'Cats-Vikings face off Saturday night

Jan. 12—VALDOSTA — The Lowndes High School Vikettes have built up incredible momentum leading up to their first regional game of the season. The 9-1 overall team will face off against Valdosta High School's Lady 'Cats in an always anticipated match-up.

The Vikettes will travel to Valdosta's 'Cat Cage Saturday, with varsity games to start at 6 pm. This is first region game between the two rivals this season.

The Vikettes have had a dominant start to their season, with their first and only loss being against John Marshall High School (Richmond, Virginia). This season is full of standout performances from the athletes. Junior Kaci Demps remains a threat on the court, averaging 12 points per game, according to stats on MaxPreps. Sophomore Kayla Jackson stays consistent in rebounds, averaging eight per game.

Antonia Tookes has led the team since taking the head coach position in 2018. Tookes came into the 2023-2024 season with a 19-9 overall record and a region record of 6-2 from 2022-2023. The Vikettes ended last season with a loss to Archer (Lawrenceville) in the 2nd round of the Georgia High School Association playoffs.

The Lady 'Cats built this year's success on the heels of a run at the playoffs in 2022-2023, in which they lost in the first round versus Carrollton High School (Carrollton). Valdosta's celebrated Lady 'Cats stand at an overall of 14-4, with an upcoming regional game versus Camden County (Kingsland). Players who have contributed this year include Nadia Gardner, with an 11 points-per-game average, and Chastity Degale, who has a 52% field goal average.

The last time these two teams met on the court was just before playoffs last season. The Vikettes took the game 58-38. The game would prove to be an exceptional performance from, at the time, senior Otaifo Esenabhalu and sophomore Kaci Demps, both scoring 16 points against the Lady 'Cats.