THOMASVILLE – The Thomas County Central girls basketball team took to the hardwood for their first home game of the season against Bainbridge. The girls started the game well and it was a close contest in the opening minutes.
Both Central and Bainbridge looked tough defensively in what was a very evenly matched first quarter. Central’s offense may have looked slow, but it was methodical and effective. The first frame ended with a bang as Bainbridge sank a pair of threes to take the lead. Central responded with a triple of their own and Bainbridge led 12-11.
It was the second quarter when the Lady Jackets really blew it open. The defense was locked in, allowing the Bearcats just three points in the entire quarter. Bainbridge didn’t score in the quarter until the 4:07 mark with a made free throw. Meanwhile, the Lady Jackets offense turned up the heat. Despite facing pressure from the Bearcats defense, Central responded well and dropped 13 in the quarter. The Lady Jackets were led by seniors Tia Floyd and Vesha Giddens on the offensive end as both had a phenomenal game. Giddens finished with a double-double, recording a team-leading 19 points and 10 rebounds. Floyd had 17 points and led the team with a trio of makes beyond the arc.
Central led 24-15 at the half.
Bainbridge’s offense picked up the slack in the second half as the Bearcats and Jackets traded buckets and turnovers. While both teams struggled to finish at the rim, a bevy of free throws and good shot selection spurred the scoring on as both teams had their highest scoring quarters of the game. Central held onto an 11 points lead headed into the final frame.
Bainbridge outscored in the Lady Jackets in the fourth quarter 17-15 and began to rally late in the game, cutting the lead to four with under two minutes to go. But, Floyd was having her own rally in the final frame. Early in the quarter, Floyd laid down a vicious crossover that dropped her defender and drained a three in the face of the disheartened Bearcats. Then, with just 30 seconds to go and the Bearcats fans on their feet, Floyd drained a dagger to silence the Bainbridge faithful and sent the Central fans into a frenzy. Sophomore Payton West finished the visitors off with a late basket and the Lady Jackets took the 56-47 win in their home opener.