Carver takes care of Americus-Sumter, wins Region 1-4A tournament
Carver’s chance to win the Region 1-4A tournament title reached its final hurdle Friday. With Daniel Melvin and A.J. Watts on their side, the Tigers proved they were more than capable of handling the challenge.
Carver defeated Americus-Sumter 85-63 on the heels of strong performances from Melvin and Watts. The Tigers took control in the early stages of the first quarter and never looked back, as they maintained a double-digit advantage through most of the evening.
Carver head coach Warren Beaulah chalked up the hot start to the challenge he gave his players before tip-off.
“Before the game, we talked about coming out with a lot of energy,” Beaulah said. “We haven’t really done that in a while. We really came out and played with a lot of energy for that whole first half.”
Even when Americus-Sumter (21-6) threatened to make things interesting, the Tigers buckled down. The Panthers whittled Carver’s lead to 13 points with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Carver (18-6) ramped its offense back up, rebuilding its commanding lead to finish the game.
“This was just a total team effort,” Beaulah said. “Everybody understood, and we were able to take care of our home court tonight.”
Watts took home the Most Valuable Player honors after another strong outing for the Tigers. The sophomore finished with 17 points, coupled with four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
“AJ has been our instant offense all year long,” Beaulah said. “He really could star. If you’ll notice, he’s always in the game at the end.”
With the region tournament now in the books, Beaulah and his players begin prep for the state tournament. The Tigers proved themselves through the regional tournament, but Beaulah pointed out that it’s all in the past now.
“We have to understand it’s now one game at a time,” Beaulah said. “We have to play like every game is our last, because it truly is now.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 11:57 PM with the headline "Carver takes care of Americus-Sumter, wins Region 1-4A tournament."