Greenville and Georgiana faced off for the third and final time this season on Saturday, ending in decisive wins for Greenville in junior and varsity play.

Greenville’s Lady Tigers pulled ahead decisively in the latter stages of the game, putting up a stalwart defense to hold the Lady Panthers to only 21 total points in the second half.

The county rivalry drove crowd excitement to a fever pitch as the long-anticipated rematch between the varsity boy’s squads began. Georgiana pulled ahead convincingly in the first period, led by a typically strong offensive performance from guard Ja’Michael Stallworth. Georgiana racked up an impressive 24 points in the first period alone and ended the first half with a comfortable 38-24 lead.

Greenville put up decisive defensive stands in the 2nd and 3rd periods, holding the Panthers to 11 and 12 points respectively. In the 4th, the game turned into an emotional shootout, with Greenville’s momentum bolstered by a series of fast-breaks and 3-pointers. Greenville also used full court press to slow down Georgiana’s fast-paced offense, and continuously claimed rebounds. Georgiana began to mount a comeback, coming within a 3-point margin to tying the game. Greenville held the ball in an attempt to run down the clock, leading to Georgiana grinding the game to a halt by fouling continuously and forcing Greenville to the free throw line. Despite the strategic effort by Georgiana, however, Greenville held on to their slight lead and claimed the victory, 78 to 71. Greenville managed to put up 33 points in the 4th period alone.

Greenville’s Jeremiah Owens had a standout performance, with 21 points and 17 rebounds, and senior guard Romontez Rhodes had 12 points. Georgiana’s Ja’Michael Stallworth put up 29 points, and forward Christopher Mixon had 11.