VVARSITY BASKETBALL

Another year, another playoff trip for the Tallulah Falls Varsity Lady Indians. The streak has now reached five straight seasons in which the girls basketball team has played in the postseason. Next-level senior Denika Lightbourne’s historic final season guided the Lady Indians in the latest campaign.

The preseason All-State selection and eventual Region Player of the Year had an unforgettable season – 23.9 points and 8.8 rebounds on average. Her 598 total points marks the most in any season in school history, and she posted 15 25-plus point outings, seven 30-plus point games, and tied the single-game mark of 40.

Lightbourne, who during the school year committed and signed with Dayton University, finished her career with the second-most all-time points with 1,569, third in rebounds (652), and first all-time in assists (317), steals (307), and blocks (58). She had a historic outing in the team’s first win of the season against Denmark, eclipsing 1,000 career points and in the same contest becoming the all-time leader in steals, blocks, and assists.

With Lightbourne and fellow senior Tanisha Seymour, juniors Molly Mitchell and Allie Phasavang, and sophomores Breelyn Wood and Haygen James among others, the Lady Indians endured a very tough non-region schedule to prepare them for the region gauntlet ahead.

TFS was ranked #6 in the state early on and ended up putting up the fourthbest scoring output in school history. Playing in the same region as the defending State Champions (Elbert County) and Runner-Up (Rabun County) didn’t do many favors for Tallulah Falls, but the girls were able to show they could compete with anyone including those opponents. TFS went an even 4-4 in region play and entered the region tournament as the 3-seed. A tough start against Athens Christian in the consolation game pushed the Lady Indians to a 4-seed in the state bracket.

Once there, TFS fell on the road to 1-seeded Darlington to end their season with an overall record of 8-17. Lightbourne and Seymour claimed All-Region status, while Mitchell was named an Honorable Mention.

Varsity Indians

01 Joey Lamm, SR

04 Anfernee Hanna, SR

05 Diego Crotta, SR

10 Vlad Popescu, SR

12 Lazar Grujanic, SR

14 Krystian Jankiewicz, SR

15 Lincoln Hall, SR

21 Teryk Tilley, SO

22 Zakhar Valasiuk, JR

24 Sam Ketch, JR

MGR Angelina Kim, JR

It was another season of significance for the Tallulah Falls Indians. Coach Cody Coleman led the program to its fourth consecutive state tournament appearance, a first for the Indians.

The expectations were as high as ever coming into the season, with the team returning All-State talent and four-year starter Anfernee Hanna to headline the starting lineup. He was joined by sharp-shooter Vlad Popescu, Lincoln Hall, Diego Crotta, and Krystian Jankiewicz in the starting lineup.

With all being seniors, it was no surprise the team got out to a hot start that included a #4 state ranking and a runner-up finish in the Jefferson Thanksgiving Tournament. It was part of an 8-1 start to the season for the Indians. A one point loss to Oglethorpe County at home interrupted a stretch of four-straight wins and a 14-2 start. In fact, TFS rebounded from that outing with a revenge win at #4-ranked Oglethorpe’s house by 17 points. At the end of calendar year 2022, Tallulah Falls held a spectacular 11-2 record.

2023 provided more challenges than originally anticipated. Despite winning the first three games of January, a one-point loss to Prince Avenue Christian despite holding a double-digit fourth-quarter lead opened a stretch of three straight losses. Counting that game, TFS went 4-8 the rest of the season, including the region tournament and state tournament.

TFS ended up earning the number three seed going into the region tournament, and after falling to Rabun County, the Indians won the consolation game against Elbert County. That gave Tallulah Falls a three-seed into the state playoffs. The boys nearly came up with an upset first round win but fell 60-57 at Chattooga.

The end result was a 17-10 record and one of the best individual seasons in school history by Hanna. The small forward eclipsed 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds in his final season. He finished at 18.8 points per game and 507 total points (second-most in school history). He became the first Indians player to have three 30-point games. Hanna also had a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game and became the all-time winningest player in TFS history with 65 victories. The 1st-Team AllRegion selection ended his career third in school history in points (1,204), second in rebounds (620), fifth in blocks (32), and he added 97 steals and 124 assists. After finishing the season with a single-season record of 132 free throws made and tied for first in field goals made with 176, Hanna’s 445 made buckets tied him for the all-time lead.

Fellow 1st-Team All-Region pick Popescu drained 64 3-pointers, which is the third most in a singleseason in TFS history. The Indians also had Crotta and Hall earn AllRegion Honorable Mention status, along with Jankiewicz. Zakhar Valasiuk and Sam Ketch were the lone non-seniors who logged more than 20 games played.