BHS Lady Cats advance to Region Tournament Semi-Finals and BHS Bearcats basketball season comes to an end
Published 9:48 am Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Z'riah Solomon had a team-high 14 points in the Lady Cats Play-In win against Peach County.
The Lady Cats getting ready for warmups.
Ta'Liyah Ausgood inbounding the ball on the baseline.
Freshman point guard Hailey Anderson at the free throw line during the Lady Cats Play-In game.
Senior forward Kyra Green defending the paint.
Green shooting a free-throw
Green attacking the paint and looking to score.
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The schedule of games remains just as hectic for head coach Kelvin Cochran and the Bainbridge basketball programs this week, as the Lady Cats (14-12, 5-6) began the 3A Region tournament with a Play-In game win against the Peach County Trojans 53-32, on Monday night at Bainbridge High School Gymnasium. The BHS Lady Cats will play at Monroe on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. following their Play-In win.
Four teams will qualify out of the 3A Region 1 Tournament then they will be reseeded via the Georgia Independent Athletic Association power rankings after the Region 1 tournament is complete.
“The ultimate goal is to always contend for a region championship and advance into the state playoffs,” Cochran said. “We’ve played like a top team in our region in stretches knocking off Westover, we had Dougherty down both times and ended up losing the game(s). We’ve been our worst enemy.”
Following a narrow 47-37 defeat to Dougherty County early last week, the Lady Cats bounced back with remarkable determination, securing three consecutive victories to rise above a .500 record. They enter the Region 1 Tournament after besting the Westover Patriots 45-34. The senior duo of No. 0 Ahleah Jones and No. 4 Kyra Green both scored in double figures, each contributing ten points. Additionally, senior point guard No. 14 Ta’Liyah Ausgood added nine points in the win.
Cochran and the Lady Cats wrapped up the Region 1 regular season in commanding style, defeating their rivals, the Cairo Syrupmaids 54-34. The Lady Cats had three players in double figures led by Jones with an impressive 17-point showing, Ausgood, and No. 32 senior, Z’riah Solomon had ten points each.
Solomon led the Lady Cats in scoring with 14 on the evening against Peach County, converting on four three-pointers. Jones had eight points, Green and junior forward Autumn Oliver had seven points. The Lady Cats dominated after the first quarter outscoring the Trojans 39-18, and held as big of a 22-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
“The girls the last four, five games have been playing pretty good,” Cochran said. “They’re understanding and playing with a better flow right now. “You obviously want to get better as the season progresses, but the third quarter it helps when we hit four threes. It demoralizes the other team when you hit back-to-back threes.”
The Bearcats (8-17, 2-8) ended regular season play with a commanding 60-44 win against the Cairo Syrupmakers last Saturday night. No. 4 senior Camryn Scott led the Bearcats in scoring with 19 points. No. 20 Korbin Bryant had 11, and No. 2 junior guard Trent Lee had ten points on the night. The Bearcats journeyed to Peach County on Tuesday to compete in the region tournament Play-In game at 6:00 p.m. and lost 69-48, ending their season. Scott had a team-high 15 points, Lee finished with 12 points, sophomore guard No. 23 Keion Williams finished with six points, sophomore forward No. 24 Ja’Veen Breedlove and freshman No. 5 Jamarion Cooper both scored five points.
“I keep telling people we’re so young on the boys’ side. Everyone in this community expects the boys to win because they’ve seen all this winning over the years,” Cochran said. “We’re in a cycle right now. I knew it would be some trials and tribulations, it’s tough keeping the players’ morale up but when you have the people in this community that support them, it goes a long way.”
Reflecting on the season for the Bearcats, Coach Cochran shared his heartfelt gratitude and admiration for his team:
“I want to thank God for blessing me with a great group of young men who came in every day and worked their tails off,” Cochran said. “Although we were a young and inexperienced team this year, we never used that as an excuse for not getting the job done. I love my guys and we’re going to miss our two seniors (Camryn Scott and Stacey Glenn) tremendously.”
