Don’t look now, but the Thomasville Lady Bulldogs are playing their best basketball of the year. It couldn’t come at a better time.

Despite a .500 record entering the 2-A state playoffs, the Lady Bulldogs are showing they are a team to be reckoned with following two impressive wins this week that vaulted THS into the third round tonight against Shelby High School. The Lady Bulldogs will travel to the Lady Lions’ home den for a 7 p.m. tip.

The road doesn’t get any easier for Thomasville (11-9). After blowing out North Lincoln, 72-41, on Wednesday night, the Lady Bulldogs will have to keep their play at a high level versus Shelby (22-3). The Lady Lions ended East Davidson’s season last night, and have dropped just three games all year — all to Freedom High School. They have a balanced attack that proved too much for East in Shelby. Ebony Whitworth and Kelentra Allen scored 16 points each and three other players reached doulbe-figures in the Lady Lions’ 16-point victory over the Golden Eagles.

But this is the not the same THS squad that entered the playoffs 9-9. The Bulldogs knocked off top-seeded Berry Academy, 52-43, on Monday led by Christina Carter’s 21 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Two nights later, four players for Thomasville scored at least 10 points. Jonesha Davis led the way with 19 points, followed by Dominique McClendon’s 18, Carter’s 14 and Alexis Lambert’s 10. Carter also dished out 10 assists and Lambert snagged 10 rebounds in the rout.

“We’re playing well right now,” THS coach Lacardo Means said. “We’re making shots and we’re playing hard. Our defensive pressure helped us create a lot of turnovers and we were able to turn that into points.”

The Lady Bulldogs held North Lincoln to single digits in the second and fourth quarters after playing a relatively close opening frame.

Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or duke@tvilletimes.com.