Silver Bluff girls win holiday tournament title in Augusta

Through three quarters of play on Wednesday, it didn't look like Silver Bluff High School's girls' basketball team could win the championship game of the Evans High School Holiday Tournament. The Bulldogs trailed Westside-Macon by double digits and were in serious foul trouble.

Led by the inspired play of tournament MVP Jamie Foreman, Silver Bluff erased most of the deficit in the first minute and a half of the fourth quarter with an 8-1 run, before completing a massive comeback for a 63-59 win. It was the Bulldogs' (8-1) second comeback in as many days and third win in three games, securing the tournament championship.

"I think it was just heart at the end," Silver Bluff coach Robbie McKenzie said of the difference in his team's fourth-quarter rally. "I got on them pretty good at halftime. I told them they had to step up and love this game of basketball. I finally saw that at the end."

Foreman finished with 15 points and seemed to be everywhere on the court for the Bulldogs. After Silver Bluff's top two inside players fouled out, Foreman switched from her natural position of guard to play in the low post on defense. As the Bulldogs switched from matchup zones to man-to-man defenses - while mixing in full-court pressure and half-court traps - Foreman anchored each of Silver Bluff's varied looks. All the while, she was a primary ball handler and controlled the flow of offense from the perimeter.

"She was one of the players I challenged," McKenzie said. "She played her tail off. We required her to do everything out there."

Kaylin Foreman scored 15 points before fouling out and Roxanna Cheek added 10 for

the Bulldogs. Silver Bluff completed its comeback when Taylor Muterspaugh - who finished with eight points - scored on a putback, tying the contest at 54-54 with just under 4 minutes to play. Jamie Foreman gave the Bulldogs their first lead when she scored on their next possession. Silver Bluff never trailed again as it staved off the Seminoles' frantic efforts.

As amazing as the Bulldogs' comeback was, it wouldn't have been necessary had they played with more poise, especially in the first half. Silver Bluff was playing hard but was out of control at times. That was a result of Westside-Macon's full-court pressure, which forced the Bulldogs into turnovers and rushed shots.

The Seminoles were able to open a double-digit lead early in the second half because of their pressure and their ability to score on second-chance baskets and from the free-throw line. Silver Bluff committed 12 fouls in the first half, twice as many as Westside-Macon. The Seminoles took advantage, outscoring the Bulldogs 12-0 from the charity stripe in the first half and 24-7 for the game. Jazzmin Grove capitalized more than any other player, scoring nine of her game-high 29 points from the free-throw line for the Seminoles.

The physical nature of the frenetic contest, which seemed to propel the Seminoles to the big lead, ultimately led to their undoing. The Bulldogs looked like the fresher team in the fourth quarter, and it showed as shots that seemed to just miss previously now found nothing but net. Silver Bluff scored 23 points in the fourth, by far its best scoring quarter, while limiting Westside-Macon to it's lowest output of the game with eight points.

"We wore them down physically. I like to think we're doing something right in practice," McKenzie said of the comeback win. "The beauty of Christmas tournaments is the light at the end of the tunnel. We could point to winning a championship and we did. Now we've got to go win a region championship. It feels good and we've got momentum going into region."

Silver Bluff 10-14-16-23-63

Westside-Macon 15-18-18-8-59

Silver Bluff (8-1)--Roxanna Cheek 5 0-0 10, Jamie Foreman 5 5-8 15, Kaylin Foreman 7 1-2 15, Kia Jackson 3 1-2 7, Taylor Muterspaugh 4 0-0 8, Khadajah Simpkins 2 0-1 4, Kabriel Stallings 2 0-1 4. Totals: 28 7-14 63.

3-Pointers: None.

Westside-Macon (9-4)--Erin Stubbs 1 1-2 3, Jazzmin Grove 9 9-13 29, Antonice Harper 0 6-10 6, Braxtyn Tolton 4 1-3 9, Taylor Atkins 0 3-4 3, Brooke Owens 0 4-4 4, Toni Williams 2 0-0 5. Totals: 16 24-36 59

3-Pointers: Grove (2), Williams.

Contact Noah Feit at nfeit@aikenstandard.com.