Tift County's Marquavius Johnson (13) drives past Yuserian Landers of Coffee. Johnson's 23 points topped both sides.

TIFTON – The Coffee Trojans were named the No. 1 basketball team in Class AAAAAA over the weekend. Tuesday, they lost their first game since Dec. 27, victims of a 60-56 upset by the Tift County Blue Devils.

The victory was a sweep for Tift. In the opening varsity game, the Lady Devils used a 21-7 third quarter to earn a 40-31 win.

Tift head coach Chris Wade said the win was more than about defeating No. 1.

“It’s Coffee,” he said. The Trojans and Blue Devils have played a number of close athletic contests and Wade referred back to Coffee’s December win over Tift in Douglas. It was the first time the Trojans had won in the series since 2013.

“We were more focused on that,” he said. “It’s disappointing you had all the ugly plays.”

Wade blamed both teams for play that, at times, became chippy. Each side was called for a technical foul, Jayce Moore in the third period for Coffee and Wade himself in the fourth quarter. There was also an intentional foul called on Tift.

The crowd, always hot for games between the schools, were asked to return to their seats midway through the final period.

The fourth quarter was a particular powder keg of emotions. Tift began it up 41-36, but within one minute, the Trojans had tied the game following three free throws by Nicholas Clements. The Devils jumped back up 48-44 at 5:12 when Jatorion Warren tipped back in a Jameson Turner miss, but the game soon became more heated.

A foul called on Warren led to an argument from Wade, resulting in the technical. Coffee missed both free throws, but at 3:50, Shelton Paulk gave them a 50-48 lead when he buried a three-pointer from the corner. Warren evened the score at 3:31 before Ronald Jackson made a pair of free throws.

Mackenzie McFatten used a shoulder fake at 1:26 to knot the score at 52-all, but Warren converted again off the glass at 1:16. Coffee could not score on the ensuing possession, but did foul Marqavius Johnson on Tift’s end. He increased the advantage to 56-52 and when McKenzie Jackson forced a jump ball to Tift with 32 seconds left, momentum was solidly in their favor.

Ronald Jackson made one free throw and with 13 seconds left, Johnson made two more. Jordan Moore kept the Trojans alive with a three-pointer to cut the score to 59-55, but Johnson made one more free throw with six seconds to go to end their chances.

Wade praised his squad’s efforts, especially how they worked together.

“We’ve gotta have guys who understand their jobs,” he said.

The opening minutes Tuesday seemed to set up a Coffee runaway.

Yuserian Landers scored five seconds after the opening tip and Jordan Moore made it a 4-0 lead at 7:13. Tift trailed 8-2 when Landers had another basket 90 seconds later.

But the Devils put together a 9-0 run over the next two minutes, one that included a rare four-point play from Tyree Marshall after he was fouled on a made three-pointer and three-point play by Johnson which also stymied by a foul.

Coffee regained its footing and ended the quarter ahead 16-13.

The Trojans stayed ahead for half of the second quarter, but hit a dry spell from the field and hit no field goals for just shy of eight minutes. During that time, Johnson scored seven points, the last of which allowed Tift to go into intermission up 27-22.

A dunk on an offensive rebound by Warren gave the Devils their largest lead of the game, 33-24 at 5:41 in the third. Coffee clawed back in, getting to within a point on a basket and free throw by Kenneth Davis.

The Trojans had a chance to go ahead seconds later when Jayce Moore was fouled on a shot attempt, but on the same play, Moore was whistled for a technical foul. Moore missed his shots and Johnson made both of his. The Devils were up 41-36 going into the final stanza.

Johnson led all scorers with 23 points. Marshall scored nine before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Jayce Moore had 13 points for Coffee, McFatten contributing 12.

The loss was Coffee’s third of the year and first since falling to Bartow, Fla. on Dec. 27. Being part of the McDonald’s Invitational, the loss also took place on Tift’s floor.

TIFT 40, LADY TROJANS 31

Tift’s Lady Devils played their best half of the season and arguably their best game in defeating Coffee.

Down 16-11 at intermission, they got two quick baskets from Shakiria Chaney, the latter closing the gap to 18-17. Tift briefly led on a basket by Destiny Johnson, then took the lead for good at 4:14 when Johnson scored on an offensive rebound.

Tift kept pushing the lead forward in the third, thanks to floor spacing and the passes of Jamia Level.

Level, Tift’s tallest player, stayed mostly on the wing on offense during the second half. She delivered several eagle-eye passes to teammates in the clear under the goal and threw a long outlet pass to Cali Conner after a defensive rebound, resulting in two more points. Head coach Julie Conner said she would be checking stats to see how close Level finished to a triple-double as Level also had several blocked shots.

Chaney finished the quarter by barely beating the clock. She fired back in an offensive rebound with 0.3 showing on the scoreboard.

The Lady Devils were up 32-23 going into the final quarter and soon increased that number via free throws by Johnson and Conner. Coffee scored its first basket in five minutes – a drive to the hoop by Katrina Gaskin – but Keisha Jackson scored on the next possession for Tift.

THe Lady Trojans had just five field goals in the second half of the game.

Johnson’s three-pointer and a basket by Chaney started Tift on the right foot Tuesday, but Trinity Gamble gave Coffee a 6-5 lead at 3:25. A Miciah Franklin basket made it 8-6 in Coffee’s favor at the quarter.

Free throws by Gamble gave the Lady Trojans their largest advantage at 16-6 with two minutes remaining in the half.

Chaney led Tift with 16 points, Johnson adding 15. Gamble scored eight and Naomi Jefferson, six, for the visitors.

Tift has two more games this week: Camden County Friday and Brunswick Saturday. Both games will be at home.