FORT WHITE — Fort White coach Bregay Harris had the sign ready in the stands.
When the running clock finally hit triple zeroes, the sheet was unfurled as Harris’ team gathered round to celebrate the first of, it hopes, many more accomplishments.
Top-seeded Fort White led buzzer to buzzer in Friday’s 64-30 win over No. 3 Taylor County in the District 6-R finals. The Indians have now won district titles in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. Friday’s win marks the school’s third district championship, having gotten its first in 2022.
“It’s what we set out to do in the beginning of the season,” Harris said. “Great job to Taylor County to get to this point, but we’re happy to be here.
“It’s one of those things, the standard of tradition. You’ve just gotta start winning championships and playing good basketball to be able to do that.”
Fort White (16-9) suffocated the Bulldogs in the paint throughout the night on both sides of the court. Center Jahlaya Wilson grabbed an early offensive board and immediately put the ball back up and in for the first score 10 seconds into the ballgame. Wilson finished with a game-high 19 points to go with nine rebounds and three blocks.
Willow Phelps hit three of her first four free throws to get Taylor County (16-7) its first points of the night. Phelps, who led the Bulldogs with 12 points, had those interrupted when Indians guard Mariah Cox hit a clean 3-pointer off a Javiona Roberson assist. While Cox’s long ball was just her team’s second of 12 field goals in the quarter, TCHS was held to just one through the first 11 minutes.
The ball movement also proved effective all night, with the Indians finishing with more assists (16) than the Bulldogs had field goals (9). Roberson led with six of those to go with her own 11 points.
Harris said that mindset, along with a big effort on defense, paved the way for the blowout.
“We’re just doing what we’ve been doing,” Harris said. “We’re trying to get the ball in the paint. That’s the big thing that we’ve been trying to do. That’s just where our game has been.
“We’re rebounding well. We’re finishing around the rim. And we’re just being dogs out there.”
After outscoring the Bulldogs 25-8 in the first quarter, the Indians nearly replicated the effort in the second. Cox led the way there, putting up eight of her 17 points in the frame as Fort White went into the locker room up 46-16.
However, junior Zuri Hollie, who scored her 1,000th career point in the team’s district semifinals win, continued to contribute more after a midseason injury slowed down last year’s LCR Player of the Year. She put up six points in the first quarter, finishing the night with eight while chipping in three assists, four rebounds, a block and a steal.
Hollie’s return to form from a December leg injury is a welcome sight for Harris, who said Hollie is starting to feel comfortable swapping away from her playmaking role last season to being more of a facilitator.
“She’s starting to flow through the offense,” Harris said. “She’s getting back on it.”
Wilson continued her dominance in the paint, putting up another 11 points in the third quarter as Fort White initiated a running clock.
The Indians were awarded with the No. 2 seed in the Region 3-R playoffs Monday, finishing the season with a 11.514 rating. They'll host No. 3 seed Madison County (12-7, 0.414) in the regional semis on Friday at 7 p.m.
The winner of that matchup will get the winner of top-seeded Hilliard (22-5, 17.511) and No. 4 seed Dixie County (12-7, -2.766) in the regional finals.
Harris said not much should change for her team between now and Friday's playoff opener.
“Just playing ball,” she said. “That’s all it is, to play ball, playing one possession at a time, playing one game at a time, and just going to get them.”
Hilliard wrapped up the No. 1 seed after dealing Lafayette a 73-35 loss in the District 5 championship on Saturday.