By HARVEY SIMPSON
Dispatch Sports Editor
COCHRAN — Controversy spiced the final moments of the girls game that officials ruled was won 49-48 by Bleckley County, but in the boys battle there was no debate at all about Wilcox’s 63-43 triumph.
The split came in the first of two non-region battles the schools will have this week as after visiting Stewart County (Lumpkin) for a 6 p.m. Friday fray, the Patriots and Lady Patriots will host the Royals and Lady Royals on Saturday at 7.
Bleckley 49, Wilcox 48 (girls)
With Bleckley taking a 49-48 lead on Tyreshia Williams’ free throw with 4.9 seconds showing on the clock, the Lady Patriots’ Jenna Kennedy dribbled to mid-court and passed to Michaela Dennard who seemingly hit a game-winning field goal with 2.2 seconds left to play.
As Lady Royal players started walking off the court in apparent dejection over being beaten at the buzzer, one of the officials waved off Dennard’s basket as if time had expired before the shot was taken. That ruling made the visitors a one-point loser instead of a one-point winner.
The resulting frustration Wilcox felt at that moment only added to the disappointment it experienced in the game’s early going when it went scoreless for the first five minutes of play en route to a 14-5 first period deficit.
“We must have had at least 8-10 turnovers at the start and when you don’t have the ball you can’t shoot and when you can’t shoot you don’t score,” Lady Patriots’ coach Santita Coon said in her post-game reflections.
“We finally got some shots to start falling in the second quarter (Wilcox won that period 17-9 to get within 23-22 at halftime), but then in the third period went cold again (getting outscored 14-7 to drop into an eight-point hole).
“We did pick things up in the last quarter when we were able to force some turnovers with the pressure we put on them each time we scored, but then came the controversy there at the end. It just was not a good night for us.”
With 15 and 10 points, respectively, Shareba Montgomery and Kennedy wound up as the scoring leaders for the now 15-4 Lady Patriots. Williams got a game-high 24 for Bleckley which received another 18-point effort from Shakira Basby.
Score by Quarters
Wilcox County 5-17-7-19 — 48
Bleckley County 14-9-14-12 — 49
Scoring
Wilcox (48) — Nastashia James, Jenna Kennedy 10, Michaela Dennard 6, Shareba Montgomery 15, Shanequa Jackson 6, Dana Coley 5, Kadejah Jackson 2, Lucreshia Fuller 4.
Team totals: field goals 17; free throws 14 of 18 (77.8%); fouls 16; 3-pointers — none; fouled out — none.
Bleckley (49) — Mychabia Harris 1, Rickenya Jenkins 3, Shakira Basby 18, Elizabeth Wynne 2, Tyreshia Williams 24, Kari Jenkins 1.
Team totals: field goals 17; free throws 9 of 18 (50%); fouls 17; 3-pointers — Williams 4, Basby 1; fouled out — Harris.
Patriots 63, Royals 42
Whereas a slow start proved instrumental in the Lady Patriots’ loss, it only cut into the final points production the third-ranked Patriots would have in posting a fifth straight win and improving to 17-2 overall.
“We were slugging in getting started (they only led 11-5 after eight minutes of play), but thanks to the good second and third quarters we had we were able to get playing time for a lot of our guys in the final period,” coach George Kennedy said in his post-game assessment.
“When our regulars were in there, we took advantage of our size by controlling the boards and that helped us to get going as did some steals we got out front and some decent shooting.
“It wasn’t until they pressured our reserves there at the end that they could cut (only slightly) into the big lead we held going into the final quarter.”
Nick Marshall and Vidal Emory emerged as the only double-digit scorers for the winners with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Brentine Taylor was tops for Bleckley with 11.
Score by Quarters
Wilcox County 11-19-20-13 — 63
Bleckley County 5-6-12-19 — 42
Scoring
Wilcox (63) — Jatarious Jackson 6, Stanley Ferguson, Nick Marshall 15, Mikail Grace 5, D.J. Lawson 1, Jonathan Howard 6, Quez Mahoganey 9, Lonnie Outlaw 8, Brandon Lawson, Shaquille West 2, Vidal Emory 11.
Team totals: field goals 22; free throws 13 of 20 (65%); fouls 15; 3-pointers — Marshall 1, Mahoganey 2, Emory 3; fouled out — none.
Bleckley (42) — JaDerrick Farrow 4, Marcus Mack 1, Brentine Taylor 11, Dustin Jones 3, Rydealous Taylor 3, Mario Beck 6, Ken Hughes 2, Vidal Nelson 8, Dominic Ligon 2, Quan Fleming 2.
Team totals: field goals 15; free throws 9 of 14 (64.3%); fouls 17; 3-pointers — B. Taylor 1, Jones 1, R. Taylor 1; fouled out — B. Taylor.
