The Lady Royals sought their third straight Sweet 16 appearance when they welcomed Thomasville to Cochran. BCHS won there last year to advance.
Fellisia Young squares up to shoot.
T'Keyah Pasby had a season best five first quarter points to help give BC a 12-9 lead. Though Jahnaria Brown and Chania McRae both sat with foul trouble the entire second quarter, a 9-2 run over the final 1:36 extend the advantage to 28-19 at halftime.
A Thomasville player tries to alter Aliyah Whitehead's shot.
Brown scored the first five points of the third and Bleckley closed the quarter 7-0 to lead 40-28. Though the offense slowed, the Lady Dogs never got within single digits until a layup in the final seconds as BCHS won 51-43.
A fan stands and cheers during the second quarter.
Brown scored all 12 of her points in the second half. Whitehead finished with 11. Head Coach Jenny Manning attributed the close score to Thomasville saying "They're a pretty good basketball team. They're quick and their defense is pretty darn good."
Jahnaria Brown got the "hoop and harm" on this shot.
For the first time since 2013's elite eight run, the Lady Royals will be at home for the second round of state. Manning looked forward to not traveling saying "It means a lot to be home (with) our home fans." Their Sweet 16 opponent will be the Dade County Lady Wolverines. Tip time is 6 pm February 22.
