The Greene County Lady Tigers discovered a great deal about themselves during a rollercoaster season.
On Feb. 18, they lost to Turner County 74-54 in the first round of the Class A Division II state tournament.
Although the season was tough, Greene head coach Steven Hopper admitted that he learned a lot about his team.
“It was definitely an up-and-down season. I mean, the beginning was rough. We took our lumps playing against way bigger competition,” Hopper said. “We learned some hard lessons against way bigger schools, but I have to hand it to the girls. They stuck in there, and they kept moving forward. They kept forging ahead, and we played some decent-sized schools, some of which made the state playoffs in higher divisions.”
The Lady Tigers faced a tough non-region schedule, competing against Clarke Central, Putnam County, Morgan County, and Discovery. Their schedule didn’t get any easier when region play started.
Greene faced Washington-Wilkes, which is playing for a state title this week, Lake Oconee Academy, Lincoln County, Warren County, and Towns County. The Lady Tigers went 2-8 in region play but earned a playoff berth.
Greene defeated Towns County in the region tournament, making it to the postseason for a third straight year.
Hopper wasn’t surprised at his team’s success late in the season. He said his players never gave up.
“The girls just kept grinding, and kept going and kept going,” Hopper admitted. “The younger girls rose to the occasion. It was definitely nice to see. Multiple freshmen rose to the occasion and played pretty good minutes.”
Freshmen Denver McCommons and Ja’Neyce Hall played pivotal roles for Greene this year. The Lady Tigers also got support from veterans Jessaria Porter, Kimora Harper, Jardyn Wingfield, and Dajah Hobes.
As time passed, Hopper acknowledged that his girls learned to play together and peaked at the right time.
“They rose to the occasion, and they took on a challenging situation. They took a lot of lemons, and they made lemonade,” Hopper said. “They got us to the playoffs again, and that's the one thing I can say. We always trend up.”
Greene will graduate Hobes, Harper, Wingfield, and Kayla Sigman, another major contributor, in May. Hopper has coached this year’s senior class for the last two seasons and credited them with helping him establish the foundation.
“This is probably the most successful senior class in Greene County,” Hopper said. “The senior class has won 43 basketball games and made three straight state playoff appearances. For the girls team, that's pretty good around here.”
Next season, the Lady Tigers will return a strong core of McCommons, Hall, and Porter. However, their coach is also excited to see if younger girls like Akieria Griggs, Azuria Rhodes, and others can step up.
Hopper wants to build on this year’s late-season success and begin 2025-26 on a strong note.