RAMBLERS TAKE REGION RUMBLE
Barber’s big fourth quarter sends LaFayette boys past LFO
On a night when several star players stood out, Junior Barber’s star shone the brightest when it counted the most.
The LaFayette senior erupted for 19 points in the fourth quarter as the No. 4-ranked Ramblers overcame an eight-point deficit early in the final period to post an 82-69 win at No. 9-ranked LFO last Tuesday night.
With the victory, LaFayette stayed unbeaten and took sole possession of first place in the Region 6-AAA standings, while handing the Warriors just their first setback of the season.
“We knew we were going to get their best shot from the beginning because we were both undefeated,” Barber said. “We all know each other, so we knew it was going to be a really fun game. But we also knew that we had to get the rebounds, try to cut down on turnovers and push the ball, and that’s what we did.”
Playing in front of a packed house at Jerry Jones Gymnasium, LaFayette got 14 points from senior standout Aidan Hadaway as they opened up a 20-10 lead after the first quarter of play.
LaFayette continued to lead by 10 points in the early stages of the second quarter when the Warriors begin to make a run. A 16-6 spurt was capped by a 3-pointer off the fingertips of Brent Bowman with 35 seconds left in the half and the two teams jogged to the locker room deadlocked 34 apiece.
Hadaway scored 28 of the Ramblers’ first-half points, while Bowman and Jamichael Davis scored 16 each in the first two quarters. Davis also passed the 1,000 career-point mark in the first half.
Then in the third, Bowman got even hotter. He connected on five straight field goals at one point, including three from behind the arc, to help the Warriors build a six-point lead. LaFayette answered with six straight points to tie the game at 46, but Bowman finished the quarter with 16 points and LFO took a 56-51 lead into the final period of play with the home crowd roaring its approval.
Davis opened the final period of play with a three-ball to give the Warriors their biggest lead of the game, 59-51, with 7:19 to play, while the Ramblers were looking for someone to give them a spark.
Enter Barber.
Having scored just six points through the first three quarters, the senior shooting guard connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to jump-start what became an 11-2 run over the first 2:30 of the period, giving LaFayette a 62-61 advantage.
The teams traded the lead two more times over the next minute, but Barber and Hadaway connected on consecutive 3-pointers with just over two minutes remaining, pushing the Ramblers’ lead to 74-69 and giving the visitors control of the game for good.
Barber added four straight
free throws in the closing moments to salt away the key region victory. LaFayette would outscore LFO, 31-13, in the fourth as chants of “Rambler Nation” echoed all along the visitors’ side of the gym in the waning moments.
“Once I started getting my feel for the ball and all of that, I just couldn’t stop,” Barber explained. “I knew I had to take over and help Aidan out. He had been doing all the work, so I just stepped in and do what I do, just play hard.”
“I’ve never seen anybody score like Aidan can score,” LaFayette head coach Hank Peppers said. “He can score any way that you want, and Junior’s the same way. He’s such a versatile scorer and he’s also so unselfish, but
when he wants to take over a game he can. When he starts rolling, there’s not much anyone can do because he can score from about anywhere and he’s so quick that if you come up to guard him, he can get by you and he’s gone.”
Hadaway, the 6-foot-8 Ohio University signee, had a monster night with 43 points and 18 rebounds. It was his third 40-plus point game of the season. Jaylon Ramsey added seven points. Jordan Kennerly went for four and Zach Barrett added three.
Bowman lit up the gym with 34 points, while Davis added 27. Amari Burnett scored four and Keenan Walker and Jamillion Womble added two each.
“The biggest difference (in the fourth quarter) was that we defended better. Plus, we got better shots,” Peppers added. “LFO played really well. They had a big second quarter and a big third quarter and we knew
that we would get their best shot, but defense ultimately wins.
“We didn’t play very good defense in the second or third quarters, but there were stretches in the first and fourth where we defended pretty well. Defense, rebounding and getting good shots, that’s the recipe. It doesn’t matter what team is playing what team. If you play good defense, you rebound and you get good shots, you’re going to come out on top the majority of the time.”
LFO GIRLS 84, LAFAYETTE 47
The Lady Ramblers hung tough for the first five minutes of the opener. However, second-ranked LFO broke an 8-8 tie with a 15-3 run to close out the opening quarter, thanks in part to four 3-pointers.
Another sizable 14-3 run to begin the second quarter stretched the Lady Warriors’
lead to 20 and the home team eventually took a 47-23 lead into the locker room before pulling away even more in the second half.
It was another balanced scoring effort for LFO. Angel Simmons hit for 25 points, Christian Collins scored 21 and Christina Collins dropped in 19.
Princess Simmons scored five points and dished out 10 assists with several steals, while Zoey Gray-Martin matched her with five points. Ziara Thompson scored four and Skye Alexander came off the bench to add three.
Sophomore Jenna Baker had an impressive game for the Lady Ramblers in defeat. She had a season-high 20 points and added 10 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Mykeria Johnson had 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Michaela Baker added 11 points and Heather Tucker picked up three.