Peach County girls edge Central in 4-3A showdown

All season, Peach County and Central have fought to control of the GHSA Region 4-3A race.

Friday night at Central, the battle for first was a close one. But a run to start the fourth quarter and a timely basket late kept Peach County unbeaten in region competition, with the Trojans prevailing 42-40.

Daishai Almond had 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace Peach County (12-3, 7-0 Region 4-3A), which now leads the region by two games with five to go.

Tyleia Williams had 17 points to lead Central (11-4, 5-2).

Four who mattered

Almond: The 5-foot-9 junior scored baskets 12 seconds apart a minute into the fourth quarter as part of a 7-0 Peach County run that opened up a 39-30 lead.

Danasia Shaw: The sophomore hit a 3-pointer 49 seconds into the fourth quarter to start Peach County’s run.

JeNya Wilder: Wilder scored four points in the final quarter and helped the Chargers rally after Peach County’s run before fouling out with 21 seconds to go. She finished with nine points and 21 rebounds.

Jada Clowers: Clowers had 10 points and 14 rebounds for Central.

Turning point

Central cut Peach County’s lead down to three with a minute to go when Peach County’s Deja Holland found an open lane and drove to the basket to snap a scoring drought of nearly six minutes. The Trojans forced a backcourt turnover immediately after, and Peach County had enough insurance the rest of the way. (Central’s Zaren Harris scored at the buzzer to make it a two-point finish).

Observations

Different than last time: Peach County defeated Central 66-36 on Dec. 6 in Fort Valley.

Peach County had the defense: The Trojans forced Central into 24 turnovers, four more than Peach County committed.

Central had the moves: Williams and Wilder each had some crowd-turning moments, using ball fakes to open a path to the basket. The Chargers also had a 50-38 rebounding edge.

Worth noting

Pulling away from the field: Not only is Peach County two games ahead of Central in Region 4-3A, but the Trojans are also three games ahead of third-place Westside and 3 1/2 games ahead of fourth-place Kendrick.

Also Friday night

Central’s boys rallied from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter to beach Peach County 69-66. Kylan Hill scored 19 and Antarius McCoy added 16 to pace the Chargers (13-3, 7-0), while Jarrod Johnson scored 27 for the Trojans (3-12, 1-6).

They said it

Almond on the fourth-quarter start: “We backed up our presses, kept going and kept up the intensity.”

Holland on her late basket that stopped Central’s run: “I saw it, and I had to take it. I had to pick the team up, pick up the intensity.”

Peach County head coach Tameka Snead on the Trojans’ defense: “Shots were off (Friday), but we just played defense, and it paid off for us. We got some turnovers, and fortunately we were able to finish them.”

Central head coach Sheila Toombs on the difference between the first meeting and Friday’s contest: “Different team. Added some personnel. (The first game) was definitely an adjustment because some of our girls had never played them before.”

What’s next?

Peach County is at Macon County at 6 p.m. on Saturday, while Central hosts Westside at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Peach County girls edge Central in 4-3A showdown."