The roar could be heard from the parking lot across the road from the St. James Sports Center. A small rumble that erupted as the buzzer at the end of the game. The fans rushed the court as the First Presbyterian Christian Academy girls celebrated their first win in nearly three basketball seasons.
The Lady ‘Lander toppled Memorial Day 33-28.
In the game that followed, the FPCA boys narrowly defeated Memorial Day 70-65 in overtime, once again sending the home town crowd in a frenzy.
In the girls win, it was newcomer Charlotte Osmers who set the pace, dropping in 15 points from the inside. Mary Katherine Whitney, returning from an ankle injury, made her impact known as well, netting eight points for the Lady ’Landers. Ausett Gibbs and Jelissa Estrada both chipped in four points and Helena Scott added two for the win.
“I was happy for all the girls, really happy for the kids and for them to see that all their hard work finally paid off,” Lady ’Lander coach Rosby Frasier said, adding the past few years of rebuilding the small roster and having players come and go have been difficult.
“I am proud of them for sticking with it and not giving up. It all came together Friday night,” she said.
The win against Memorial Day has even bigger implications for the Lady ’Landers as it was a Region 2-AA victory.
“I think a win was the best medicine for us and now the girls are believing in themselves, as well as what they can accomplish and we want to build on that and move forward,” Frasier said.
Highlanders
The Highlander boys added another win to their streak after an active week of basketball. The boys beat Robert Toombs Christian Academy 96-70 Tuesday. Thursday night, the FPCA boys hosted I-Can Academy from Savannah winning 69-32. And Friday’s region win against Memorial Days iced the cake.
George Mitchell and Simon Steele led the way Tuesday with 13 points each. Isaiah Scott had 12 and Trayvon Harris 10 for the double-digit scorers.
Against Robert Toombs Thursday, Scott led the way with 20 points and Khalyn Weekley added 19. Mitchell had 17 and Steele added 16.
Friday night, the Matadors and Highlanders slammed basket for basket and the FPCA boys trailed 32-31 at the half in the heated region game.
Scott topped the scorers, draining in 25 points, 13 of them coming in the second half and overtime to propel the FPCA boys ahead by five for the 70-65. Weekley added 14 and Harris chipped in 10. Mitchell had nine, including a pair of treys at critical moments.
FPCA will host David Emanuel Academy Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. with the girls’ game.