Prior to 2018-19, Tallulah Falls’ girls basketball team had only once won 13 games (’16-17), and had never made the state playoffs. That all changed this season, as Brandy Corbett took over the Lady Indians program, taking it to unprecedented heights.
“It has been a phenomenal experience,” says Corbett, who says their three preseason goals were accomplished. “We met and reaccessed around Christmas-time and…up’ed our goals a little. We set a goal to win 20 games, make it past the first round, and finish with a Power Rating of 11.”
While the girls didn’t reach the Power Rating finish they set out for, they were as close as they could get, finishing 12th. Twenty wins is still a reality if they make a deep playoff run, and the first round game on Friday with a win could take care of another goal. This success wasn’t just made once November started, it was a long time coming.
Hoops State Playoff Round 1 Preview
“They’re just so coachable,” says Corbett of her current team. “They want to do well, and they’re so respectful. We put in a lot of time this summer to get better.”
Leading the way has been senior guard Nyah Williams, a 1st Team All-Region selection who scored 36 points in a recent region tournament game and set a new school record of 40 in the first game of calendar year 2019. Williams has 1,785 points, reaching the 1,000 mark a year ago. She currently averages 19.1 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
“Nyah’s not just a special player, she’s really a special young lady” says Corbett. “She’s one of the better players I’ve ever coached. She will graduate being the best player we’ve ever had [at TFS].”
While she’s certainly more than talented to play at the next level, she has chosen to pursue an academic career, earning a full ride at UPenn.
For the Lady Indians, they ended the region tournament in the semifinals, earning a #12 spot in the final Power Ratings, meaning they earned a spot easily in the Class 1A state tournament versus Savannah Country Day (ranked #21). The game will be at Tallulah Falls on Friday night.
The Lady Indians have been led by Williams, Katy Corbett (9.2 pts/game, 7.6 reb/game), Lillie Free (8.6 pts, 2.7 ast) and Santy Dembele (5.7 pts, 8.3 reb). The trio of Williams, Corbett, and Free collectively have drained 123 3-pointers so far this season.
While Corbett is enjoying her first year of head coaching basketball since 2006, she carries an impressive resume for her time at Jefferson between 2003-06, where she collected 86 wins and led the Lady Dragons to a Final Four, two Elite 8s and another First Round finish. She reached 100 career wins early in this season in just her sixth overall season as a head coach.
