From Staff Reports

 

COLUMBUS – The Americus-Sumter boys basketball team lost a one-point heartbreaker to Carver (Columbus) 55-54 in the Region 1-AAAA Tournament championship game on Friday, February 8, at Carver (Columbus) High School (CCHS).

As a result, the Panthers (22-4) will go into the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAA State Tournament as the #2 seed out of Region 1. They will host Salem High School in the first round of the state tournament on Friday, February 15, at 7 p.m.

Friday’s championship game against the Tigers marked the fourth meeting between the two teams this year, with CCHS winning three of the four contests.

Junior shooting guard Trae Brown led the Panthers in scoring with 23 points and senior forward Joshua Lusane had 17.

Both teams played an evenly matched first quarter with ASHS leading 17-14 by the quarter’s end. The Panthers outscored the Tigers in the second quarter to take a 33-25 lead at the half.

However, the Tigers owned the third quarter as they outscored the Panthers 21-11. As the final quarter started, CCHS led 46-44.

The fourth and final stanza was a low-scoring affair. Even though the Panthers outscored the Tigers 10-9 in the fourth quarter, the Tigers went on to win 55-54 to take the Region 1-AAAA Tournament crown.

In spite of the loss, the Panthers are still in good shape as the #2 seed out of Region 1-AAAA. They will host the Salem Seminoles (17-9) in the first round of the state tournament. Salem is the #3 seed out of Region 4-AAAA. Tip-off is scheduled for Friday, February 15, at 7 p.m.