Lafayette boys outlast Ridgeland in overtime thriller
The Lafayette Ramblers completed a 12-0 run through the Region 6-AAAA regular season last Tuesday night, although it took four quarters and a fourminute overtime session to do it.
In what was arguably the wildest game in the entire region this season, Lafayette saw a 26-point halftime lead unbelievably turn into a six-point deficit with less than two minutes to go in regulation. However, the Ramblers would rally late and finally regained control in the final minutes of overtime to pick up a physically and emotionally-draining 9686 win at Walker County rival Ridgeland.
Lafayette (20-2 overall) led 19-5 less than halfway through the first period and extended its advantage to 29-11 after the first quarter before going into the locker room comfortable ahead, 54-28.
But little did anyone in Panther Gymnasium know what was about to transpire in the second half.
Ridgeland (2-10 in region play) opened the third quarter with a 17-4 run to chop the lead in half and the Panthers would go on to score 33 points in the frame to suddenly found itself within five points of the lead, 66-61, to start the fourth and final period.
The momentum would continue to stay with the underdog home team throughout most of the fourth quarter as a 17-6 run gave Ridgeland an improbable 78-72 lead.
But staring its first region loss of the year squarely in the face, Lafayette responded with a 7-0 run to regain a 79-78 lead with just under 30 seconds to play. Following a Ridgeland miss, Junior Barber drove to the basket for a lay-up that put the Ramblers up three as the clock ticked under 10 seconds to play. However, Kobe Lewis — donning jersey No. 24 for the game — got free in the corner and found nothing but net on a Kobe Bryantesque 3-pointer with just three seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime.
The overtime session, however, would belong to Lafayette. Asa Deal scored the first six points in OT for the Ramblers to boost their advanatge to six and, although Kyan Clark would hit a three to bring Ridgeland back to a one-possession game with 2:27 left, Barber scored five points in the final 2:06 as the Ramblers ended the game on a final 9-2 run.
Deal finished with 25 points. Decameron Porter had 24, despite fouling out in the fourth quarter, while Aidan Hadaway went for 23. Barber finished with 19 and Jaylon Ramsey scored five, but had several key steals and rebounds late in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
Clark had 27 points and
RAMBLERS,