Gordon Lee qualifies for state with power rankings
The Gordon Lee Trojans’ run in the Region 6-A tournament may have ended last Tuesday night, but their season still has some life left in it.
The Trojans saw Mount Zion pull away for a 59-49 victory at Trion High School, but Gordon Lee discovered this past Monday that their GHSA Class 1A Public School power ranking of 9.66 was good enough for 23rd in the state, earning them a spot in the 24-team field.
They will open the playoffs this weekend at No. 10-seeded Montgomery County.
In last Tuesday’s game, fans witnessed a tight ball game through the better part of three quarters. Gordon Lee (15-11) led 14-12 after one quarter and 27-25 at halftime, only to see the Eagles take a 40-35 lead into the fourth.
A 3-pointer by Hunter Hodson would help the Trojans tie the game at 40 apiece in the opening 90 seconds of the final period, but Mount Zion - who lost both games to the Trojans in the regular season - refused to go down for a third time.
The Eagles would pour it on in the final six minutes of the game, outscoring Gordon Lee 19-9 down the stretch to advance in the tournament.
Tyrese Farley connected on four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points for Mount Zion, while Breon Henderson added 11 points.
Justin Wooden had a team-high 16 points for the Trojans. Weston Beagles added 12 points, followed by Sam Norton with nine, Wiley Heming with seven and Hodson with five.
Gordon Lee and Montgomery County will face off at 4 p.m. this Saturday in Mt. Vernon. The winner of the game will travel to No. 7-seeded Hancock Central for a second-round state playoff contest.
Trion girls 36, Gordon Lee 34
At Christian Heritage School in Dalton, the Lady Trojans most likely saw their season come to an end last Tuesday with a narrow loss to their archrivals in the region tournament.