BOYS
With a playoff trip on the line Monday, Tallulah Falls didn’t disappoint in a 65-57 victory over Commerce in the Region 8-A DI play-in game. The Indians held the fifth and final seed but used a big fourth-quarter run to staple down a fifth consecutive playoff berth.
The Tigers held strong and held the lead after one, 17-15. In the second, the teams continued to trade buckets while Neyo Bain notched a buzzer-beater to end the half, tied at 29. Zakhar Valasiuk hit a tying 3-pointer in the third to tie it up at 37 apiece.
Despite trailing 48-44 heading into the final period, the Indians had one more big run in them. Judah McIntosh hit the go-ahead trifecta, and TFS pulled away until the final horn.
Bain had a game-high 20 points, while Hayden Bootle scored 19. Valasiuk had nine points, McIntosh five, Sam Ketch and Todor Stanimirovic four each, Brian Neely, Jr. three, and Bryson Perdue one.
TFS is 7-19 on the season and will take on Athens Christian in the region semifinals on Wednesday.
GIRLS
In a win-or-go-home region tournament play-in game, the Lady Indians lost 37-31 against visiting Elbert County on Monday night.
TFS led 12-4 in a low-scoring opening frame and held a 17-13 halftime advantage. The Blue Devils outscored Tallulah Falls 24-14 the rest of the way, however.
Breelyn Wood finished with a team-best 13 points, with Adrijana Albijanic chipping in with six. Haygen James had four points, Allie Phasavang and Joanna Molodynska had three apiece, and Millie Holcomb had two. James and Holcomb had nine rebounds each.
The Lady Indians close the season at 8-14 overall and fifth in Region 8-A DI.
