Both Fayette County High School basketball teams celebrated their region championships Saturday night with big smiles and shouts of exuberance. Both final games were hard-fought battles against tough teams and tough odds, making the victories all the sweeter.

The Fayette County Lady Tigers battled back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the Mays Lady Raiders 46-41.

Fayette County struggled a bit with their shooting (Tessah Holt only had four points through the first three quarters), but the team was able to get the win and stay perfect. They enter the state tournament with a 27-0 record.

“This was a tough tournament but we played tough and won,” said Lady Tigers head coach John Strickland, unfazed by his team’s streaks of cold shooting. “When the clock hits 0.0, a ‘W’ is still a ‘W.’”

The Fayette County boys got a hot start from Noel Johnson, who scored 13 of the team’s 27 first-half points, but an injury to his hand kept him out for the rest of the game.

His teammates were not deterred, playing even harder in his absence to secure the region title.

The Tigers beat Lithia Springs in their home gym 64-61 with sophomore Malcolm Brogdon scoring 19 of his 25 points in the second half.

“I love this team,” said boys head coach Andre Flynn after the game. “They persevere and believe in each other.”

Fayette County’s boys and girls will open the state tournament at home on Friday. The Lady Tigers will face Tucker at 7 p.m. and the boys will play Stone Mountain at 8:30 p.m.

For more basketball, go to our all-local-sports site — www.TheCitizenSports.com.

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