WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ga. — Washington County basketball boys and girls had sensational seasons in 2019-2020 and they just got a little sweeter. Two of their senior leaders, Jarden Maze and Destinee Ellison signed to play college basketball.
The 2020 basketball season belonged to Washington County. The boys and girls squads swept AA Region Three to claim region titles on the way to Elite Eight runs in the state playoffs. It was the kind of year the seniors could be proud of.
“We all came together as a team this year our coach gave us a game plan every game so we had to focus on that team so we could progress from the next game to the next game,” Maze said.
Leading the Golden Hawks boys team was Maze, an all around hooper. He took on more of a scoring role as a senior and put the league on notice. He averaged 18 points a game, four rebounds and three assists on the way to the Region Player of the Year award. The award didn’t come by accident.
“My family and I we were happy because I told my mom, my brother, my dad - all of my family that was my goal before the season started that I wanted that award and when I won it I was excited,” Maze said.
On the ladies side, senior leader Destinee Ellison led the Hawks to a 23-5 record. The Golden Hawk averaged 14 points, three assists and three steals. The team's only losses in region play were to number-one seed Southwest High, but when it came down to the championship game, it was all WACO.
“We knew that we deserved it, we work hard. Southwest was a really good team, really respectful team and everything, but we knew we wanted it and wanted to bring it home for the county,” Ellison said.
Now both seniors are ready for their next step. On Monday, the two Sandersville products both signed to play college basketball. Maze will head to Alabama to play for Southern Union State Community College, while Ellison will head towards the coast for East Georgia State College. Signing on the same day was a sign of the respect the two have for each other.
“We talked about possibly signing on a different day, but I knew I wanted to share that day with him because of us both being in the same class and watching him grow as a player. Everything that we've been able to accomplish from freshman year to now was a big deal for me,” Ellison said.
Two seniors signing in the same year serves to put Washington County on the map.
“If you're going to get a player out of Washington County, you're going to get a dog. Anything they need to do to get themselves better, we're tough. When times get rough, we're not going to fold or anything. It's just going to make us go even harder,” Maze said.
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