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The Calhoun School won the Class 1A Central Regional Championship on Feb. 19 in a matchup against the South Lamar High School Stallions. 

The Tigers emerged victorious after an exciting game, ending with a score of 61-40. 

The team is the first Calhoun team to make it to the Elite 8 since 2020 and will now advance to the Final Four on Feb. 26 at Covenant Christian Academy in Tuscumbia. 

Nicholas Townsend, principal of The Calhoun School, emphasized the importance of the community when it comes to athletics, and said that the support the team has received is heartwarming. 

“Just like with anything dealing with the school, it does take the community for these students to be successful,” Townsend said. “Thinking back to 2020, the last time we made it this far in the playoffs is always encouraging. I love to see everyone on the same page and just showing up to support our student athletes.” 

The team led in scores the entire game, keeping their eye on the prize and entered halftime with a score of 32-30. After the half, they kept the momentum and ended the third quarter with 46-31 before closing out with a final score of 61-40.

The team’s top scorers for the game were Taylor Robertson who scored a total of 20 points, followed by Tyler Robertson and Carmello Brown who both scored 12 points. 

Nickles Rankins, Lowndes County Athletic Director, said that he admires the work both the boys and girl   s teams have put in this season. 

“It’s been a great journey with both teams. They both have two first year coaches and it’s been great to see them make it this far,” Rankins said. “Being in the top 8 out of all the schools in Alabama is a success in itself and it’s something to grow on next season. It’s been great to see the team’s development over the season and to see them continue to be successful.” 

The Tigers held a 21-6 record during the regular season and have become both the Class 1A Area 5 Champions as well as the Central Regional Champions. 

Players Taylor Robertson and Kentavious Lofton were both named to the Central Regional All-Tournament Team.

Tyler Robertson was named as the All-Tournament MVP. 

Townsend had a few words of encouragement for the team and will continue to be proud of them no matter the outcome. 

“Like I tell them all the time, keep the first things first and stay focused,” Townsend said. “It’s one game at a time, one play at a time and every single possession matters. It’s the same thing I tell them with their academics and life in general, everything counts, and time is limited so we want to make sure we use that time to the best of our ability. As far as the game is concerned, one game at a time. There are two games left but we have to handle business with the first game then we can think about the championship game after that.”