Thomas County Central’s Janiah Ellis rushes down the court on a fast break against Seminole County on Friday night.

THOMASVILLE — Going into Friday night, Thomas County Central’s girls basketball team had won six of its last eight games, with those two losses coming by four points or less. The boys’ fortunes were a little more bleak, with only a single win on the season going in. 

Both teams prevailed against Seminole County, albeit in completely different ways.

Behind the first half performances of Jade Guyton and Janiah Ellis, the girls (7-7) jumped out to a commanding lead and never let up, taking a 58-24 win against the Indians. The boys (2-10) went toe-to-toe with their opponents, trading once-score leads throughout, eventually winning on a last-second shot from Dee Daniels in a thrilling 60-58 victory.

At the end of the third, Central’s boys were clinging to a 36-35 lead, which was set to be tested throughout the fourth. Over and over, each team traded blows, with each having a 1 or two-point lead in the frame. Two straight scores from Isaac Harper gave the Yellow Jackets a 48-44 lead, but Seminole stayed within two with less than a minute left.

With 24 seconds left, the Indians had a golden chance to ice the game late with six free throw chances, but could only connect on one of them. After Tay Cooksey hit two of four free throw tries, Central led 58-56 with less than 10 seconds left, but Seminole tied it up at 58 with 3.4 seconds left on the clock.

Bentley Green then inbounded the ball on a long pass to Dre Sullivan, who passed to Daniels, who hit the winning jumper as time expired to give the Yellow Jackets their second win of the year.

The boys started the game with a 7-0 run in the first quarter, but Seminole quickly worked its way back, eventually taking a 15-14 lead in the second. Central regained the 24-23 lead at halftime before the very contested second half began. 

Harper led the boys with 27 points for the game.

Mahogany Walter and Ellis began the girls’ night well, with Ellis scoring her first points after a Guyton steal and pass, for a 4-2 lead early. Guyton then added three buckets of her own for a 10-5 advantage, which Central extended to 24-5 at the end of the first quarter after a 14-0 run.

Guyton scored 10 points in the first quarter alone as part of a 14-point performance. Ellis led the Yellow Jackets with 22 total points, with 10 of those coming in the game’s opening quarter.

“They definitely have stepped up as far as leadership,” Central girls coach Deatrice Hose said. “They work very well together and have great chemistry. Both of those young ladies lead on and off the court.”

Central continued to add to its lead in the second, with Ellis accounting for 10 more points in the period. The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 29-7 with 3:50 left in the half, and eventually to a 38-12 halftime score.

The Yellow Jackets had no problem cruising to their seventh win of the year, but it didn’t come without flaws. Central went 2-for-18 at the free throw line, sure to be a focus point headed into region play. 

“We did well as far as being patient on offense but we still had some moments where we looked sloppy, as far as taking care of the ball and the free throw line,” Hose said. “A lot of it was not following our routine. But overall, I’d say they played together as a team and I’m proud of them for that.”