Sweet 16 - Boys Basketball

Sweet Sixteen

VARSITY INDIANS 1 - Milos Vico, SR 3 - KC Respress, FR 4 - Anfernee Hanna, JR* 5 - Diego Crotta, JR 14 - Charlie Cody, SR 15 - Gavin Page, SR*** 21 - Lincoln Hall, JR 22 - Zakhar Valasiuk, SO 23 - Devonte Allen, JR** 32 - Colton Hicks, JR 44 - George Ketch, SR MGR Keelie Parks, JR MGR Nafis Rahman, SR

*All-Region 1st Team **All-Region 2nd Team ***Honorable Mention All-Region When the dust settled on the 202122 season, it was nothing short of ‘sweet’ for the Indians. Tallulah Falls made history with the program’s third-ever Sweet 16 and similarly third-ever 20-win season. The Indians were state-ranked the entire season, climbing to as high as number two in Class 1A Private, which marked the best ranking in school history.

TFS earned the program’s top win in terms of ranked opponents when beating #2-ranked and defending state champion Towns County in December. It was a jumping-off point for Cody Coleman’s team, who moved to 6-1 with the win. What emerged was a pair of six-game win streaks interrupted by a loss.

The Indians dropped their first two games in February, which pitted them as the number three seed in the region heading into the tournament. The defending region champions were able to cruise past Loganville Christian for a state tournament berth. The boys then slid past Athens Christian in the semifinals by a mere three points to lock down a region title game appearance. Despite leading the entire game, a late three-pointer by Prince Avenue Christian sent the championship game into overtime, where they took a 70-66 win over TFS.

The boys didn’t let the region title game result dampen their spirits for long. The Indians still hosted a first round state playoff game and dominated Mt. Bethel by 20 points to advance to the Sweet 16. Traveling to #2-ranked Greenforest, the Indians saw their season end there in an 80-34 final.

The final tally for the Indians was a 20-6 record, a region runner-up finish, and a Sweet 16 appearance. Juniors Anfernee Hanna and Devonte Allen had tremendous seasons, as Hanna’s 17.5 points per game was the second highest in school history, as he and Allen combined for over 750 points. Hanna was named 1st Team All-Region, while Allen earned 2nd Team honors. Senior Gavin Page was named Honorable Mention. The Indians featured a trio of senior starters, including Page, Charlie Cody and Milos Vico. George Ketch also made up the senior cast for TFS. Beyond Hanna and Allen, juniors Lincoln Hall and Diego Crotta played significant roles for the Indians this season.