LaFayette girls, Heritage boys earn playoff spots
The LaFayette Lady Ramblers made their first-ever appearance in the GHSA state basketball tournament this past weekend after finishing as the No. 4 seed in the Region 6-AAAA tournament.
LaFayette fell to Pickens, 68-61, in the third-place game at Southeast Whitfield High School on Feb. 10.
The Lady Ramblers (15-11) got off to a fast start and took a 21-9 lead after the first quarter. However, 6-AAAA Girls’ Player of the Year Mykenzie Weaver would heat up for the Dragonettes in the second period. She scored 15 points after managing just two in the first quarter and the game went into halftime tied at 33 apiece.
Mykeria Johnson would connect on a 3-pointer with
5:32 to go in the third, giving LaFayette a 40-39 lead. There would be three more changes and one more tie before Pickens scored six of the final eight points of the quarter to take a 50-46 lead into the final stanza.
An early 3-pointer by Weaver stretched Pickens’ lead out to seven points, but LaFayette would respond with an 11-4 run. A tough shot by Heather Tucker with 4:17 left to play would pull the Orange-and-Black to within a point at 58-57. However, they would not get any closer as Sarah Morris would answer for the Dragonettes with a 3-pointer on their next possession to key a final decisive 8-0 run.
LaFayette was held without a point for 3:35 before Marquila Howell would
finally get her team back on the board with 42 seconds left to play. But two final free throws by Weaver with less than 30 seconds remaining would seal the victory. Weaver finished with a game-high 35 points, while Morris added 18 in the victory.
LaTyah Barber finished with 22 points to lead the Lady Ramblers. She added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals and was recognized during the game for her 1,000th career point. Johnson went for 17 and Howell finished with 12 and nine boards. Four points by Tucker, three points and eight rebounds from Imani Cook, two points by Nicky Yancy and one from Haven Yancy rounded out the scoring.
Heritage boys take third in 6-AAAA
For the sixth consecutive season, the Generals extended their basketball sea
son into the state playoffs after a 6345 win over Pickens in the consolation game of the 6-AAAA tournament at Southeast Whitfield on Feb. 10.
Heritage controlled the game from the outset, opening up a 13-4 lead after the first quarter and extending it to a 32-17 advantage by halftime. They would stretch out their lead to 24 points (52-28) to begin the fourth quarter before coasting to the victory.
Cooper Terry drained four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for the Generals, who enjoyed a balanced scoring effort. Cade Collins had nine points. Kobe McAlister finished with seven and Caden Snyder added six.
Cade Kiniry, Mitchell Kennedy and Carson Palmer all had five points. Ethan Lovell and Nick Hanson both finished with four, while two points from Collin Swearinger rounded out the scoring.