SCOTT CHECKI (left) GET AROUND GMC and KHIRY TUTT (right) GOES UP FOR TWO The W-W Tigers will be hosting Hancock Central this Friday at the W-WES gym. In weekend basketball action, the Washington-Wilkes Tigers got a boost to their confidence level and a boost to their record as they easily rolled past both Taliaferro County and Georgia Military College in home games January 20 and 21.

However, even though the two wins left W-W at a good, solid 6-3 in Region 7-A, the Tigers are still only in third place behind Warren County and Hancock Central. In second place, Hancock, at 7-1, has been beaten only by the region leader, Warren, who is undefeated in eight games.

Right there with the Tigers, in a tie for third place, is Aquinas, also at 6-3 after the Irish beat W-W in Augusta Tuesday.

“I’m hoping our new defense will work well against Aquinas,” Tiger Head Coach Don Keiser said of his 1-3-1 half-court trap before the game. “It really looked good this weekend.”

But the game was especially tough because it was at Aquinas and because the Irish are “playing the best basketball of anybody in the region right now,” according to Keiser.

The 63-77 loss was a tie game at the half but questionable officiating watched Aquinas score 50 points in the second half while four Tigers fouled out.

“I’m just glad we never, ever have to go there again,” Keiser said.

Delvessio Wilburn led the scoring for W-W with 14 points. Lucious Stewart and Larry Davis had 13 pints each and Kelmetrius Wylie ended up with an even dozen.

Down the road, the Tigers will have more of a chance to move up in the region standings because both Warren and Hancock still have to come to Washington to play. Aquinas, on the other hand, has yet to play either team on the road and both are hard to be at their places, Keiser said.

Last Friday, the Tigers beat Taliaferro 70-31 with Wilburn and Davis leading the way with 15 points apiece. Scott Checki checked in with eight points and Wylie had seven. Stewart came in with six points but was dominating on the boards with 13 rebounds.

The GMC game on Saturday was actually not as close as the score made it appear because the Tiger non-starters played much of the game. In the 52-38 whipping, Stewart got another double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Wilburn and Khiry Tutt joined in with 10 points each and Wylie shot six points and had seven assists.

Wylie is still coming into his own after sitting out the first part of the season in recovery from a football injury. “He’s starting to play good all of a sudden,” Keiser said, “I think he’s getting it back.”

Action continues this weekend with one of those big home games on Friday when Hancock comes to town. B-team games start at 4 p.m. followed by girls and boys varsity games starting at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Tigers will go on the road to GMC in Milledgeville for B-team and varsity games beginning at 3 and 6 p.m., respectively. Next Tuesday, W-W will host Glascock beginning at 6 p.m.

Standings for Region 7-A going into games on Tuesday, January 24, were as follows:
Warren County ........................ 8-0
Hancock Central ..................... 7-1
Washington-Wilkes ................. 6-2
Aquinas ................................... 5-3
Lincoln County ....................... 3-5
GMC ....................................... 2-6
Glascock County..................... 1-7
Taliaferro County .................... 0-8