Deerfield-Windsor earns basketball sweep against Tattnall Square

ALBANY — Both games were a battle to the end, but the Deerfield-Windsor Knights and Lady Knights sent the Tattnall Square basketball teams home to Macon with losses Tuesday night.

The Knights prevailed 47-45 and the Lady Knights won 59-52.

Deerfield-Windsor senior Tyren Lebeauf sank two free throws with 26 seconds left on the clock, then stole the ball from a Tattnall Square player as the visitors tried to tie the game. The win came despite trailing most of the game and without the normal 3-point parade the Knights normally use to light up the scoreboard.

Senior Andrew Sceals scored the first basket of the game but Tattnall Square then went on a 7-0 run that led DWS head coach Jarvis Smith to call timeout and regroup. The Knights were then able to keep pace with the Trojans but trailed 18-13 after the first quarter. The Trojans extended their lead to 10 early in the second quarter, but then Sceals hit two 3-pointers, Lebeauf drove to the basket a couple of times and Jarvis Smith stole the ball and raced to the basket to give the Knights a brief 23-21 lead with four minutes left in the half. But the Knights didn’t score again the rest of the half and Tattnall Square had a 27-23 advantage at the break.

The shooting woes for the Knights, especially from beyond the 3-point arc, continued in the second half. Fortunately for the Knights, post player Jackson Harris was on target. He twisted and battled underneath the basket for 11 second-half points to keep the Knights in the game. The Knights still couldn’t hit a 3-pointer until Sceals swished one in the fourth quarter to tie the game 37-37. Moments later Harris delivered a basket to put the Knights ahead for the first time since the middle of the second quarter. Tattnall Square tied the game twice after that, yet never led again and Lebauf sank the free throws to give the Knights the winning margin.

Harris led the Knights with 17 points, Sceals followed with 11 and Lebeauf added seven for the winners.

The win improves the Knights’ record to 13-2 on the season. They will face another challenge Friday night when they travel to Macon to take on First Presbyterian Day School (10-3), currently ranked 10th in the latest state poll.

The Lady Knights of Deerfield-Windsor are currently ranked ninth in the latest poll and improved their record to 11-3 with their win Tuesday night over Tattnall Square (9-4). The two teams battled closely throughout the game but a late first-half run gave the Lady Knights a seven-point halftime advantage.

The Lady Trojans opened the second half with a 10-4 run to trail 34-33 before Deerfield-Windsor got back-to-back 3-pointers from Genevieve Lanier and Joi Hubbard. The third quarter was nerve-wracking for the Lady Knights because Margret Sadler had to go the bench with four fouls and then Hubbard was smacked hard in the eye by an elbow that left her in obvious pain. Fortunately, both of them returned in the fourth quarter.

With Tattnall Square playing tough man-to-man defense, DWS’ Murphy Ray raced past a defender for two points, Hubbard stole a pass and scored and then Lanier swished another 3-pointer to put the Lady Knights up 50-41 and they held on from there.

Ray and Hubbard each scored 15 to lead the Lady Knights in a balanced scoring attack. Sadler scored 10, Gabby Harris scored nine and Lanier finished with 8.

Joe WhitfieldJoe Whitfield