Prep Highlights: Woodville-Tompkins girls looking primed to make a playoff run

The Woodville-Tompkins girls basketball team has emerged as one of the top programs in Coastal Georgia under head coach Jeffery Roberson -- and the Wolverines showed their appreciation for their leader recently by celebrating his 52nd birthday with a "Whiteout" night at Woodville.

The Wolverines rolled to a 50-26 win over Johnson on Jan. 7 with standouts Janiyah Heyward and Brianna Pelote scoring 10 points each, while junior guard Rian Bailey had a season-high 14 points.

Woodville-Tompkins (13-5) is ranked No. 5 among Class A Division I teams in the state in the Sandysspiel.com rankings released on Jan. 16.

The Wolverines reached the second round of the Class 2A playoffs last season, where they lost to eventual state runnerup Rabun County. They lost just one senior to graduation and look to be poised to make a deep playoff run after dropping down a classification to play in Class A Division I.

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Heyward, a senior, is having another impressive year averaging 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game. Senior guard Sanai Chisholm is averaging 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.4 steals per contest. Brianna Pelote, the 6-foot-2 junior, averages 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game and Dyquria Taylor has come on strong as the senior forward is putting up 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

"The Whiteout Night was a great atmosphere," Roberson said. "We're playing well this season and I think the key is the camaraderie that we have. These girls have been playing together since they were freshmen. They work hard and know each other's games -- they feed off each other and play like a team. Our strength is our defense -- we just keep on pushing."

Roberson said Pelote is constantly drawing double teams down low, but she never gets frustrated.

"Brianna is looking for cutters and getting the ball out when she needs to," Roberson said. "She isn't selfish, and doesn't need to score to be satisfied."

Heyward does a lot of everything for the Wolverines, who are 6-0 in Region 3 play.

"She's just an all-around player," Roberson said. "She can score, pass and rebound. She plays great defense and can hit the 3-pointer when we need it."

Woodville is set to host Bryan County (13-3, 4-2) on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and then host Savannah High on Friday in a pair of key region matchups.

St. Andrew's boys lose first game of season

The St. Andrew's boys basketball team saw its 26-game win streak come to an an on Jan. 8 when the Lions lost to Gibbs (12-4) a Class 4A team from St. Petersburg, Florida in a 43-30 setback in the Pre-MLK Shoot-Out in Jacksonville.

The win streak dated back to last season, almost a calendar year, when the Lions lost to Episcopal School of Jacksonville on Jan. 8, 2022, before closing out the season on a 14-game win streak to win the GIAA Class 3A state title.

The Lions (14-1) bounced back quickly with a 78-50 win at Islands on Jan. 11 as senior guard Zyere Edwards had 30 points with four assists and four steals, while his younger brother, sophomore Zayden Edwards, had 17 points with eight rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Will Thompson hit five of six from distance and added 15 points for the Lions, who followed up with a 75-24 win over John Paul II on Friday.

Coastal Empire rolls to win in Blitz Border Bowl

The Coastal Empire won the fifth annual Blitz Border Bowl on Saturday with a 20-0 victory over the Low Country at Memorial Stadium.

Some local stars shined in the game that pits some of the top seniors from the Savannah area facing a team of standouts from South Carolina.

Richmond Hill quarterback Ty Goldrick connected with Johnson's Samari Dowdy, who made a deft move before sprinting in for a 65-yard fourth quarter touchdown for the final score of the game.

John Seidensticker, a senior kicker from Jenkins, earned MVP honors. He hit a short field goal for the only points in the first half and then connected on a 50-yarder to make it 6-0 in the third quarter.

Islands senior defensive lineman Sha'Ron McGert was dominating up front for the Coastal Empire from start to finish. Jenkins defensive back Keshon Leggett had an interception and several big plays. Richmond Hill receiver Ravon Grant and Liberty County athlete James Summersett also had strong performances for the Coastal Empire in a game that benefits the Ronald McDonald House.

SVA's Beddow signs to play soccer at Georgia Southwestern

Alana Beddow has been one of the faces of the St. Vincent's athletic program in her four years at the school as the senior student athlete has been a standout in soccer, volleyball, basketball and flag football.

On Jan. 9, Beddow announced her plans for the future as she signed to play soccer at Georgia Southwestern State University, a Division II program in Americus.

The star goal keeper had 215 saves over the last two seasons with the Saints, who reached the second round of the Class A Private playoffs last year, after a trip to the quarterfinals the year before.

"Alana is just a beast as a goalie, she has no fear at all out there," SVA coach Katie Knight said. "She is confident, driven, athletic and she loves the team dynamic -- she's an excellent leader. As a sophomore, she was dictating all the action with our defense, even with seniors on the back line.

"Alana is one of the most enjoyable athletes I've ever been able to work with. She's very coachable and put her heart into it. It's always 100% about the team with Alana."

Beddow, a two-time All-Greater Savannah first-team selection, suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the flag football season, but avoided surgery and is looking forward to getting back on the soccer field.

"St. Vincent's has been such a great school for me," said Beddow, who plans to study biology in a pre-med line of studies. "My coaches and teammates have helped push me to become a better athlete. I have to thank my family too, without them I wouldn't be where I am today."

Islands soccer standout Smith signs with Mary Baldwin

Caleb Smith has been a key player in the midfield for the Islands soccer team during his prep career and has helped the Sharks earn the reputation as one of the top programs in the Coastal Empire.

On Jan. 9, his 18th birthday, Smith made the step to the next level as he signed to play at Mary Baldwin University, a Division III program in Virginia.

"Playing at Islands has taught me how important camaraderie and having that connection on the soccer field are to being a successful team," said Smith, a National Honor Society member who plans to major in biology and eventually work in the environmental engineering field. "I learned about hard work and what it takes to play at the next level."

Known for his endurance on the field, Smith went out for the cross country team for the first time this season and ran a personal best 5K time of 17:34.13 in his second race.

"Caleb is the kind of player a coach can count on to be there no matter what, day-in and day-out," Islands coach Justin Brantley said. "He's good box to box in the midfield and can make the transition from the attack to defense in a matter of seconds. He's committed to our team and making it better and I'm looking forward to him becoming even more of a leader in his senior year."

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: Prep highlights: Woodville-Tompkins girls on top of their game