Clint Thompson
THOMASVILLE — Thomasville’s championship run came to a screeching halt Wednesday night.
In the second round of the Class AA playoffs, Greene County upended the Region 1-AA champion Bulldogs to advance to the quarterfinal round.
The Bulldogs had their opportunities down the stretch. They missed six free throws in the fourth quarter. Thomasville also had a couple of looks at the basket in the waning moments but failed to tie.
“I think the missed free throws and the start at the beginning of the game really hurt us,” said Thomasville coach Ben Tillman, whose team fell behind 16-3 in the first quarter. “I think we came out a little tight like we did the other night. We couldn’t make the easy shots.”
Turnovers also hindered the Bulldogs. Thomasville threw errant passes and tried to force dribbles into Greene County’s defense early in the game.
“I think we were seeing things that weren’t there,” Tillman said. “We settled down a little bit in the second half.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way tonight.”
Thomasville eventually tied the score at 43 on the heels of a 16-2 run. Fred Holton keyed the Bulldogs’ comeback with a pair of 3-pointers. Willie Clayton sank 7-of-10 free throws in the third quarter as Thomasville surged ahead by four.
Instead of faltering, however, the Tigers responded. Gerald Dunn sank a couple of key 3-pointers n the fourth quarter as Greene County advanced to play Henry County on Saturday in Savannah.
“They never gave up,” Greene County coach James McKithen said. “They kept fighting right there at the end when we needed to. It would have been easy for us to blow that lead that we had and then just fall out and say, ‘It’s over with.’ They fought back.”
McKithen’s squad advanced despite missing 9-of-15 free throws in the final period.
“We normally shoot anywhere between 45 and 50 free throws a day,” McKithen said. “It just didn’t happen tonight.”
Clayton, the 1-AA player of the year, paced the Bulldogs with 21 points. Holton added 10 as Thomasville finished 22-5.
“There’s nothing about this season that I’m saddened about. This is our second year together,” Tillman said. “I’m real pleased with our kids. We’ve got a long way to go. Our maturation process just wasn’t there for us tonight.”
