Lafayette boys heat up as weather cools down
There is still a lot of basketball to be played in the next two months leading up to the Region 6-AAAA tournament, but three games into the region slate and the Lafayette Ramblers are certainly looking like the team to beat.
After a double-digit victory on the road at Heritage, the No. 10-ranked Ramblers cruised past Northwest Whitfield at home this past Tuesday, 71-53, before following up with a 99-34 throttling of Pickens in Lafayette three nights later.
Against the Bruins, Lafayette found its shooting range in the third quarter, erupting for 27 points in the period after leading by just four points at intermission.
Alex Kelehear had a game-high 23 points and added nine rebounds and dished out five assists. Dee Southern, who was honored before the game for his 500th career rebound, finished with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Andrew Pendergrass added 15 points and eight rebounds. Tyrese Marsh had seven points to go with five boards and nine assists and Russell collected five points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Then on Friday, the Ramblers outscored the visiting Dragons 50-7 in the second half as they pulverized Pickens in another region game.
Lafayette put up 49 points in the first half to open up a 22-point lead at intermission. The Ramblers then held Pickens to four points in the third quarter and just three points in the final period.
Kelehear had 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds for Lafayette (7-0 overall, 3-0 region to begin the week). Russell hit a career-high seven 3-pointers, including five in the second quarter alone, and finished with a career-high 21 points. Marsh had 14 points to go with six rebounds and four assists, while Jalen Ramsey scored 10 points and grabbed six boards.
Decameron Porter had nine points and seven rebounds. Southern finished with seven points. Vyshonn Daniel had five points. Larell Hampton and Pendergrass had four points each, while Asa Deal added two.
The improving Lady Ramblers continued to play tough, but dropped both of their games last week.
Against Northwest, Lafayette would trail by just eight points with four minutes left to play, but the Lady Bruins would pull away in the final two minutes to score a 73-57 victory.
Freshman Mykeria Johnson had a big night with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Latyah Barber had 12 points and six rebounds, while Marquila Howell had seven points to go with 10 rebounds and four steals. Nicky Yancy finished with nine points. Megan Wilson added eight points and Alyssa Estus chipped in with two points.
Then on Friday, the Dragonettes scored a 65-54 win to drop Lafayette to 4-3 overall and 0-3 in region play.
Johnson had 15 points for the Lady Ramblers. Barber had her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds to go with three steals. Estus finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Wilson added six points and three steals. Yancy collected six points, five boards and five steals, while Howell had four points and seven rebounds.