Thomasville coach Ben Tillman leads the applause for his Bulldogs in the final seconds of their first-round win over Bleckley County.

THOMASVILLE — The Thomasville Bulldogs aced their first test of the Class AA playoffs. The next exam for the Region 1 champions comes Thursday when they host Chatooga in the second round. Tip off is at 7 p.m.

Thomasville rallied twice in the first round to defeat Bleckley County 57-47. Coach Ben Tillman believes the tough first round will only help his team moving forward.

“I think it increases their confidence. I hope this team realizes that they can play with anybody,” Tillman said. “We’re considered to be a very young team but also we showed a lot of fortitude this first round. Even during the region playoffs, to beat teams three times is a difficult task. So we were able to do that and able to withstand a good first round game with Bleckley.  

“I think the kids gained a lot of confidence winning that first game.”

The spark behind the Bulldogs’ comeback was Clifford Davis. He scored 20 of his game-high 28 points in the second half.

“He really played well, especially in the fourth quarter,” Tillman said. “They were doing some things that kind of hindered us from getting him the basketball. But I think he picked it up, mostly on the defensive end. He had two or three steals that kind of opened the game up for us. Our defensive pressure is really what  propelled us to the win. We held a good team under 48 points, which is really remarkable in the playoffs.”

Chattooga enters Thursday’s game following its 68-55 victory over Temple in the first round last week. Like Thomasville, which has lost just once this calendar year, Chattooga has been playing well of late. It’s only lost twice since Dec. 26, including a narrow 54-52 decision to Rockmart in the Region 7 championship game.

“I think they’re a very good team, extremely talented team. They have a very good coach. They always bring a big crowd with them wherever they go. They travel well,” Tillman said. “I hope our fans will come out and support us and fill the stands up. Three years ago, we went up there and they had the gym packed. Hopefully, our fans will come out and support us the same way they did when we went up there and played them a couple of years ago.”

Chattooga defeated Thomasville 68-51 in the second round in 2017.