It was a showdown between the state’s top two teams on Wednesday at Tucker. It was also for the Region 6-AAAAA championship. Junior forward Tynice Martin led the No. 1-ranked Southwest DeKalb Lady Panthers to a 63-56 win over the No. 2-ranked Tucker Lady Tigers for their second consecutive region title.
The Lady Panthers (26-2) have earned a top seed in the Class AAAAA state playoffs as they seek to defend last year’s state title and go for their fifth in their last seven seasons. The Lady Tigers (23-4) settled for a No. 2 seed.
Both teams will take tomorrow off before jumping into the twice-delayed state playoffs, which begin Friday. Because of the weather delays that stalled the region tournament, state playoff teams must play four rounds in nine days.
Martin led all scorers with 25 points, including 13-for-14 shooting from the free throw line. Three times she was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer, and she hit 8 of those 9 free throws.
“I work on (free throws everyday),” Martin said. “Every time after practice when I’m tired, I shoot free throws. So it just showed up tonight when I really needed it.”
The game stayed tight throughout and was tied at 26 at halftime. Then the Lady Tigers opened the third quarter on a run to go up 41-30. But the Lady Panthers responded behind six third-quarter points from Davion Wingate, who finished with 17 points, and Southwest DeKalb pulled to within three points after three quarters, trailing 48-45.
The Lady Panthers were leading 59-55 when Lady Tigers leading scorer Erykah Davenport (19 points) fouled out with three minutes remaining. Tucker would score just one point the rest of the way.
Now it’s on to the state playoffs, where Tucker and Southwest DeKalb could meet again. They’re now 1-1 against each other this season, with Tucker winning 73-64 in December. Tucker and Southwest DeKalb are on opposite sides of the playoff bracket, so it’s possible they could meet again in the state finals.
Martin’s not worried.
“The difference between us and them is we know how to win.”
Send Adam Krohn an email at AdamKrohnAJC@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter.
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