LaFayette boys trip up Heritage as NGAC play winds down
With just one week of games left before the start of the North Georgia Athletic Conference tournament Jan. 25 in LaFayette, the host team showed that they could be a darkhorse pick to win in all after handing Heritage its first league loss of the season last Thursday.
Dade 49, LaFayette 45
Dawson Pendergrass had a team-high 26 points last Tuesday, but it was not enough as the visiting Wolverines scored a narrow win.
Caden Hinton had nine points and Isaiah McKenzie scored eight as the Ramblers trailed 21-19 at intermission. Julian Lees rounded things out with two points.
LaFayette 36, Heritage 26
On Thursday, the Ramblers outscored the Generals 10-2 in the first quarter and closed out the game by outscoring the hosts 10-3 in the final quarter to pick up an important conference victory. Pendergrass scored 18 points for LaFayette in the win. McKenzie finished with 10 points, followed by Lees with six and Hinton with two.
Kaleb Gallman had seven points for Heritage, followed by five each from Max Owens and J.C. Armour and four from Caiden Bauldwin. Brady Chandler had three points, while Lennon Barrett and Cayden Lowrey each scored two.
Heritage boys 45, Gordon Lee 35
Last Tuesday’s boys’ game saw the Generals lead wireto-wire to pick up the NGAC victory.
Armour, Owens, Gallman and Chandler hit some big free throws down the stretch to help seal the victory. Gallman finished with 14 points, followed by Armour with 11 and Owens with 10. Chandler had four points, while Bauldwin, Lowrey and Talon Pickett had two apiece.
Will McCutcheon had 20 points for the Trojans. Jesse Craddock finished with six points, followed by Luke Paris with four, Parker Scott with three and Bradyn Ramey with two.
Gordon Lee 53, Saddle Ridge 48
Thursday’s nightcap turned out to be an exciting one as the Trojans took a 25-20 lead into the locker room. The Mustangs cut the gap to 28-27 to start the fourth and finally tied the game with less than a minute to play in regulation.
Saddle Ridge would get a final look at the end of the fourth quarter, but a potential game-winner rimmed out, sending the contest to overtime where the visitors from Chickamauga would finally pull away late to pick up the hard-fought victory.
McCutcheon led Gordon Lee with 21 points, followed by Scott with seven and Craddock with six.
Marvin Johnson led all scorers with 22 points for the Mustangs, including a very impressive 14 of 17 from the free throw line. Trey Parrish added eight points and played solid defense, while the rest of the scoring for Saddle Ridge featured seven points from Landon Kennedy, six from Aidan Hannibal and five by Kaden Miller.
Chattanooga Valley 59, Dade 47
The Eagles closed out a sweep in Trenton last Monday behind 22 points and 14 rebounds from Judd Anderson. Matthew Ramsey had 16 points and collected six steals, while Andrew Johnson scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds. Eight points from D.J. Martin and five from Matthew Dunn rounded out the scoring.
Chattanooga Valley 55, Rossville 39
One night later, back in Walker County, CVMS saw two players finish with a double-double in the victory. Anderson had 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Johnson finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Ramsey connected on four 3-pointers and finished the night with 14 points.
Anthony Baldwin led all scorers with 19 points for the host Bulldogs. Chase Hickman had 11 points and Ethan Waters finished with four. Three points from Jamarion Burks and Hayden Mooneyham, along with two each from Evan Graham and Franklin Wilson, rounded out the scoring.
Chattanooga Valley 42, Lakeview 39
Ramsey had 13 points and 13 steals as the Eagles slipped past the Warriors for a road victory on Thursday. Johnson had 15 points and five rebounds. Anderson finished with eight points and seven boards, while head coach Corey Lingerfelt praised Martin for his efforts at point guard and on the defensive side of the ball.
Sebastian Nelson led Lakeview with a game-high 20 points. Eli Walker and Jacob Gregg had five points apiece. Rayshawn McGruder finished with four points on the night, followed by Carson Goff with three and Rashad Rachel with two.
Lakeview boys 62, Saddle Ridge 35
In last Tuesday’s nightcap,
the Warriors got balanced scoring to defeat the Mustangs, led by 18 points from McGruder. Walker had 11 points for the Red-and-White, followed by Gregg with 10. Nelson and Rachel had eight points each.
Johnson paced Saddle Ridge with a teamhigh 17 points.
Trion also beat Rossville on Thursday, 5539. Individual scoring had not been provided as of press time.
Ringgold is also making a late-season push after beating Lakeview last Tuesday, 25-22, and Dade this past Thursday, 38-18. Individual scoring had not been provided as of press time.