LIVE UPDATES: Scores, stats and stories from GIAA region tournament in Macon

The GIAA Class 4A/3A District 6 tournament is in the semifinal round at Tattnall in Macon, and several Macon teams are competing for a spot in Friday’s championship games. The Melody will update this story with scores, stats and stories from every game.

3:30 p.m. game: FPD girls defeat Mount de Sales 60-41

The FPD girls started Thursday’s semifinal slate with a bang, defeating Mount de Sales 60-41 to advance to the 4A championship game thanks to an incredible third quarter scoring run and smart plays in transition.

The Cavaliers had won the previous two meetings by thin margins of 3 and 2 points, but the Vikings outscored them 22-4 in the third quarter to take firm control of the game. Mount de Sales entered halftime ahead 27-22 but went into the fourth quarter down 44-31.

“I told them the game was going to change in the third quarter,” FPD head coach Doug Wasden said of his halftime message to his team. “All we got to do is keep pressing, keep running after them and wear them down. That was our goal, was to go after it and give all we had. I couldn’t be more proud of my girls.”

Stamina played a role in the explosive third quarter. The Vikings got great bench minutes and forced eight turnovers in the period, capitalizing on steals with slick fast breaks from Bowen Matthews and Elcee Leslein. Brianna Crosby also played well in the paint for FPD.

But it was the Vikings’ ability to lean on different rotations that made a key difference.

“Our bench has just gotten better and better every game. I’ve got a freshman contributing, I have eighth graders contributing,” Wasden said.

Mount de Sales did not sub as often and looked worn out trying to match FPD’s quick, defensive style of play.

“We just got a little tired. Turnovers, tired legs — they were whooping our butts going up and down the court. That was a long quarter, probably our worst of the season,” Mount de Sales head coach Craig Carroll said. “They’ve responded well all season, normally we have a bad quarter we come back and pick it up. I just told ‘em we have another game tomorrow. Hopefully we can win that game and get a No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the state tournament.”

Matthews finished with a game-high 20 points for FPD. Morgann Ford followed with 11. Kenadi Lightfoot scored 12 for the Cavaliers.

FPD will play in the region championship at 6:30 p.m. at Tattnall on Friday. The Vikings will take on the winner of tonight’s Stratford vs. John Milledge game at 6:30 p.m., while Mount de Sales will play the loser in the third place game at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

5:30 p.m. game: FPD boys fall to Piedmont

The FPD boys lost a barnburner to Piedmont Academy in semifinals 54-49 despite some red-hot shooting from beyond the arc, falling behind by multiple possessions within the final two minutes to be eliminated from the GIAA Class 4A/3A District 6 tournament.

Despite a 2-8 finish in region play in the regular season, the Vikings got an impressive 55-52 win over John Milledge in the first round to earn a spot in the semifinals. FPD had played Piedmont on Feb. 6 and lost 53-51, so a competitive game seemed obvious. 

Piedmont looked solid in what was a defensive first half and took a 24-17 lead into halftime.

“They shoot the ball well, and (Corbett Crews) is a difficult matchup because he can play outside and inside,” FPD head coach Greg Nix said. “We had a revival in here at halftime. We said we weren’t playing the way we played all year, which is playing pressure defense and playing on fast breaks. At halftime, all the guys were — as much as me — saying, “We gotta get back to running.’

“We took over the game.”

An electric third quarter made it look like the Vikings would advance to the championship. FPD outscored the Cougars 22-7 in the period using five 3-pointers, including two apiece from star shooters Brett Roper and Breck Griffin. FPD had an 8-point lead at one time, mirroring Piedmont’s advantage earlier. The Vikings fans got louder and louder with each made basket, and the players celebrated after shots from long range.

But the Cougars bounced back in the fourth, thanks in part to 8 points in the quarter from Cam Moss. After some more back-and-forth scoring, the Cougars led 46-44. Kohen Burrell and Griffin traded 3-pointers to make it 49-47 before Piedmont got a free throw to go up 50-47.

The game looked well within reach with about a minute left to play, but Piedmont held FPD scoreless from there until the final 10 seconds of the contest to wrap things up.

“The game went back and forth. It was a phenomenal game to watch, I assume,” Nix said.

Breck Griffin led the floor with a 19-point effort for FPD, while Roper poured in 14 points. Jones Handberry also had 12 for the Vikings. Corbett Crews led Piedmont with 16 points while Moss followed with 14.

The Vikings will play in a consolation game for third place Friday against the loser of the 8 p.m. game between Tattnall and Mount de Sales.

“We started building this program four years ago. We were 5-20 the last two seasons, and here we are 14-13. That’s a fast turnaround, and these boys have worked hard,” Nix said. “We’re going to come to the consolation game tomorrow and play for victory.”

6:30 p.m. game: Stratford cruises past John Milledge 79-44

The Stratford Eagles took flight in the second quarter of their semifinal matchup against John Milledge, defeating the Lady Trojans 79-44 behind a second quarter outburst and sustained momentum throughout the second half.

The Eaglettes maintained their perfect record in GIAA Class 4A/3A District 6 with the dominant win, moving to 22-3 overall and 11-0 in the region. They will play FPD in the region title game Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Tattnall.

After the first quarter I thought we defended really well, and when you do that, things on the offensive end tend to work out really well. It’s funny how that works out,” Stratford head coach Ed Smith said. “We kept our foot on the gas after that enough to pull out to a comfortable lead.”

Things looked close at first with John Milledge staying scrappy down low and making plays in transition, though Stratford was finding decent looks — the buckets just weren’t falling with their normal regularity. Stratford found its stride late in the first half as Camiyah Hudson found more success driving to the basket.

Hudson scored 23 of her game-high 27 points in the first half, carrying the Eaglettes to a 22-3 quarter and a 37-18 halftime lead.

“Her first half was phenomenal. When we weren’t playing really well and had a little foul trouble, man, she was carrying us early,” Smith said.

The offense continued in the third quarter, with the Eaglettes getting particularly hot from beyond the arc after halftime. Stratford was able to stay comfortably ahead by at least 20 points for the entire remainder of the contest.

Dalaila Lowe followed Hudson with 18 points for Stratford. Hayden Craddock’s shooting from 3-point range helped her score 14 points. Emma Hudgins led John Milledge with 10 points.

Smith was pleased with the result, but did not want the Eaglettes to feel too comfortable before they meet their rival, FPD, in the championship game Friday.

“I hope it gives us confidence for tomorrow, but it resets. Every game starts of 0-0, and it’s the same for FPD,” Smith said. “What we did tonight, that won’t do us any good tomorrow night. It’s just time to go get it.”

OTHER GAMES:
8 p.m.: Tattnall boys vs. Mount de Sales