Shane Thomas | The Valdosta Daily TimesThomas County Central's Ishuimul Johnson (24) and Lowndes' Aaron Lewis jockey for a loose ball during the second quarter of a game Tuesday at the Crimson Coliseum.

VALDOSTA –– The Lowndes boys and girls basketball teams picked up double-digit wins against Region 1-5A Thomas County Central on Tuesday.

The Vikings (12-9, 1-3 Region 1-7A) shook off a sloppy start before taking the game over in the third quarter en route to a 69-49 victory over the Yellow Jackets (3-16, 0-4 Region 1-5A).

A 3-pointer by the Central’s Miguel Gutierrez and a layup by Ishuimul Johnson cut the Lowndes lead to 38-32 late in the third quarter. However, on the ensuing Central possession, junior Zack McBurrough came up with a steal at mid-court passed ahead to sophomore Jahbori Raines who glided in for a powerful tomahawk slam that whipped the Crimson Coliseum into a frenzy.

The slam capped a 7-0 Vikings’ run to end the third as Lowndes’ lead swelled to 45-32 heading into the fourth.

“I thought that was real big,” Holland said of Raines’ dunk. “It kind of got the crowd in it a little bit and got the kids pumped too right there at the end of the quarter. I thought that was a big play right there.”

From there, the Vikings picked their defensive energy up another notch with multiple players diving for loose balls. The second half was a stark contrast from the first, as the Vikings committed 11 turnovers and were getting beat to loose balls.

Tony Wiseman led the Vikings with 17 points, going 12-of-15 from the free throw line and scoring nine points in the fourth quarter. Raines wasn’t far behind with 16 points, seven coming in the decisive third quarter. Oscar Norton added eight points as the Vikings bounced back from a blowout loss to Tift last week.

Holland liked the way his team responded in the second half to take a 26-18 halftime edge, push it to 13 at the end of the third and 20 by the night’s end.

“At halftime, I thought we were getting out-hustled in the first half,” Holland said. “They were getting too many offensive rebounds. I don’t remember us getting one loose ball. They got every one. They got to them first so we talked about that at halftime. And then, just picked up the intensity and I was pleased with the second half and hopefully that’ll carry into Friday (against Camden). It’ll be a region game and naturally, your adrenaline gets up a little bit more for that.”

At 1-3, the Vikings sit third in Region 1-7A behind leader Tift County and Camden in second. The Blue Devils are 4-0 in the region while the Wildcats are 3-1. Holland believes Friday’s matchup against Camden has major implications in the region standings.

“Second place is on the line for the region,” Holland said. “The winner of that game has got a leg up for second place. If we lose, I think the best we’ll do is third so it’s a big game.”

Lowndes girls 40

TCC 28

The Lowndes Vikettes (12-9, 1-3 Region 1-7A) overcame a third quarter push by the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets (2-16, 0-4 Region 1-5A) and pulled away in the fourth quarter, winning 40-28 on Tuesday.

The Vikettes jumped out to a 26-14 lead in the third quarter before the Yellow Jackets responded with a 7-0 run to end the quarter. The Vikettes also compunded the run by fouling Central’s Shanovia Williams on a 56-foot 3-point heave just before the buzzer went off. Williams sank all three to pull the Yellow Jackets within five, 26-21, heading to the fourth quarter.

An offensive rebound and put-back by Kiersten Graham keyed an 8-2 run capped by a baseline floater by Tiffany Smith that gave the Vikettes a 34-23 lead with 2:29 to play.

“When the fourth came, I guess we just started playing defense a little bit better, realizing that we can’t overlook anybody and think about that big region game that we have Friday against Camden,” Lowndes coach Antonia Tookes said. “I think they just overlooked this team and every night you’ve got to be ready to play.”

Smith had 13 points for the Vikings, showcasing a new and improved shooting motion at the free throw line. Following a loss to Tift County last week, Vikettes coach Antonia Tookes put her team to work at the free throw line.

“When we got back from the last game (against Tift County), that morning we came in and shot 100 free throws, everybody,” Tookes said. “I’m thinking that contributed to (Smith’s strong shooting). They had to make 70 percent so they had to stay here for a while so hopefully that carried over to the game.

“I told (Smith) by her being the leader of the team, they’re gonna foul her and when she goes to the line, she has to make those free throws. She was five out of seven tonight, which was great and hopefully we can keep that going.”

The Vikettes currently sit third in Region 1-7A at 1-3, just ahead of 0-4 Colquitt Co. A win for the Vikettes Friday against Camden could pull them back into contention in the region as the Wildcats sit second in the region at 2-2.

When asked if she can take anything from an admittedly lackluster performance against the Yellow Jackets, Tookes didn’t sugarcoat a word.

“I hope I don’t take anything from this game” Tookes said frankly. “I hope we play so much better than what we played tonight. This just was a game it’s hard to get up for ––because it’s not a region foe and you can’t really get them up for it and you just hope that they play well and it didn’t happen that way.”

UP NEXT

Lowndes hosts Camden on Friday with the girls game tipping off at 6 p.m. followed by the boys game at 7:30 p.m.