow the game wide open.

Hill had nine of his 15 points in the third, and Jacobs finally got that elusive dunk he was looking for when he got in transition and threw down a safe, two-handed bomb. He got a second dunk on the night, too, a much flashier tomahawk that got the bench riled up.

These are the kind of things Garman expects from his seniors and biggest contributors, and he likes where they’re at close to the end of the season.

“You want to start peaking at the right time and I think we are,” Garman said. “We had DJ Strickland who also came in and got some good baskets as well. Justin Hill, he started the game with I think four points straight off the rip or six points somewhere right in there. But it’s good to have those two along with Gabe and Trey.”

“I like where we’re headed right now, just gotta continue to put the work in, stay focused, stay humble and just continue to work.”

Demonettes 72, Lady Phoenix 20

It wasn’t quite the domination it was in Savannah, but the Warner Robins Demonettes (22-0, 7-0 Region 1-4A) trounced the New Hampstead Lady Phoenix (2-15, 0-7 Region) all the same on senior night.

Three observations:

Feed the beast

The Demonettes jumped out to a big lead with haste behind forced turnovers and good rebounding on both ends of the floor. When they got the ball, Korveanna Slaughter was one of the first out as she scored in bunches on senior night.

Her 22 points led all scorers, and it’s just one of many productive games she’s had as a Demonette. Coach Rebecca White couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed when talking about her, “little me.”

“She’s grown so much. She’s a leader on the court,” White said. “The Korveanna I knew as a freshman makes me wanna cry…she’ll tell you all the time, ‘I’m a little coach White.’ I told her I want her to be better than me.”

She, of course, forced her own turnovers too. There was a string of possessions the ball didn’t leave the half court and Slaughter was responsible for multiple strips and scores.

She hit shots from range and also got into the teeth of the defense for layups in the full and half court.

The crowd applauded her and the other starters as they went to the bench for the final time in the fourth quarter.

Getting it done even in a blowout

Early in the season the Demonettes didn’t always bring their best effort against lesser opponents. Who’s to say if it was their best effort or not, but they brought something pretty good into the matchup against New Hampstead.

Warner Robins still brought aggression in the passing lanes, and maybe more importantly, brought hustle to the glass.

It wasn’t a perfect effort where everyone boxed out and the Demonettes secured every rebound, but they brought multiple jerseys into the paint to help close out the glass and get in transition.

“I keep telling them we can’t take anybody lightly, we gotta come out to play,” White said. “These girls are hungry and have a lot of energy. I just love watching them play.”

Reserves ready for the postseason

The starting lineup and rotation wasn’t a typical one for the Demonettes as even the deep reserves got plenty of playtime in the first half.

That’s not all too uncommon with how dominant Warner Robins has been this season, but every minute counts as they approach the region and state tournaments.

“We just got done talking about that in practice; The bench is gonna be very important, they’ve got to give us 10, 15 points, especially in the playoffs,” White said. “They’re just as important as the first group that’s out there. They’re all 14 important. So we’re implementing some things in practice to get them more active so in the game, when the ball goes up in the air everybody’s ready.”

Jadai Smith was aggressive in her attempts to score the basketball and fans got a look at some of the players who will likely move up in the rotation next year.

One other noteworthy thing, although not from a reserve, was Chyann Phillips’ willingness to shoot the ball from range.

She hasn’t always had that, and in their Tuesday game against Perry White could be heard telling her to shoot the ball when she was open on the perimeter.

UP NEXT

Warner Robins will host Benedictine on Saturday at 1 p.m. before traveling to Wayne County on Monday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.