The Statesboro girls’ basketball team got one step closer to their first region championship since 2020 as they overcame a slow start and knocked off Jenkins by a final score of 61-53.
Statesboro was led by the consistent play of senior center Alyssa Staten who poured in a game-high 30 points to go along with 15 rebounds. Fellow senior Reya Johnson added 12 points while Maggie O’Neil tossed in 10 as the Blue Devils secured a spot in the region championship game against Ware County.
“Jenkins has been playing hot as of late and this is the region tournament, so any win is a big win,” SHS head coach Marty Holder said. “We did the right things at the right time to come out with a victory.”
The Blue Devils (21-3) and Warriors (9-14) played close throughout the first half. Statesboro started out cold from outside and was only 2-of-10 to start the game from behind the 3-point line. Staten and Johnson combined for 21 of the Blue Devils' 28 first half points and Statesboro led 28-24 at the half.
Toward the end of the third quarter, the Blue Devils caught fire and went on a 15-3 run to open up a 48-35 lead. The Devils were able to hit on three 3-pointers and turned up the heat defensively to pull away as the game wound down.
“I think we looked a little rusty as we haven’t played in a while,” Holder said. “We were settling on 3-pointers, and when they weren’t falling we didn’t attack the rim. In the second half, we started getting the shots to fall and we pressured the ball well. We have to make sure we know there is a plan-B when our outside shots aren’t falling.”
Next up, the Blue Devils will take on Ware County Friday at 7 p.m., with a region championship and a top seed in the upcoming state tournament up for grabs.
“We know Ware County is a tough team and we will get their best shot,” Holder said. “We beat them by 30 points the last time we met here in Statesboro and we know they will be coming out here with their hair on fire to try and beat us.”
The Statesboro Blue Devil boys were able to blow open a close game with an 18-0 third quarter run as they knocked off Greenbrier 67-53 to advance to the region championship Friday at 8:30 against Bradwell.
The Blue Devils struggled from outside in the first half and Greenbrier heated up late in the second to take a 32-31 lead over the Blue Devils. Statesboro attacked the basket in the third quarter and turned up the defensive intensity as they were able to turn a 35-34 deficit into a 52-35 lead and went on to cruise from there.
“We worked all week in practice to try and not rely on three pointers to win a game,” said Statesboro coach Keith LeGree. “We wouldn’t even let them shoot a three in practice when we were preparing for the game. We forgot things for a while, but really came out and started driving to the basket and playing our game in the third quarter.”
Statesboro was led by Raylin Grant with 18 points while Kam Mikell and Ja’Caiden Cone had 13 points each. The big surprise Wednesday night was the play of senior Mike Goodman who seemed to give the team a lift scoring seven of his nine points during the decisive 18-0 run.
“Mike has played his butt off in practice and that means a lot to me,” LeGree said. “He is always sitting on the bench and encouraging his teammates and tonight I gave him a chance to start the game, and he responded with a big night for us and really gave us a spark in the second half.”
The win secures at least a home state playoff game and Friday the Blue Devils will take on Bradwell for the region championship. The Tigers beat Ware County 63-58 in overtime. The two teams split in the regular season. The girl’s championship will take place at 7:00 between Statesboro and Ware County and the boy’s game between Bradwell and Statesboro will be at 8:30.
Elsewhere the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets swept a pair of games Tuesday night in Brooklet in the opening round of the region tournament to secure themselves spots in the state playoffs. The boys knocked off Islands 78-54 while the girls beat the Sharks 51-33. Zach Wells led Southeast Bulloch with 22 points while Trey Jones added 19.
Portal gets its region tournament underway Thursday at Montgomery County. Bulloch Academy hosts the region tournament, scheduled to begin Thursday night at Gator Alley.
