In athletics usually playing at home can result in “home cooking.” That wasn’t exactly the case Tuesday night for the Bulloch Academy Lady Gators who saw the visiting Tallulah Falls Indians shoot 40 free throws to only 18 for the Gators. That proved to be a little too much for the Gators to overcome as they saw their season come to a close in a 54-49 loss.
“It was a very physical game and I wasn’t really that upset with the fouls called on us,” said Gator coach Mark Lefebvre. “I just thought those same fouls weren’t really being called when we were on offense. I didn’t feel like we were being protected around the basket.”
Despite a 40-18 free throw disparity the Gators still had their chances. In the fourth quarter the Gators tied the game with a Kaylee Cardell layup at 42-42 with 3:49 to play. Big shots by Emme Powell and Rylie Ann Claxton kept the Gators close and then with 45 seconds left in the game a pair of free throws by Johnnie Nutting gave Bulloch Academy a 49-48 lead.
After a Bulloch Academy foul the Indians grabbed a 50-49 lead with 38 seconds left. The Gators got a good look at the basket on their next possession, but Cardell’s runner missed off the glass. Another Gator foul led to free throws by Laurel Kafsky who made the first but missed the second. The Indians got the rebound off the missed free throw and made one of two to go up 52-49. The Gators knocked the missed free throw out of bounds and an inbounds pass to a wide-open Millie Holcomb proved to be the final points of the game.
“We gave them way too many second and third chance opportunities by not rebounding,” Lefebvre said. “They were a little more aggressive on the offensive boards. Overall, I felt like our girls played hard and battled and we were in it till the end. It was what a No. 8 vs. No. 9 game should be like. They just made a few more plays at the end than we did.”
In his first season as the Lady Gators coach Lefebvre felt the team got better throughout the year. The Gators lose only two seniors off this year’s squad and should be able to make a run next year.
“I think we grew into the new roles we had this season,” Lefebvre said. “We had to have ball handlers, and scorers and shooters which were all a little different from last season. It took a little time for me to realize what strengths they had and it took them some time to get to know me and what I expected.”
The only other Bulloch County team to advance to the state playoffs this season was the Portal lady Panthers who fell to Wilcox County 61-44.
The Statesboro boys missed the state playoffs for the first time since 1996 as they fell in the quarterfinals at Greenbrier. The Lady Blue Devils lost their region playoff opener to South Effingham. The Southeast Bulloch boys and girls both failed to make the playoffs and the Portal boys missed making the state for the first time in five years.
