The Class 1A Area 3 Tournament ended in predictable fashion, even if the road there was littered with surprises, as Georgiana claimed a first-place finish over the Brantley Bulldogs in a thrilling 59-56 win.

Prior to the nail-biting finale, the Panthers torched the Highland Home Flying Squadron (who in turn defeated the McKenzie Tigers in round one–Georgiana had a bye) with a  92-67 win.

Despite a 31-point game from Jamichael Stallworth, plenty of other Panthers pitched in with points, including a pair of double-double performances from Martavius Payton (25 points and 11 rebounds) and Lecedric Haynes (12 points and 10 rebounds).

Dalvin Dix rounded out the Panthers’ top scorers with 15 points.

The Lady Panthers enjoyed victory by an even bigger margin over Red Level that night as Georgiana routed the Tigers 64-26.

A sterling defensive effort for the Lady Panthers, led by Courtney Powell’s 6 blocks, kept the Tigers at bay for the duration of the game. Powell also finished with 19 points, along with 11 points from Michaiah Austin.

The championship round bore more surprises for the Panthers as Georgiana’s varsity boys narrowly defeated a well-prepared Brantley Bulldogs team.

Despite the relatively low-scoring game, Stallworth managed to post his second 30-point performance of the area tournament, providing more than half of the Panthers’ score alone.  Lecedric Haynes and Jaheim Powell backed Stallworth with 10 points apiece.

The Lady Bulldogs of Brantley earned their revenge Thursday night against the Lady Panthers of Georgiana, however, as the former won 48-40.

Last month, the Lady Panthers rallied to overtake the Lady Bulldogs in a 47-46 photo finish, but Brantley remained in firm control of the evening, growing their gradual lead throughout 4 quarters of play and leaving little comeback room in the process.

Mia Crenshaw led the Lady Panthers with 8 points.

Both the varsity boys and girls of Georgiana will advance, the former as a No. 1 seed and the latter as a No. 2 seed, though their opponents have yet to be determined at press time.