Pine Grove teams win championships

Dec. 21—BEMISS — The culmination of the Pine Grove Viking basketball program season ended with a win and a trophy for both the 6/7th-grade boys and 8th-grade girls. The boys faced off against Bainbridge Middle School, and the girls faced the Thomas County Central Middle School Yellow Jackets. With championship titles on the line, both teams performed at the top of their game, with the boys winning 43-26 and the girls an astonishing 41-6.

BOYS

The night began strong with a competitive start to the 6/7th grade boys game. Bainbridge's Bearcats would get the first point with a free throw two minutes into the game; however, Pine Grove's Andre Scruggs would get back-to-back inside shots for a 4-1 lead. The only other points of the period would come from a layup from Bainbridge. The period ended 4-3 for Pine Grove.

Going forward, Pine Grove would play a strong inside game, racking up an early lead. Andrew Smith was hot in the second period, with eight points from the inside. Bainbridge would attempt to stay close, but the Viking's lead began to take off. The period would end 24-14.

In the third quarter, the Viking defense quickly became troublesome for the Bearcats, only allowing four points in the whole quarter. All the while, the Vikings stayed relentless with aggressive inside points from Smith and Kayden Jackson. The crowd erupted from a three-pointer from Rashod Vinson. The third period ended 38-18.

Pine Grove would focus on taking the game in the final period by concentrating on defense. The little time left in the contest would not allow for a comeback for the Bearcats, and the game ended 43-26.

Coach Michael Fowler kept the team focused throughout the final game by taking them back to the beginning of the season when he asked each member of the team to do their job. At each break or time out, they had a saying — "Stand on Business" — and they continued this tradition throughout the championship game.

The first-year coach told his team, "Don't do anyone else's job. Do your job, and no one can beat us." Coming from Lowndes Middle, this win was special for Fowler. Fowler looks forward to the future with the 6th and 7th graders returning. "This lets you know you have something to build on, and there is a promising future for Pine Grove."

GIRLS

The 8th-grade girls' championship game versus the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets started much like the boys', with a slow first period; however, they would quickly make it a dominant championship win. Pine Grove's Karsyn Strickland scored the game's first point three minutes in with a free throw.

Mackenzie Dudley scored four more points for the Vikings, with two coming from back-to-back free throws. The Yellow Jackets scored their first point with a free throw, ending the period 5-1.

Strickland would start the second period with an impressive three-pointer. Inside scoring from Kaylee Dabney and Leah Menard continued to drive the Vikings' lead-up. Thomas County Central netted a rebound with 20 seconds left in the half.

Going into the third period, 14-3, the Vikings kept their strategy the same, staying aggressive on the inside while taking opportunistic shots. One of those shots came from Naomi Williams, with an incredible three-pointer to start the new half. The Yellow Jackets would answer with a three-pointer, earning them their last points for the rest of the game.

The Vikings continued their control of the game with a solid fourth-period performance from Isabella Ortiz on the inside. Pine Grove took the game 41-6.

After each of the Pine Grove wins, the teams were honored with a trophy presentation and team pictures before friends and family joined them in celebration.

When asked what it means when both teams in one program make it to the championship game, Coach Fowler said, "It's saying a lot. It's saying we are headed in the right direction and we are building something special. This was actually the first time in Pine Grove history that the boys won the championship."