VALDOSTA — Both the Valdosta Lady Wildcats and the Lowndes Vikettes expect another close, intense battle tonight on the basketball court.
In the past four seasons, three Valdosta-Lowndes girls basketball games have been decided by four points or less, and another game was decided by six points. When the two teams played earlier this season, the game was tied with less than 10 seconds remaining.
“I expect a good game,” Lowndes head coach Shan Garner said. “Every time we play, it’s close.”
“It’s going to be a good fight,” Valdosta head coach E.A. Wilcox said. “We’ve got to go out there fighting.”
Tonight’s game starts at 6 p.m. at Lowndes High’s gym.
Lowndes (16-3) enters the game 7-1 in Region 1-AAAAA, with the lone loss coming in overtime to first-place Northside, 49-46 on Jan. 15. That is the Vikettes’ only loss since Nov. 24. Valdosta (13-4) is 5-4 in region play, and fourth in the region standings. The Lady Wildcats started the season 11-0, but have lost four of their last six games.
“It’s a big-time region game, because they’re second in the region and we’re fourth right now,” Wilcox said. “So to get a win would be good for us, especially at this time, (when) we’ve lost two in a row and we need a pick up. It would put us in a good position in the region if we did win ... I know it’s a crosstown rivalry, but because they’re second in the region, that makes it even bigger for us.”
“It’s another region game we want to win,” Garner said. “It’s everybody’s goal to finish in the top two, and qualify for the playoffs without having to win in the (region) tournament. We’re off to a good start in the region, but in this region, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
Both coaches are impressed with their opponents.
“Coach Wilcox has got them playing hard,” Garner said. “They’re very athletic. He’s got seven or eight players that play similar basketball, and that gives him options.”
“What impresses me about (Lowndes) is they jell so well together on the floor,” Wilcox said. “(Garner) uses (8-9) ladies at a time, and they play so well together ... He gets maximum effort out of every girl that he has. He gets the fullest potential out of every girl he has. And he utilizes them on the floor.”
“They are intense at all times, regardless of the odds,” Wilcox added.
Both coaches have placed an emphasis on free throws this week, and understandably so. Twice in the last 12 months, a Lowndes-Valdosta girls game has been decided at the free throw line. Last season, Lowndes’ Keira Peak and Kendra Thornton each sank two free throws in the final 30 seconds, and the Vikettes won the game, 47-43. Earlier this season, Valdosta’s Alisha Crawford went 4 for 4 from the line in the final 5.2 seconds to give the Lady Wildcats a 57-53 win.
What do the two teams have to do to win tonight?
“We’ve got to match their intensity, and do something that we haven’t done lately, and that’s making shots. We haven’t made a lot of shots, like we usually make ... That’s been our biggest problem right now,” Wilcox said.
“To win the game, we’ve got to handle the emotion, play as a team, keep doing the things we’ve been doing,” Garner said. “We’ve got to do the little things. The kids need to step up and do their jobs. Role players are going to have to hit open shots when they get them. I think it will be a good defensive struggle.”
A large crowd is expected for tonight’s game.
“It’s exciting for the kids. It’s exciting for me as a coach,” Garner said. “You could go to the (state semifinals), and the crowd there might not be as big as the one (tonight). This rivalry is special.”
“It’s going to be loud (tonight), there’s going to be a lot of people in there (tonight), so they’re going to be ready to play,” Wilcox said. “It’s going to be intense from the beginning. And we’ve got to match intensity. If we don’t, it could be bad for us.”
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