By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – Prior to tip off of their home basketball game against Sardis on Tuesday, Cherokee County Lady Warrior head coach Richard Barton presented seniors Nevaeh Gaidurgis and Ellisan Givens with their 1,000-point milestone game balls for their careers.
Gaidurgis gained her 1,000th point against Southside in the Cherokee Invitational at Gaylesville on Dec. 20. Givens eclipsed 1,000 points for her career at White Plains on Jan. 9.
The special presentation seemed to inspire the Lady Warrior duo, particularly Givens.
She scored a game-high 22 points, including all 11 of the Lady Warriors’ points in the third quarter, in a 54-46 victory. The win was third-ranked Cherokee County’s 16th in a row.
“I didn’t realize that happened,” Givens said of scoring all the Lady Warriors’ points in the third quarter. “We all have so much confidence in each other. If one player is off, we try to pick it up with another player.”
Tuesday was Givens’ night to shine for the Lady Warriors (23-2).
“Once she settles in, she’s tough,” Barton said. “Pressure really doesn’t bother her a whole lot. She’s comfortable with the ball in her hands. She definitely got us going in the third.”
Just like their first meeting at Sardis back on Jan. 2 (a 44-38 Cherokee County win), the Lady Lions proved scrappy once again. They trailed by a point at the end of the first quarter (15-14) and at halftime (31-30).
Givens opened and closed the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers that helped stretch the Lady Warrior lead to 42-35 heading into the fourth. Sardis managed to cut its deficit down to three early in the final period, but Gaidurgis helped close things out by getting fouled and going to the line. She scored seven of her 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Barton has over a thousand reasons why he’s come to expect both players’ performances.
“They’ve been so big for us going on their fourth years. They put in big minutes even as freshmen,” he said said. “They’ve just come a long way. They’ve really meant a lot to our program. It’s really cool to see them both achieve that (1,000-point) mark and do it together in the same season. I’m just proud of them.”
Deannia Starr netted nine points for the Lady Warriors. Brooklynn Bruce added seven points and Macy Lea finished with six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
Jacee Holcomb led Sardis with 11 points. Lyla Willmore and Delaney Lee both scored eight points. Vada Willmore and Mya Glass both had six points. Glass connected on a pair of treys. Lynlee Wright finished with five points.
“They (Sardis) came out with the mindset they were going to pressure us pretty good tonight,” Barton said. “Their game plan was to get in our face and try to affect our guards. I think they thought they had an advantage with size, but I thought we bounced back pretty good.”
Boys
Sardis 80, Cherokee County 63
CENTRE – The Sardis Lions outscored Cherokee County 26-14 in the fourth quarter to pull away for an 80-63 basketball victory on Tuesday.
Lucas Montgomery led all scorers with 29 points, including four 3-pointers. Levi Martin managed 18 points and Lamont Richardson rang for 11 points.
Michelle Menditto and Cole Lankford finished with eight and seven points respectively for the Lions.
Tatum Perry posted 20 points for Cherokee County (8-14). Keyshawn Woods netted nine points before he exited the game with what appeared to be a right ankle injury with just a little over five minutes remaining before halftime.
Jayquan Diamond and Alex Rogers both delivered seven points for the Warriors. Owen Jacoway finished with six points.
Sardis led for the majority of the game. The Lions held a 24-19 advantage at the end of the first quarter and built a 40-31 edge at halftime. The Warriors managed to cut their deficit to five at the end of the third quarter at 54-49 before the Lions closed things out in the fourth.
Cherokee County is scheduled to play at Alexandria on Thursday.
