GIRLS
Tallulah Falls was on the wrong end of a 65-45 final Friday evening at home against #3-ranked Athens Christian. The visitors used a large lead early on and never trailed throughout, leading by as much as 25 in the contest.
The Lady Indians fell behind early 9-0 before Allie Phasavang got TFS on the board. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Breelyn Wood, and another by Phasavang, had the girls back in the contest despite trailing 19-13 after one. Athens Christian outpaced TFS 14-9 in the second to take a 33-22 lead into the locker room. Wood had nine points in the first half.
The deficit reached 18 by late in the third, as Tallulah Falls was playing from behind at 50-32 heading into the fourth. Haygen James had multiple buckets in the third.
Wood led the Lady Indians with 17 points, while James closed with 10. Millie Holcomb had seven, Phasavang five, and Joanna Molodynska, Molly Mitchell, and Adrijana Albijanic recorded two apiece. TFS is now 6-8 on the season and 0-2 in region play.
BOYS
The Indians fell in a 65-54 region contest on Friday night at home against Athens Christian. Despite holding an early lead in the opening quarter, TFS saw the Eagles pull away late for the victory.
Hayden Bootle had a 3-point play and another pair of lay-ins to push Tallulah up 9-2 early on, but Athens Christian went on a 9-0 run to close the first with an 11-9 lead. The scoring drought continued until near the midway point of the second, when Zakhar Valasiuk hit a corner shot from beyond the arc to pull within 14-12. Judah McIntosh hit a long 3-pointer, then Valasiuk hit another deep shot to keep TFS in contention, and McIntosh sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from well beyond the arc. That made it a 27-23 game at the break as the Indians trailed by four.
McIntosh connected on yet another deep ball in the third, but Athens Christian’s lead started to balloon, as the Eagles were up by as much as 20 when the third came to an end, 57-37.
Valasiuk led in scoring with 14 points, with Jay Taylor and McIntosh both finishing with nine. Brian Neely had eight, Bootle seven, Neyo Bain three, and two each for Stevan Gabric and Sam Ketch. The Indians are now 4-14 overall on the season and 0-2 in region play.
