THOMASVILLE – The battle for the region’s No. 1 seed between Worth County and Thomasville’s boys went to the final seconds Friday night. Unfortunately for Thomasville fans, the Bulldogs could not contain Worth County’s senior sharpshooter Ashton Williams.

He tallied 21 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, finishing with six three-pointers as the Rams surged to the 72-65 victory. Williams also sank three free throws in the final moments of the fourth quarter along with a game-ending layup to seal the Rams’ victory.

Worth County’s boys have now won seven straight and will enter next week’s region tournament as the No. 1 seed.

The loss overshadowed a valiant effort from Thomasville’s Zay Burkes. He scored 17 of his team-high 23 points after half time, including 12 in the fourth quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs failed to hold on to their halftime lead against region leader Worth County. The Lady Rams capitalized on a 22-3 third-quarter run to pull away from Thomasville 75-58.

Thomasville’s offensive struggles in the second half were due in part to a plethora of missed free throws. The Lady Bulldogs finished 9-for-19 from the charity stripe in the third and fourth quarters.

Senior Khalonee Bender paced the Lady Rams with 26 points, while senior teammate Amya Garmon scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half.

Harmony Bryant paced the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points. Jaleah Brown added 12 for Thomasville.