Basketball Recap: Sumter County Takes a Tough Playoff Loss

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Sumter County can now relate to. They fell 61-54 to the Thomson Bulldogs on Friday. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Bulldogs apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in February of 2024.

Thomson's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jada Kendrick led the charge by dropping a double-double with 17 points and 16 boards. That's the most rebounds Kendrick has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ty'Leishiah Latimore, who almost dropped a double-double with 13 points and nine boards.

Sumter County dropped their record down to 19-10 with the defeat, which was their third straight on the road. As for Thomson, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 25-3.

Sumter County does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Thomson, they will challenge Josey at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Josey will roll in looking for their 11th straight win, something Thomson surely won't give up without a fight.