How Savannah Country Day punched its ticket to state basketball tournament as a No. 7 seed
The Savannah Country Day boys basketball team started the season off with a 2-8 record and entered the Region 3-3A tournament as a No. 7 seed, but the Hornets are starting to find their groove and punched their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament on Wednesday night.
The Hornets used a dominant second half to knock off Groves, the tournament's No. 3 seed, in a 64-51 victory at Woodville-Tompkins.
It was the fifth win in the last seven games for the Hornets (12-15) who are set to face Long County (20-5) in a Region 3-3A semifinal set for Friday at Johnson with tipoff set for 1 p.m.
Senior captain Robert Spaulding led the Hornets with 14 points, while Josh Washington added 10, while freshman standout Rudy Anderson chipped in with six — playing a big role on both ends of the court. Sidney Flaggs had a game-high 24 points in his final high school games, with Kenya Williams adding 11 points for the Rebels, who finished the season with a 12-15 record.
"This one meant a lot to us, because there were so many people who doubted us and we wanted to prove them wrong," said Spaulding, who is averaging a team-high 17.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. "We wanted to show we are one of the best teams in the city."
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Veteran coach Mac Tamminen is in his second year leading the Hornets and has been impressed with the way his team has come together.
"We haven't been the most consistent team from the start of the season, but we've proven that we are one of the best in a tough region," Tamminen said. "We've tried to mix it up with our lineups and we've been running two or three different rotations, and our guys are buying into it. We've improved a lot."
Anderson, the star freshman, has been pivotal in the Hornets' turnaround. The younger brother of former Windsor Forest star Qurahn Anderson, now playing at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, entered his first year at the high school level with sky-high expectations from Savannah hoops insiders, and he has lived up to the hype.
Anderson was recently selected as a first-teamer on the All-Region 3-3A squad. He is averaging 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
"Rudy is our engine, he makes everything go," Tamminen said. "Everybody knows about him, but they can't stop him. When he starts getting everyone involved, we're a different team. He's had an amazing season — especially when you realize he's still only 14 years old and could be an eighth grader.
"Rudy and Robert (Spaulding) have been key cogs for us all season. Now we're looking forward to playing Long County on Friday night."
Groves coach Kevin Evans wasn't at the game due to a medical issue. Angela Solomon served as the head coach for the Rebels.
Region 3-3A Outlook
The Calvary Day boys team went on the road Wednesday night and beat No. 4 seed Liberty County to punch its ticket to the state tournament. The Cavaliers (8-15) entered the tournament as a No. 5 seed and give opponents problems with a lineup featuring standout senior guard CJ Gaines, a Region 3-3A first-team pick, along with Kuol Deng, a 6-10 sophomore and his classmate, the 6-foot-8 Chol Kiir.
Calvary is set to face No. 1 seed Johnson as the Atom Smashers host on Friday, Feb. 16, at 4:30 p.m.
On the girls side, Beach knocked off cross-town rival Johnson 52-32 at Woodville on Wednesday to advance to the region tournament semifinals and secure a playoff spot. Beach (12-14) will play No. 2 seed Calvary Day Friday at Johnson at 2:45 p.m. In the other semifinals, Liberty County (9-13) faces No. 1 seed Savannah Country Day (18-5) with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Country Day boys upset Groves to earn spot in State Tournament
