Wire-to-wire win puts Ramblers in Sweet 16
The LaFayette basketball program has seen its share of accomplishments during its rich history.
But Saturday night in Dan Priest Gymnasium, the 2016-2017 Ramblers did something that no other LaFayette basketball team has ever done before.
For what is believed to be the first time in school history, LaFayette won a state playoff basketball game on its own home floor.
The Ramblers zoomed out to a big third-quarter lead and staved off a second-half North Oconee comeback attempt to beat the Titans, 69-53, and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in five years.
“It’s incredible,” head coach Hank Peppers said over the loud celebration that was taking place on the court following the game. “The boys earned it and they deserved it. I couldn’t be more proud of them.
“It was tough coming back from that region tournament championship loss (to Northwest Whitfield), but we had five days of practice this week where we really got after it and tightened up our defense. North Oconee has a lot of good players and a lot of good shooters. They’re a solid team so I’m very proud of this win tonight.”
Jon Morgan drained three 3-pointers in the first quarter to stake his team to a 14-9 lead. But it was in the second quarter when LaFayette really got it going with a 13-0 run.
Dee Southern, who did not play in the first quarter after getting banged up in their last game against Northwest, keyed the run with six straight points and his steal led to a LaTrail McClinic lay-up that put the Ramblers up by double digits..
Matthew Quint finally broke the drought for the Titans with a 3-pointer with 1:30 left in the half, but LaFayette would milk the final 40 seconds before Alex Kelehear found Morgan, who hit his fourth 3-pointer of the half. Morgan finished with 16 firsthalf points as the Ramblers took a 33-13 advantage into the locker room.
Tyrese Hunter would connect on two oldfashioned 3-point plays and handed out two nice assists to Austin Shropshire in the early part of the third quarter as LaFayette took its biggest lead, 44-18, with 3:45 left in the period.
However, the Titans apparently couldn’t take the hint.
A mixture of North Oconee baskets and LaFayette turnovers began to whittle down the Ramblers’ lead. The Titans ended the third quarter on an 18-4 run and when Logan Garrington connected on a 3-pointer to open the final quarter, a onetime 26-point LaFayette cushion had slipped all the way down to nine.
But that would be as close as the visitors would get.
Kelehear drove the floor and dished a nolook, over-the-shoulder pass to Southern for a lay-up to break the Ramblers’ dry spell and Southern would come up big with a steal and lay-up with 4:52 to play, pushing the lead back to 15 and sending the student section into a frenzy.
North Oconee (1414) would hit a couple of final threes to stay within striking distance, but Morgan fed McClinic for a big bucket with 1:52 to go and Kelehear did his best Curley Neal impression in the final minute. The sophomore point guard dribbled around and through four Titan defenders on a coast-to-coast drive before finding McClinic for an easy lay-up to put a big orange bow on the victory.
“I told them not to relax at halftime because I knew (North Oconee) would make a run. They’re too good not to,” Peppers explained. “But we weathered the storm. Our guards handled their pressure pretty well and we were able to make a final run of our own to finish it out.”
Morgan had a gamehigh 21 points and at least 15 rebounds to help LaFayette win the battle on the glass. Hunter finished with 17 points, followed by Southern with 11.
LaFayette (23-4) will now turn its attention to Henry County (22-5), the Region 4 champions, who beat Howard, 78-34, on Saturday.
The Warhawks are currently ranked No. 2 in the state.
The second-round game will be played in McDonough on Wednesday night with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.
The LaFayetteHenry County winner will take on the Richmond AcademyLaGrange winner in the Elite Eight.
“We’re just glad to keep on playing,” Peppers added. “We love our team and we love what we’ve got. Making the Sweet 16 is a big accomplishment and I don’t know of many teams in the Sweet 16 that are starting three sophomores and one junior like we are.
“I’m especially proud to win this game with (assistant coach) Tommy Swanson by my side. He’s been a mentor to me and one of my closest friends for years and he’s a huge part of our success.”