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Troup swept LaGrange in girls basketball after its 57-42 victory on Friday night. 

“We were mentally tough tonight,” Troup coach Carla Thornton said. “A lot of things didn’t go our way tonight, but we found a way to battle through things and find a way to get a win.”

The Tigers got rolling early and never let the Grangers fight their way back into the game. 

Angie Dowdell set the tone early for the Tigers, scoring eight of her 12 points in the first quarter which helped Troup jump out to a 14-10 lead after the first quarter.

Dowdell has come on strong since coming back halfway through the season.

“She came in for us in midseason, so she is still trying to get in game shape,” Thornton said. “She has a high basketball IQ. She has great energy, and we really feed off that.”

The Tigers were able to stifle the Grangers offense in the second quarter,which helped them take a double-digit lead into the halftime break.

The Grangers were able to fight back into the game and cut the Tiger lead down to eight points heading into the fourth quarter. Troup answered the ball and ran away with the game in the fourth quarter. 

“We were talking and communicating tonight,” Thornton said. “We had some lapses at the start of the game, but once we locked in and played together we got some stops.”

Sheniyah Philpot helped the Tigers close out the game in style, scoring eight of her game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter. The freshman played one one of her best games of the season and has become an integral part of the team in her first year as a Tiger.

“She took some hard coaching and really rose to the occasion,” Thornton said. 

Alexcia Murphy was kept relatively quiet by her standards and finished the game with just 10 points.

For the Grangers, Corriah Williams was the most consistent offensive threat. She connected on three 3-pointers and finished with 14 points to lead the Grangers in scoring. Nina Brooks and Brittney Heard each scored nine to help lead the way for the LaGrange offense.

What really hurt LaGrange was the fact they missed a whopping 20 free throws in the game. Being more clinical at the line for the Grangers could have seen a different outcome.

LaGrange finished the regular season 6-18 overall and 3-11 in region play. The Grangers finished seventh in the region standings and will need a big showing in the upcoming region tournament to get one of the top four spots and earn a playoff bid.

Troup finished the regular season 12-12 overall and 7-7 in region play. The Tigers finished fourth in the region standings and will now focus on winning at least one region tournament game, so they can earn a spot in the playoffs. 

“Now we have to lock in and get one of those top four spots, so we can make it in the playoffs,” Thornton said. “We don’t want this to end in the region tournament. We want to keep this thing rolling.”