Lady Indians win Region 8-AAA crown program's first since 2010 against East Jackson

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  • Lady Indians celebrate
    Lady Indians celebrate
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For seven Stephens County Lady Indian basketball players, Friday’s region championship victory over East Jackson seemed like old times.

                        That’s because the group had played together on an eighth grade basketball team that won the area middle school conference championship four years before.

                        The Lady Indians won the girls’ basketball program’s first region championship since 2010 with a dominating 67-42 triumph over East Jackson in a Region 8-AAA title game played in Currahee Arena.

                        After the final buzzer, the Lady Indians showed off a region championship banner that had been made prior to the game.

                        “It feels great to be able to end both careers with a region championship,” senior Lady Indian Ranajah Verdell said. “We have been working hard for this. I am talking about real hard for this. It feels great.”

                        Verdell also scored her 1,000th career point in the championship victory. 

                        The combination of a region title with her teammates that she grew up with made it that much sweeter on her milestone night with 18 points.

                        “I feel good. I could not have done this without my teammates including me in the game,” Verdell said. “Working things out with me during the game and working on team ball.”

                        Verdell was not the only senior that had a career milestone night. Senior Lady Indian Kiki Howard scored a career high of 26 points in the championship victory. 

                        Howard was happy.

                        “It feels great and I am glad it was with this team and I love them so much and we all worked together so it feels really good,” Howard said. “That was the best feeling ever. We have been waiting for that feeling. We worked so hard for it. It felt good… It feels great we have been workings so hard for this and our goal has finally been reached and I am glad it was with them.”

                        The seven seniors have been playing basketball together since they were 6-years-old. They grew up and played rec ball with each other, then played middle school basketball as teammates.

                        During Friday’s title game, it seemed like the  Lady Indians were determined to walk away with a region championship. 

                        That determination was shown at the end of the first quarter when SCHS took an 18-7 lead and then built a 34-15 lead at the half.

                        The Stephens advantage grew into a commanding 47-27 lead at the end of the third quarter.

                        After the third quarter ended, SCHS fans just knew the region title belonged to the Lady Indians. 

                        A region championship t-shirt was put on immediately after the third quarter buzzer by a fan getting ready to celebrate. 

                        In the closing minutes of the game, the SCHS bench was plotting. 

                        They went into a nearby hallway and refilled their water bottles. After the trophy presentation, the Lady Indians rushed to the locker room before SCHS head coach Laura Baker. 

                        When Baker entered the locker room, she was welcomed with water being splashed at her and a water bottle popping celebration.

                        “It feels great,” Baker said. “It feels really good. I am proud of them. I am soaking wet. I hope my wallet is okay.”

                        The region championship comes in Baker’s third season as head coach of the Lady Indians.

                        The seven seniors who have been teammagtes since they were 6-years-old who are now Region 8-AAA champs are Verdell, Howard, Lindsay Moore, Nana Eades, Brooklyn Steeple, Bre Taylor and Savana Broska. 

                        The Lady Indians were scheduled to host Redan, the Nov. 4 seed from Region 5-AAA, in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 23, in Toccoa.

                        Stephens County advanced to the region championship game with a 54-35 victory over Oconee County in a region semi-final contest played at Currahee Arena Wednesday, Feb. 17.

                        The Lady Indians jumped out to a 14-5 lead over Oconee after just one quarter of play and led from start to finish.

                        Stephens held a 28-12 advantage at halftime and 37-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

                        The Lady Indians outscored Oconee 17-10 in the final period to win going away.

                        Ranajah Verdell paced the Stephens scoring with 17 points while NaNa Eades added 11 in the victory.

                        The two tournament victories improved the Lady Indian record to 17-6 for the season.