LaGrange remained unbeaten with a hard-fought 84-81 win over Sewanee in its own Wyngate by Wyndham Classic in Mariotti Gym on Saturday. The Panthers, now 3-0, kept the Tigers winless at 0-4.
LC got career games from its two seniors. Forward Kyle Brown poured in a game high 25 points, 17 coming in the second half. Brown was 10-for-13 from the floor and 5-of-7 at the free throw line. Guard Bershard Edwards had 18 points, tied for the team lead with five rebounds, and had five assists.
"I felt like we had a mismatch with Kyle against a couple of guys who were guarding him," Coach Kendal Wallace said. "We did a great job of getting him the ball.
"It was great for Bershard for him to play well with his parents here from Lehigh Acres, Florida. He's a great player for us and leads our defensive effort. All in all it was great for us to get a win."
The game was a back and forth affair. It was tied eight times and the lead changed hands 13 times. Sewanee's largest lead of five points came in the first half. The Panthers led by as many as nine in the second half.
Edwards had 11 of his points in the first half as the Panthers took a 42-38 halftime lead. Gabe Cofield's trey off an assist from Edwards to for a 25-23 lead with 8:45 left in the half. The Panthers held the lead for the rest of the half. Zac Hill's tip in before the buzzer gave LC its four-point lead.
Sewanee overtook the Panthers four minutes into the second half. Russ Marr's layup put the Tigers up 48-47.
Still trailing 62-61, the Panthers ran off 10 straight points in just over a minute. Camerin Lyons started the blitz with a three-point play to regain the lead. After a layup from Brown, Lyons made a steal at the defensive end and converted the turnover into a layup at the other end. Cooper Dolhancyk's 3-pointer made it a nine-point game, 71-62, with 7:34 remaining.
From there, the Panthers turned away each challenge by Sewanee. Lyons and Edwards both hit jumpers as the shot clock expired to keep the Tigers at arms length. The pair made 3-of-4 free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.
LC shot 53.3% percent in the game. The Panthers forced 16 turnovers and had 43 in the two tournament games. They had a 20-7 advantage off turnovers.
The Panthers play at NCAA Division II Montevallo on Tuesday.
-
For continuing coverage of Panther athletics, stay up to date with our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
