Chattooga boys now 26-1; reach state quarterfinals

Chattooga's Jay Broome rises for a jump shot in a regular-season win over Dade County, one of 26 victories for the surging Indians this season.
Chattooga's Jay Broome rises for a jump shot in a regular-season win over Dade County, one of 26 victories for the surging Indians this season.

SUMMERVILLE, Ga. - The Chattooga High School boys' basketball team may not have as much size on the roster as some of its opponents, but somehow the Indians' standout season just keeps getting bigger.

They added another highlight victory Thursday night, advancing to the Class AA state quarterfinals by beating sixth-ranked Thomasville 68-51 in the tournament's second round.

The visiting Bulldogs (19-9), Region 1's runners-up, boasted a starting lineup that included three players 6-foot-5 or taller. They dominated the battle for rebounds throughout the game, but Chattooga (26-1) used scrappy defense all night and timely shooting in the fourth quarter to pull away.

"It was all about the fight that these young men have played with night in and night out," Chattooga coach Jared Groce said. "They didn't stop. They played a complete 32 minutes, and I couldn't be any more proud of these boys."

The Region 7 champions' next challenge is Region 2 champion Swainsboro, which beat Monticello 68-62.

Neither Chattooga nor Thomasville held a lead of more than four points throughout the first three quarters. The Indians, normally a strong 3-point shooting team, were just 3-for-23 from behind the arc going into the fourth quarter.

The Indians' shooting woes ended in the first minute of that period, when a pair of 3s by Isaac Foster and Jay Shropshire highlighted an 11-point run that extended a one-point lead to 12.

That's when senior guard Isaiah Foster took over, scoring 12 of his team-leading 19 points -he made 8 of 8 free throws - as the Indians outscored Thomasville 23-7 in the final quarter.

"There are no words for how I'm feeling right now," Isaiah Foster said. "All of us, we deserve it. We've worked so hard, coming in every day. We just deserve it. We shocked the world."

The gym was at its 1,250-person capacity nearly 45 minutes before the game even started. The home crowd was roaring from the opening tip, and the sound was deafening in the second quarter when Region 7 player of the year Shropshire threw down an alley-oop on an inbounds play that caused the gym to erupt.

The Bulldogs were led by 6-8 junior Reggie Perry, who had a game-high 24 points. Perry, along with several of his teammates, seemed to become tired during the second half. The Indians used nine players during the first two quarters and pushed the ball up the court on nearly every possession.

"We made the run in the fourth quarter that determined the game," Groce said. "I feel like I can attribute that to our guys being in a little better shape and getting a little more rest back in the first half."

Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.

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