Shane Thomas | The Valdosta Daily TimesValdosta guard Ja’Nya Ferguson (10) shoots a baseline jump shot during the fourth quarter of a Class 6A State Playoff First Round game against Evans on Feb. 15.

VALDOSTA –– The Valdosta Wildcats (24-3) bounced back from a sluggish start to pull away from Grovetown 62-50 on Saturday.

Senior guard Ricky Brown scored 17 points to lead Valdosta into the Sweet Sixteen against Langston Hughes (Region 5-6A).

Senior guard Allin Floyd buried a midrange jumper to put Valdosta up 42-35 heading into the fourth quarter. Brown split a pair of free throws and Melvin Smith Jr. hung in the air for an acrobatic reverse layup to extend the Valdosta lead to 48-38 with 4:17 left in the game.

After Smith sank two free throws with 1:49 left, the Warriors made one final push. Senior forward Zy Wright tipped in a missed 3-pointer then 10 seconds later, ripped down an offensive rebound and put in a baby hook shot plus the foul. His free throw pulled Grovetown within five, 54-49 with 1:21 left.

Valdosta junior Dorrien Douglas cashed in on four consecutive free throws and Brown leaked out ahead of the defense to score on a run out layup to cap a 7-0 Valdosta run to seal the game with under a minute to go.

“The question was, were we ready to go home?” Valdosta head coach Darrell Lockhart said. “Are we ready for this season to end? That was the question after that first quarter. They responded with a resounding ‘No!’ They came out and played better, we got some stops and were able to make a few baskets –– even though it seemed like it was something on top of that basket that prevented us from making them early [laughs]. … We were able to withstand their run and come out on top.”

Floyd finished with 16 points while Douglas poured in 12 as Valdosta won its fourth straight game.

“Allin’s been a leader,” Lockhart said. “He’s been hitting those shots all year long. When he shoots it, nobody says anything because most of the time, it’s gonna go in. He’s been big for us on the offensive end and the defensive end.”

Valdosta used a 21-point second quarter to take a 27-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. Unsurprisingly, Grovetown opened the third quarter with authority as Wright scored eight straight points to give the Warriors a 29-27 lead early in the quarter. In fact, Wright scored 11 of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter.

Brown drilled a 3-pointer to key an 11-3 run capped off with a drive and dish from Floyd to Smith that forced a Grovetown timeout with 2:47 to go in the third quarter.

“A lot of times we relax and don’t attack on defense,” Lockhart said of the Wright’s big third quarter. “When we don’t attack on defense, that’s what happens. I like to attack on defense, make a kid make a decision and cut one of his decisions away so we knew which way he was going. We were able to stop them that way.”

The ‘Cats took down a Grovetown team that came into Saturday 21-5 on the season. They’ll face another 20-win team in Langston Hughes, who outscored Cambridge 30-19 in the second half to win 48-45 on Saturday.

Heading into Round 2, having success against tougher teams in 6A will be critical for the ‘Cats. Lockhart said as much after beating Grovetown and wants to see his team’s confidence continue to grow.

“This is a good team we played,” Lockhart said. “Any time you beat a team like that, it’s a momentum-builder, so hopefully we’ll continue to build.”

VHS girls 83

Evans 25

The top-seeded Valdosta girls continued their string of utter dominance in an 83-25 romp of the Evans Lady Knights on Saturday.

Five Lady ‘Cats placed in double figures in the 58-point victory, led by Ja’Mya Johnson’s 17 points. Freshman Essence Cody had 15 points, Amiya Allen added 13, Mikeria Carter had 12 and Jayla Cody chipped in with 10 points as Valdosta won its 23rd straight game.

After building a 38-8 halftime advantage, the Lady ‘Cats slammed the door on the Lady Knights completely in the second half –– outscoring them 45-17.

Saturday’s win margin was the second-largest margin of victory for Valdosta this season behind a 64-point win against Gadsden County back on Dec. 26. The Lady ‘Cats now have double-digit victories in 19 of their last 23 games.

The Lady ‘Cats are through to the Sweet Sixteen and will face the Cambridge Bears out of Milton, Ga. in the second round. Cambridge defeated Alexander 67-56 on Saturday.