Central girls power their way past Rutland
Once it shook off some rust, Central was on its way to a 60-40 home win against Rutland on Wednesday night in the GHSA Region 2-AAA Tournament.
After trailing 8-3 early on, the Chargers got in gear in a large way, outscoring the Hurricanes 34-4 the rest of the first half for a cushioned lead heading into halftime.
The win advances Central to Thursday's semifinals at Kendrick against Peach County and also secures a Class AAA playoff berth for the Chargers.
Down 37-12 at halftime, Rutland did make a game of it in the second half, trailing by 14 before Central pulled away in the fourth quarter for the victory.
FIVE WHO MATTERED
Tyleia Williams, Central: She presented matchup problems inside for Rutland, scoring a Central-leading 15 points and took advantage of mismatches in the paint to convert lay-ups and jump shots.
JeNya Wilder, Central: The play of Williams in the paint was complemented by the effectiveness of Wilder in the backcourt. Wilder played a major role in forcing turnovers that disrupted Rutland offensively. She finished with 13 points.
Jada Clowers, Central: She turned in an all-around solid night, registering multiple blocks and making offensive plays near the boards to either control rebounds or convert second-chance points. A cluster of three inside scores by Clowers in the fourth quarter helped put the game away, and she also set up a possession in the second quarter on which she scored by blocking a Rutland shot at the opposite end of the court.
Breanca Davis, Rutland: The Hurricanes getting back into the game after halftime was no fluke. In the third quarter alone, Davis scored half of her 16 points.
BreAsia Davis, Rutland: She matched her sister's point total, also scoring 16 points in the loss.
WORTH MENTIONING
Getting going: The Davis siblings gave Central trouble early on as both were able to penetrate toward the basket. Once that was slowed, however, Central was off and running, forcing the Hurricanes to the outside on offense and throwing a kink into Rutland's game plan.
Multiple options: A 15-2 second-quarter run gave Central a 31-10 lead, a spurt capped by a Raveen Hansford jump shot. The Chargers kept Rutland spread out, getting six of their nine baskets in the first six minutes of the quarter from six different players.
Answering: Central also showed off its resilience in the second quarter. Three of Rutland's four baskets were countered on the ensuing offensive possession by a Central score.
Not rolling over: The ability of Breanca and BreAsia Davis, combined with shots not falling coming out of halftime, allowed Rutland to get back into contention. A 12-2 run, finished off by a Breanca Davis lay-up, and BreAsia Davis jumper and inside score from Patricia Sanders trimmed the Central lead that was 37-12 at halftime to 44-28 heading into the fourth. Breanca Davis brought Rutland within 14 early in the fourth before Central put the game away with a 10-2 run.
ALSO WEDNESDAY
In Wednesday's other girls game, Jackson overwhelmed Westside with a big fourth quarter to win 45-38. The win earns Jackson (10-15) a trip to the tournament semifinals against top-seeded Kendrick. Westside (14-12) sank seven 3-pointers as a team and was led by NiAria Dawson's 14 points. Meanwhile, Rutland and Southwest set up an all-Macon semifinal round with victories over Spencer and Jackson, respectively. Rutland (11-14) beat Spencer 53-32, with Jaikez Mann scoring 15 points, while Southwest topped Jackson 76-53, with Jordan Slocum scoring 20 points for the Patriots (16-7).
THEY SAID IT
Central head coach Sheila Toombs on the slow start: "They just had to pick up the tempo. We hadn't played in a few days. We just needed a couple of stops and some steals, and they picked it up. We got some stops, and that kind of sparked us."
Toombs on Rutland's second-half rally: "We slowed it down and definitely relaxed a little bit. We can't do that (against Peach County)."
Toombs on facing Peach County and Florida State signee Nausia Woolfolk: "We can play with them. When you look at Woolfolk, just being that leader and pushing them, that's what you look for in a point guard. Our task is to take it a step at a time. We have to play defense. We can't relax with them at all, we can't be scared and have to be aggressive."
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Central-Peach County girls semifinal will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Kendrick, with the host Cherokees taking on Jackson at 7:30 p.m. in the other semifinal. The four Macon teams taking part in the boys semifinals will meet Thursday at Central, with Southwest taking on Westside at 6 p.m. and Central hosting Rutland at 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 11:08 PM with the headline "Central girls power their way past Rutland ."