Hoops rundown: Bleckley off to strong start, Wilkinson and Twiggs yet to begin

With basketball season officially underway, the Bleckley county boys team saw mixed results in its first two games but ultimately came away with plenty to be optimistic about.

The Royals started 1-0 with a strong win over Perry, one of few 4A schools an A-Division I team like Bleckley County will tangle with this year. 

They came away with a 65-51 win on the road against the Panthers, an impressive feat — although it should be noted that the victory, which happened Nov. 26, came when Perry had many of its boys basketball players still out because of the football team’s playoff run.

Still, a win over a higher classification school is nothing to sneeze at.

The next game was not so kind to the Royals, as they would face one of the stronger teams in the state at the A-Division I level. The Vidalia Indians were ranked ninth in the Week 4 A-Division I poll by Sandy’s Spiel and started the year 3-0 thanks to big wins over Appling County and Veterans.

Their third win was their 46-36 defeat of Bleckley last week, bringing the Royals to a .500 record. 

Bleckley County will face region competition surprisingly early, going up against Dublin in its first home game Tuesday before the paper goes to print. A road game against Dodge County follows Friday night before a home tilt with Washington County next Tuesday.

The girls team, with the same schedule, managed to start 2-0 against Perry and Vidalia. 

The win over the Panthers was particularly impressive, as the Royals dominated the first quarter 22-5 on the way to a 17-point win, 57-40. Perry almost flipped the script on them, going on its own 20-7 run in the second quarter, but a 19-5 edge for Bleckley County in the third period sealed the deal.

The Royals were more balanced against the Indians in the next game, defeating Vidalia 49-37 with a steady stream of points. The 12-point win was fueled by the first and third quarters, which saw Bleckley County score 13 points and hold the Indians to six and seven points, respectively.

The girls team will have the same schedule as the boys, facing off against Dodge County and Washington County after the region opener against Dublin Tuesday.

The Warriors teams’ basketball seasons both began Tuesday after the paper went to print, but the boys team will be looking to bounce back from a state championship hangover it endured last season.

Wilkinson won the state title in 2022 thanks to leaders like Kwaveon Hill and Justin Stanley but fell back down to earth last season. Even so, a “down year” for the typical basketball standout still consisted of a trip to the playoffs. The Warriors lost in the first round to eventual Final Four team Warren County.

Last year’s 10-17 overall record and 8-2 region mark for Wilkinson County should be improved upon this year with some more experience and a lot of returning players.

Macon County will not be an easy opening-game foe, however. The Braves made the Final Four themselves last year, falling to eventual champion Greenforest in the semifinal round at home. Sandy’s Spiel ranked Macon County as the eighth-best A-Division II team in Georgia. The Atlanta Journal Constitution ranked them sixth.

The girls team will face Macon County as well. The Braves’ girls team placed 10th on the latest Sandy’s Spiel A-Division II state rankings, even with a loss in their opening game against Early County.

The Wilkinson girls finished 12-16 overall and 6-4 in their region. The Warriors, like the boys team, lost to Warren County in the first round, which would fall to eventual champion Greenforest in the next game.

After missing the playoffs the season prior in 2022-23, Wilkinson county’s girls will try to build on the momentum.

After the Macon County matchups Tuesday, both teams will stay on the road for games against Taylor County Friday and Dublin Saturday before visiting Montgomery County Dec. 10.

Twiggs County has also yet to begin play. The Cobras boys team, coming off a 15-15 season in 2023 that saw them snag an impressive 10-2 record in Region 5-A Division II. Though they lost by six points against Towns County in the opening round, the playoff appearance looked like it could provide some momentum for a program in need of it.

Four seniors — Daniel Pitts, Kamauree Butler, Brandon Davis and Jimmanuel Tharpe — are listed on the Cobras’ roster for this season on MaxPreps, and the team will look to capitalize before they graduate. Their first game was against Rutland Tuesday.

Rutland is 2-1 after losing at home against Northside in the season opener and defeating both Perry and Howard on the road. The boys schedule will then line up with the girls team, as the Cobras face Trinity Christian Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before a road trip to Turner County Saturday.

Twiggs County’s girls team did not face Rutland Tuesday night and instead will open its season against Trinity Christian, the private school out of Dublin.

The girls team finished 4-27 last year with a 1-9 mark in region play as a young team. Johnson County ought to be the most dangerous team in the region as far as the girls teams are concerned, as they missed out on an Elite Eight berth last season by just one point.

Trinity Christian is 1-4 so far this year and could provide a nice start to the season for the Cobras Thursday at 6 p.m. After that Twiggs County will travel to Turner County Saturday, then take a break before traveling to Thomson Dec. 17.