Amelia Mercer splits Southland defenders . She will be one of the top players returning for 2023-24 .
Isabel Fernandez comes away with a steal against Deerfield-Windsor in the state championship .
Tiftarea ’ s first state appearance was in 1978 , followed by another in 1979 . Beechwood , a longgone school from Marshallville , and Thomas Jefferson , still existing , made for quick exits . It would be more than another decade before the squad went that deep into the postseason .
Tommy Whittle guided the Lady Panthers to state again in 1990 , where they finally broke through with a win over Lumber City ’ s Ocmulgee Academy before falling in the semifinals to Nathanael Greene .
Whittle ’ s teams grew stronger , but the pattern would be similar for the next three years . Tiftarea dominated the regular season and the early playoffs , but kept being tripped up in the penultimate round . In 1991 , it was Gatewood . Both 1992 and 1993 were Citizens Christian .
The Lady Panthers kept plugging away . From 1994-2008 , they participated in 13 state tournaments , but only advanced to the elite eight in four of those years .
The Lady Panthers were 19-6 on the year . Four of the losses were to Deerfield , the other two to Southland Academy . No one outside District 3-AAA won against Tiftarea and the Southland losses from the regular season were avenged twice , both in bigger contests : the district semifinals and in the state semifinals .
Tiftarea made history , but head coach Rob Flick is not surprised by it .
“ To be honest , we thought we were going to win the whole thing ,” he said of their mindset going into the year . “ I think the majority of them thought the same way . You don ’ t look ahead , but on the schedule this year I made sure I put the state championship dates on there . That ’ s the goals we had in mind for the team .”
Tiftarea and the state tournament have been nearly synonymous over the past 33 years , but shockingly 2023 was their first ever state championship game .
Basketball began at Tiftarea when the school opened in 1970 . The first season was in Ty Ty , then the location switched to Chula when Tiftarea ’ s first building burned in 1971 . They briefly inhabited the old Chula school ( since demolished ) until their new campus was ready .
Ali Strenth , pictured with sisters Carlie , Macy and Morgan , is celebrated during the district playoffs for her 1,000th point , scored a few days earlier at Citizens Christian . They stand on a court named for their late mother , Amy Strenth , who previously coached Tiftarea .
Head coach Rob Flick hugs Elli Bryan after the free throw that gave her 1,000 points . Beside Bryan is Ali Strenth , who ’ d achieve the same a month later .
MAY 2023 | TiftonScene 21