TIFTON — The second half of the Region 1-AAAAAAA basketball schedule starts tonight for Tift County, whose teams are set to visit the Lowndes Vikings in Valdosta. Varsity girls action will begin at 6:30 p.m.

“We’re getting ready,” said Lady Devils head coach Julie Conner.

The Lady Devils went 0-3 in their first three contests in region, but enter tonight on a bit of a hot streak; they have won two straight games, one over Lee County last Saturday and a back-forth-affair against Turner County Tuesday. They are now 11-8 for the season.

Lowndes, 14-4, and 2-0 in conference play, is coming off a Saturday 40-37 loss at Coffee. The Vikettes led by 10 points at the half, 21-11, according to MaxPreps, and were up by three at the end of three quarters. Coffee held Lowndes to just four points in the fourth for the comeback win. The Vikettes’ only other losses for the year had come against Valdosta and Bainbridge.

Tift will bring a balanced offense to Lowndes. Four players average at least six points per game, but none over 10. Kaysie Harrelson is scoring at a clip of 9.5 points per game, with Nicky Jones right behind her at 9.0 per contest. Joslyn Reyes scored 7.6 points per game and Destiny Johnson adds 6.4.

Johnson has been one of the hottest players for Tift in recent games. She has scored in double figures four times in 2017-18, twice in the last two contests.

“She’s done an outstanding job,” Conner said.

Then, there is Jones. Often the smallest player on the court, she is one of the most fearless, not afraid to drive through traffic to the basket. Jones is only a sophomore and Conner sees a bright future ahead.

“I’m so proud of her,” said Conner.

Though tonight’s games will be enemy territory, Conner likes her chances.

“We have played fairly well down there,” she said.

Head coach Chris Wade’s Blue Devils head to Lowndes shorthanded.

Rashod Bateman is in Dallas, competing in the International Bowl football game and he said injuries have limited Jatorian Warren and Otis Jackson.

The Devils are 3-0 in the region, having beaten Colquitt County by three points, Camden County by 21 and Lowndes by nine.

Both Lowndes and Tift have 13 wins on the season. The Vikings, however, have only played two region games and have yet to play Colquitt. Besides the loss to Tift, they defeated Camden, 70-60, in their other conference contest. Camden is also their only win of their last six games. During that streak, they have fallen to Cook and Coffee, the former game being played at Lowndes.

Tift’s win over the Vikings earlier in the season saw them hold Lowndes’ leading scorers, Will Fernandez and Alex Johnson to a combined 21 points. They average 32 points per outing.

With Bateman, Jackson and Warren out of the lineup Monday versus Turner County, the bulk of Tift’s offense fell to Montavious Terrell. Already Tift’s leading scorer, Terrell dumped in a career high 28 points against Turner. Ten more points came from Tyree Marshall.

The Devils have been aided by a balanced offense. Wade has had his full team together on only a handful of occasions, which has seen him give multiple players opportunities on the court. Fourteen Blue Devils have at least one point to their names.

Tift’s teams will return home to The Palace Saturday, where they are to face Worth County.

Worth was set to play at Dougherty Friday. The Rams have an 8-10 record and the Lady Rams are 0-18.