Ramblers reach 20 wins, get No. 2 seed
For the first time in six years, the LaFayette Ramblers hit the 20-win plateau. But it certainly wasn’t easy. Down a point at halftime, the Ramblers opened up a bit of a cushion in the third quarter and made it hold up as the Orange-andBlack celebrated Senior Night with a 43-35 win over pesky Trion in the regular season finale.
LaTrail McClinic scored 10 of his 15 points in the third quarter, including a big pair of 3-pointers, to give the Ramblers a 32-24 lead entering the fourth. The Ramblers would match the Bulldogs point for point in the final eight minutes to cap the win.
All five seniors started the game for LaFayette.
“I am so proud of this group of seniors,” head coach Hank Peppers said. “They’re just as special off the court as they are on it. They’ve invested lots of hard work in our program and I’m very happy to see them earn a win on Senior Night.”
Tyrese Hunter led the Ramblers with 17 points, while Gavin Smith paced the Bulldogs with 13.
LaFayette (20-3) finished 9-3 in the region standings, one game behind Northwest Whitfield, who earned the top seed for the tournament with a 10-2 mark. The Ramblers open the region tournament on Tuesday night at 7:30 against No.7 seeded Pickens needing a win to advance to the state tournament.
Trion girls 44, LaFayette 25
The Lady Ramblers finished the regular season with a 1-22 overall record and an 0-12 region mark with the loss to the Lady Bulldogs.
Emily Redden led LaFayette with six points, followed by Hannah Blevins with five.
The Lady Ramblers were slated to take on No. 2 seeded Heritage on Monday, but due to newspaper deadlines, details were not available as of press time.