By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

            A year ago, eight of Bibb County’s 12 public-school basketball teams finished with a winning record, and half made the GHSA state tournament.

            Five of the eight won at least a game in the postseason.

Last year’s records

(as per GHSA website; overall and region)

Girls

Howard        6-19/2-8 (2-4A)
Central         15-14/6-6 (4-3A)
Westside      12-14/6-6 (4-3A)
Rutland        20-10/8-4 (4-3A)
Northeast    9-17/3-9 (3-AA)
Southwest   18-8/8-4 (3-AA)
Boys
Howard        16-13/5-5 (2-4A)
Central         22-6/11-1 (4-3A)
Westside      23-7/10-2  (4-3A)
Rutland        13-11/6-6 (4-3A)
Northeast    23-6/10-2 (3-AA)
Southwest   10-16/5-7 (3-AA)

            Howard’s boys and Central’s girls were two of Bibb County’s surprise public-school teams a year ago.

            Howard went to its first region tournament championship game in program history, and won two GHSA tournament games before losing to eventual state champ Carver-Columbus.

            Head coach Jay Lunce has a slew of regulars, including two of his top three scorers, Collin Tarver and Leon Pitts, back.

            “This season is going to be piggybacking hopefully off of the success we had last year,” Lunce said. “We have nine of the 11 guys returning from last year’s team. THe year before that, we knew that we were going to be a little weaker, so we moved these guys up – this group of seniors – and played them as sophomores.

            “We took our licks. … The kids are just playing hard, playing together, they’re very positive right now.

            The Huskies are in a wide open region, with the Upson-Lee domination of the past few years likely over. Howard lost to the Knights in last year’s region tournament title game.

            Southwest’s girls had only one senior on last year’s 18-8 team, so the Patriots have plenty of experience, including leading scorer Ja’Kari Moore and top rebounder Stantagious Alford, among others.

            “Five years ago, we were in the Final Four,” longtime head coach Willie Goolsby said.  “The next year, we were in the Sweet 16. Then we had two years where we had to rebuild these young ladies.

            “They’re juniors and seniors now. We expect, realistically, to get to the Final Four this year, if everything goes well. “

            Central’s girls were a surprise team, in a major rebuilding mode as well as well as breaking in a new head coach, yet the Chargers made the Region 4-AAA title game for the third straight season.

            “We couldn’t ask for more from our girls,” head coach Tamara Bolston-Williams said. “It was awesome to see them rewrite their narrative. We’re building off that momentum.”

            Central’s boys won the region title, but got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. It left a mark, as evidenced by the pained expression of head coach Andre Taylor when he talked about it briefly, and then was asked about it.

            The Chargers went from region champs to first-round playoff victims, the first time Taylor’s has been ousted in the first round as the top seed. The Chargers had to wait to find out their first-round opponent because the region that 2-AAA was matched up with didn’t have enough teams for the playoffs, and it took longer than expected to determine the at-large opponent.

            “I thought we had a great game plan; when you hold a team to 45 points, you expect to win that game,” said Taylor, who lost three seniors and has six back. “I failed to prepare my guys mentally. The game plan was good, but mentally we were not prepared for the game.”

            Winter break followed, and Taylor was pretty much a hermit for the entire period. And he has yet to watch tape of the game.

             Two of the biggest keys to the team are back, post Quay Primas and guard Tony Card, and they’re two of the better players in Central Georgia. Card hasn’t forgotten that loss.

            “I watched the film,” Card said, shaking his head. “I didn’t go to the gym.”

            Westside’s Josh Grube knows the feeling. He set up a huge, big-school schedule this season so the Seminoles can do their part to keep Central from a first-round loss as top seed, because they’re tired of Central being a top seed.

            “We have played for a region championship seven out of 11 seasons,” said Grube, starting his 12th with the Seminoles. “We’ve only won one region championship, so that means we’ve lost six times.

            “We’ve got to find a way to win these close games. Every year, it’s Westside and Central. We lose by three points.”

            So Westside is playing ranked teams in higher classifications to toughen up physically and mentally for the region run and tournament.

            “We’re not worried about our win-loss record,” said Grube, accompanied by Jurico Campbell, Kowacie Reeves Jr, and Javian Mosley. “We may start out the season 0-6. I do not care what our record is.

            “We want to go into the playoffs with a realistic shot, saying ‘we are as prepared as possible to make a state title run.’”

            Howard’s girls are again in a rebuilding mode, with nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster. Head coach Latavia Coleman sat next to a pair of wounded Huskies, Sah’mara McCants and Mahogany Rice.

            Is the former Southwest, Florida State, and WNBA standout getting on court and, well, teaching her players about physical play?

            “I’ve been doing that since I’ve been coaching,” she said with a smile. “My knees are getting worse, but I still find myself out there, pushing ’em around, shooting a little bit here and there.

            “They know they still can’t beat me one on one.”

            Rebuilding after a stellar year are Northeast’s boys, who have no returning starters back from a team that won Region 3-AA and lost in the quarterfinals to state champ Therrell.

            It was an impressive year for a team that didn’t have a home gym, Northeast being rebuilt.

Last year’s postseason
Girls
            Second-place Central thumped Monroe 49-23 in the first round of the playoffs but lost 50-28 to semifinalist Beach.
            Rutland was fourth in 4-3A, but knocked off Cook 58-53 and Pierce County 58-50
before a quarterfinal loss to Sonoraville, 75-51.
            Southwest was fourth in 3-AA, and lost 59-50 to Woodville-Tompkins in the first round.
Boys
            Howard had its best season in a long time, finishing second in the Region 2-4A tournament. The Huskies then beat Baldwin 69-66 in the first round of the playoffs before losing 76-49 to eventual state champ Carver-Columbus.
            Central won the Region 4-3A regular-season title but was knocked off 45-43 by Franklin County in the first round of the playoffs.
            Westside finished second and topped Cook 62-49 before falling 67-53 to semifinalist Windsor Forest in the second round.
            Northeast survived a tough Region 3-AA to finish first, and beat Toombs County 53-30 and Hephzibah 64-52 before losing 68-57 to eventual champ Therrell.
            Southwest took third in Region 3-AA and lost 62-46 to eventual runner-up Vidalia.

            “It was one of those seasons will never forget,” head coach Kevin Grooms said. “For the first time in 19 years of coaching, it was the first time I’ve ever spent 30 games on the road.”

            He thanked Southwest, Howard, Central, Miller, and Central Georgia Tech for playing hosts to the Raiders, and their concessions and everything.

            The Raiders are doing some rebuilding, but doing so in their own gym.

            “This is probably my most athletic group I’ve ever had in nine years being at Northeast,” Grooms said. “Our thing is, right now, we’re just trying to find our way on the court.”

            Rutland’s girls are unlikely to be a surprise team, with four starters back.

            Veteran head coach Johnny Dixon returns most of his top scorers - replacing multi-sport standout BreAsia Davis is a key – and his top three rebounders. The Hurricanes finished second in the region during the regular season, but fourth in the tournament.

            “Teams expect to get at that time a fourth-place team, but in my opinion, they were getting a first-place team,” said Dixon, whose team proceeded to win two road games in the state tournament before losing.

            Robert Cotton takes over the boys team at Southwest, after a few seasons at Dodge County. And he’s made an impact on a team that had a losing record but made it to the state tournament.

            “We have a new coach,” said Tremel Jackson. “You know, and he’s … He don’t play, is all I gotta say.”