MIDDLE SCHOOL
T
BASKETBALL
he Lady Indians, under first-year head coach Jennifer Cox, had a roster of unproven and inexperienced players.
1 Bailey Crumley 2 Josie Plaisted 3 LB Kafsky 4 Abby McCoy 5 Emma Arden 11 Finlee Ridlehoover 12 Charlotte Stafford 14 Keely Franks 15 Gracie Gunter 20 Lupita Carrillo 21 Emily Cai 22 Linda White 23 Narissa Dawson 24 Madison Phillips 50 Emily Shoemaker MGR Handley James MGR McKenzie McCoy MGR Nora Mitchell
The Lady Indians grabbed their first win in their second game, beating Woody Gap. The win streak hit two when the girls won over Nantahala. Another big win over Woody Gap — by 32 points — came in early January to even the record at 3-3. The girls dropped four of their next five games before closing out strong with wins over Nantahala in overtime on the road, and in the season finale at home against Rabun Gap. All told, the girls finished at 5-7 overall. Several players made huge strides throughout the season, including the usual leading scorers in LB Kafsky, Josie Plaisted, Charlotte Stafford, and Emily Cai.
The Indians wasted no time in proving they were still one of the top teams in the conference. Anthony Cox spearheaded the A-Team, while the B-Team was coached by TFS alum Jake Carver. An early loss to non-conference foes Lanier Christian helped motivate the A-Team, which won six straight games leading up to the first of three meetings with Towns County. TFS dropped the first, avenged that loss on the road, and then fell in the finale. After a home win against Rabun Gap to finish the regular season at 9-3 overall, the Indians took on Towns in the championship game. The boys held the lead throughout most of the game until the final three minutes. Towns grabbed momentum and
18 • ON CAMPUS MAGAZINE
A-TEAM BOYS
12 Macade Huff 15 Jack Greene 20 Asa Popham 22 William NeSmith 23 Derrick Lane 24 Merrick Carnes 25 Griffin Harkness 30 Kaden Hunter
31 Ethan Wheeler 34 Jackson Savage 35 Tate Turpin 42 Rylee Smith 44 Elijah Barker 50 Bryson Perdue MGR Hudson Penland MGR Luke Thomson
overcame a 6-point deficit to win the title. Sixth-grader Macade Huff led the offense at over 10 points per game, 8th-grader Ethan Wheeler averaged over seven points and 6th-grader Asa Popham averaged north of six. Others such as Elijah Barker, Bryson Perdue, Jackson Savage, Derrick Lane also contributed heavily to the success of the team. The B-Team boys went 5-1 under coach Carver, earning home wins over Riverside, White Creek and Lanier Christian, which was mixed in with a road win at Victory Christian. B-Team scoring leaders were Ethan Phasavang, Jack Greene and Isaac Farris.
B-TEAM BOYS
1 Ethan Phasavang 3 Lincoln Hicks 4 Ryder Cantrell 5 River Dockins 10 Reilly Cox 14 Patrick Rowland 15 Jack Greene
21 Austin Whitener 22 William NeSmith 32 Isaac Farris 33 Brantley Addison 40 Liam Burke MGR Hudson Penland MGR Luke Thomson
