TIFTON — Valdosta’s Wildcats earned the right to host the Region 1-6A boys semifinals and finals, a heart-stopping, 57-53 victory over the Tift County Blue Devils, who had been hopeful of having the tournament for themselves.

Region 1-6A’s tournaments are the site of their No. 1 girls and boys teams and neither was decided until Saturday night.

Tift and Valdosta were tied in the boys standings, each 6-3 going into this game. Second place was also to be determined and sorting out the final 1-6A standings was nearly the length of the game itself.

With Tift falling to Valdosta and Lowndes thumping Camden County, it was a three-way tie between the Blue Devils, Lowndes and Colquitt County as all three are 6-4. Multiple phone calls between athletic directors untangled the tiebreaker as such: head-to-head record within the tie.

Final result sees Tift County No. 2, Lowndes No. 3 and Colquitt No. 4. The No. 2 team gets a bye until the semifinals and the other two have to earn their way in via a play-in game. Lowndes will host Richmond Hill Tuesday and Colquitt hosts Camden.

Also coming down to the wire was the girls standings. Lowndes fell in three of its last four games, including Saturday at Camden. That allowed the CCHS Lady Wildcats to slip atop the standings and the tourney will be in Kingsland. Lowndes is No. 2.

Tift’s girls had the least riding on their Saturday game, a come-from-behind 35-24 win over Valdosta. The Lady Devils clinched fifth place Friday and were to have a play-in game Monday at Colquitt. Valdosta was set to travel to Richmond Hill.

Valdosta had to hold off a furious fourth-quarter Blue Devils rally to clinch No. 1.

Jabarri Williams finished off an and-one with 1:09 remaining in the third period, boosting the ‘Cats’ lead to 39-28 which held to the end of the quarter.

Tift struggled for 10 points in the third, but quickly made a game of it in the fourth, scoring seven straight points. Quae Bell hit a three and when Cordell Nelson scored on a Bell assist, the Devils were down 39-35 with 5:05 left.

Valdosta got three free throws, but Tift was rumbling again. Kaden Lawson knocked down a jumper and when Lawson stole an inbounds pass that resulted in a Nelson free throw, it was now 42-40 at 1:53. Worse news for Valdosta, Kaleb Johnson fouled out on the play.

The Wildcats missed on their end and at 1:22, J.J. Lamar tied the game at 42.

Williams came through with a bucket with 42 ticks left, but Tift had a chance to tie with 26 seconds to go when Lamar was fouled. He went 1-for-2 at the stripe and with the defensive board the Wildcats now had the advantage as the shot clock was off.

Valdosta got the ball to Williams and he gave them a 45-43 lead on a free throw with 14 seconds left. He missed the second attempt, but the ball bounced off Tift and the ‘Cats had possession again. Williams again got himself possession and was fouled again. He hit both this time for a 47-43 lead with eight seconds remaining.

Tift missed a final heave and Valdosta claimed the top spot.

Williams was a big obstacle Saturday for the Devils, but they were their own worst enemy at times. Tift County was whistled for three technical fouls in the first half and Valdosta made four of the free throws.

Marshall Howard put the Devils up 2-0 but the Wildcats were up 10-7 at the end of the first, five of the points by Williams.

Tift never led in the second frame, but Valdosta’s biggest lead was four points. Johnson free throws with less than one second remaining allowed them a 22-18 halftime cushion.

Brandon Brown and Shawn Evans opened the third period with three-pointers for Valdosta and now the Blue Devils were playing catch-up. Nelson, Bell and Lamar tallied the next six, but Brown knocked down another trey.

Williams made it a fourth shot from behind the arc, then ended the quarter on an old-fashioned three-point play to make Valdosta’s lead its largest.

Williams scored 19 and Brown had 14 to lead Valdosta. Lawson scored 14 for Tift County and Nelson netted 8.

LADY DEVILS 35, VALDOSTA 24

Tift County picked up its 10th win of the season Saturday, courtesy of a fourth quarter that saw them score 23 points. The previous three periods had seen them amass 12.

Included in those tough frames was a period of 18 minutes that saw the Lady Devils not score a field goal at all, but they were able to hang in with clutch free throw shooting in the third and fourth quarters.

Jalaya Miller’s three gave Tift a 9-8 advantage at 7:33 in the second quarter. Shakaya Hines put Valdosta in front, 10-9, at 5:45. That was the last field goal for either team for the half. The Lady Wildcats got two free throws and were up 12-9.

Seeking their first region win since 2023, the Lady Wildcats twice extended the lead to six in the third, a basket by Makiyah Brewton and a free throw by Lauren Bloom. Tift got its first point since the Miller trey on a free throw by Jaziyah Johnson and pulled to 16-12 on Makayla Bryant charity tosses with 38 seconds to go.

Tift further worked back in when Amiya Jordan sank two from the line to start the fourth. Valdosta seemed to be in control again on back-to-back baskets by Jhakiah Battles and Hines, but Miller got a three-pointer, then the locals tied it on Miller free throws at 5:10.

Jordan gave them a lead after working the post, then Tift built it with three baskets by Mackenzie Holliday. Miller went to the stripe once more and suddenly the Lady Devils were on fire a 30-21 lead with 2:00 to go.

Valdosta could only get a pair of free throws and by the time Summer Eberhart scored with 45 seconds on the clock, Tift was too far ahead at 32-22. Batts and Jordan further iced it with free shots.

Miller scored 10 and Holliday had 9 for the Lady Devils. Battles had 7 for Valdosta with Hines at 6.