Latta’s Lady Vikings clenched the Region 8A girls basketball title on Tuesday night as they defeated the second place Flashes 66-50 in Johnsonville.
Latta took a 23-5 lead in the first quarter and outscored Johnsonville 17-10 in the second to lead 40-27 at the half. The Lady Vikings outpaced the Flashes 17-11 in the third, but Johnsonville rallied for a 24-9 fourth quarter that still left them short of the win.
TaKeria Legette scored a game-high 22 points to lead Latta in the win. Tianna Deberry added 14 points for the Vikings and Brittany Burgess earned 10, with Mallory Townsend adding four and Kierra Johnson scoring three. Iyonna McKenzie, Jessica Evans, and Maya Wright each contributed two points for Latta in the win.
Johnsonville was led by Chrystal Williams with a team-high 21 points. Gabby Boatwright added 11, Cayley Gunter scored nine, and Khanyzah Weaver earned six, with Makayla Davis adding three.
The Lady Vikings improved to 16-2 overall and 9-0 in Region 8A, while Johnsonville slipped to 8-9 overall and 7-2 in the region.
In addition to leading Region 8A, the Lady Vikings were ranked as the number one team in the state by the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Class A girls basketball poll. Timmonsville slipped to second with Whale Branch, Ridge Spring-Monetta, and Hemingway rounding out the top five.
The Vikings will close out the regular season tonight at 6:00 p.m. when they travel to Lake View to take on the Lady Wild Gators. Make plans to attend to support our local teams!
Class A State Playoffs will begin on Monday, February 11, with Latta hosting the fourth place team from Region VII at 7:00 p.m. Look for playoff updates online here at thedillonherald.com!
