Brookwood falls short in Region Championship game

Clint Thompson - TTE
THOMASVILLE – The Brookwood Warriors went toe-to-toe with Southland in the GIAA Region 3-AAA championship game Friday night – for a half. The Raiders’ second-half onslaught snuffed out the Warriors’ championship dreams.

The Raiders outscored the Warriors 33-13 after halftime and stormed to the 60-38 victory.

The win captured Southland the region title, while Brookwood finished runners-up and will host a first-round playoff game on Saturday.

“We couldn’t score, and any time you can’t score, there really is a lot of translation between offense and defense,” Brookwood coach Nate VanDuyne said. “We just never got a really good flow, and I think some of that was we were in constant foul trouble. We were hampered with foul trouble three minutes into the game. We got some tough breaks with some calls.

“At the end of the day, we just didn’t play well on either end.”

Southland sank four 3s and buried all five of its free throw attempts in the period to blow open a close game. Brookwood trailed 27-25 at halftime but was undone by Southland’s third quarter onslaught when the Raiders pummeled the Warriors 23-5.

TJ Thomas and Jordyn Jean led the Warriors with seven points each. Kaden Giles added six points. Chris May, team leader and scoring threat, was held to just four points.

The Warriors must now regroup for the state playoffs. Brookwood is the No. 8 seed and will host the Lakeview Academy Lions on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

“I like where we’re headed as far as the tournament goes. Our ranking has improved well enough. We’ve positioned ourselves really well,” VanDuyne said. “It’s all about right now. Are we able to overcome this disappointment and reset?”
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Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.