LaFayette boys back in Elite Eight for second time
For the second time in three seasons, the LaFayette Ramblers can be officially be considered “Elite”.
The Orange-and-Black will be gunning for their first-ever trip to the Final Four as they host Region 3 champion Cross Creek in a Class AAAA Elite Eight matchup. Tip-off was slated for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
LaFayette 61, Oconee County 46
The Ramblers took their openinground game on Feb. 15, breaking open a tight game in the third quarter. The teams were tied 11-11 after the first quarter and LaFayette held a narrow 23-21 lead at halftime.
But Region 6 Player of the Year Aidan Hadaway torched the nets for 15 points in the third quarter alone as LaFayette pulled ahead to a 46-34 lead before finishing things off in the final stanza.
Hadaway scored 19 points in the second half and finished the game with 26 points and 13 rebounds. DeCameron Porter also had a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, while also blocking three shots.
Junior Barber had two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points and Jaylon Ramsey scored eight points and dished out six assists. Isaiah Harris got the start because of an injury situation and grabbed six rebounds, while also earning praise from head coach Hank Peppers for his defensive effort.
LaFayette 56, McDonough 51
There was an absolutely electric atmosphere in jam-packed Dan Priest Gymnasium this past Thursday night as a sold-out crowd was treated to a fantastic Sweet 16 battle.
Tied 13-13 after the first quarter, the Warhawks (17-13) used an 11-4 run to start the second quarter and build a 24-17 lead. But the Ramblers would rally to go into the locker room down by just one point, 2625, and the two teams would finish the third quarter knotted up at 40 apiece.
McDonough would score the first four points of the fourth quarter, but LaFayette (24-2) countered with an 8-0 run to grab a 48-44 lead. The Warhawks got two points back on a goaltending call against the Ramblers and had a chance to tie or take the lead with two minutes left following a LaFayette turnover.
But the Warhawks would miss three consecutive shots on the possession before Hadaway grabbed a huge defensive rebound with 1:25 to go. Playing aggressively, Porter sunk a one-handed, 12-foot jumper 15 seconds later to push the lead back out to four, only to see McDonough’s Jay Greene answer with a big 3-pointer, which chopped the LaFayette lead down to 50-49 with just 60 seconds remaining in the game.
Isaiah Harris would hit one of two free throws for LaFayette with 46 seconds to go and some untimely miscommunication on McDonough’s next possession would result in them throwing it away under their own basket. Forced to foul, they put Ramsey on the line with 22 seconds left and the sophomore point guard made both shots to push the lead back to four as the hometown crowd roared its approval.
With two fouls still to give to put McDonough in the bonus, LaFayette gave one up with 15 seconds to go, giving the Warhawks the ball under the Rambler basket and that’s when sophomore guard Junior Barber came up with perhaps the biggest defensive play of his life.
Going up high to guard the inbound pass, Barber was able to tip the ball before immediately spring into the air again to corral it and complete a highlight-reel steal. Drawing the foul, Barber calmly drained two free throws and added one more with less than four seconds to play to seal the victory.
“I just anticipated that they were going to try to throw it up over to the top to some
body deep in the backcourt,” Barber explained. “I made a play like that once before, so I tried do it again. I was able to tip it and then I went up again and got it.”
Hadaway led the Ramblers with 19 points, followed by Barber with 16 and Porter with 14. Harris finished with three points off the bench, while Asa Deal matched Ramsey with two points. Hadaway and Porter also grabbed 12 rebounds each as LaFayette dominated the battle of the boards, by a nearly 2 to 1 margin (38-20).
“This was one of those games where we had to take it one play at a time,” LaFayette head coach Hank Peppers said. “We had to roll up our sleeves and get to work on every play. That’s the way it is when you get to this level. Every possession matters, every rebound matters and every turnover matters. You just have to stay in the moment and forget your mistakes quickly.
“When you do that, you stay level-headed and that’s when you’re at your best. That’s what we try to do every game.”
Sixth-ranked Cross Creek (22-6) from Augusta moved on to the quarterfinals with a 34-32 victory over Marist on Thursday night. Both the Ramblers and the Razorbacks are No. 1 seeds in the tournament. However, LaFayette’s placement in the top portion of the brackets gives them homecourt advantage, thanks to the GHSA’s universal coin flip for the state quarterfinals.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will advance to the Class 4A Final Four, which will be played at Fort Valley State University this Friday against either Region 8 champion St. Pius X or Region 1 champion and stillunbeaten Americus-Sumter.