LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. - Bershard Edwards hit a jumper with 4.7 seconds left to lift LaGrange to a 62-60 come-from-behind win at Covenant on Friday night in the Barnes Physical Education Center. The Panthers are 2-0 in the USA South and improved to 7-8 overall.
Edwards and fellow senior Kyle Brown combined for 38 of LC's points. Edwards finished with 18 points, making 8-of-15 from the floor, including 2-of-4 shooting 3s. Last season, Edwards had a then career high 17 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 on 3s, in a 70-66 win in the same building.
Brown bounced back from a season low five points against Piedmont on Tuesday with 20 points. He had eight rebounds, along with three assists and steals each playing the entire 40 minutes. Zac Hill added 10 points.
Will Crumly had 31 points and 13 rebounds for Covenant (7-5, 2-1 USA South). Chris Barnette had 12 points.
In the Piedmont game on Tuesday, the two teams combined to shoot 56 free throws. On Friday night there was a total of eight free throws in the game. The Panthers did not make their only attempt, while Covenant was just 4-for-7. Prior to this game, the fewest free throws a Wallace coached LC team had in a game was four against Huntingdon on Jan. 28, 2015.
Coach Kendal Wallace
"Bershard likes playing at Covenant! I'm not sure that we followed the game plan but a win is a win and we'll take road wins all day. We played a solid game defensively for the most part. We had a four minute lapse and Crumly made us pay. I was extremely proud of how we regained our composure and continued to get stops down the stretch."
The Game
Covenant went on a 14-0 run early in the second half to wipe out LC's 40-35 lead. Crumly's 3-pointer gave the Scots a 54-44 lead with 12:15 left in the game. Brown led the Panthers' comeback. He scored 10 of the Panthers' final 18 points. Crumly's final points gave the Scots a 60-56 lead with 2:31 remaining. Brown tied the game at 60 with a pair of jump shots, the second coming with 1:02 showing. Brady Palmer missed on a 3-point attempt on the Scots' next possession and Brown came away with the rebound with 29 seconds left. Edwards brought the ball up the court, dribbled to his left, then cut to his right. He pulled up at the top of the key just inside the 3-point line and his shot found nothing but net with 4.7 seconds remaining. Brown then stole Crumly's pass to end the game.
In the first half, the Panthers trailed 24-18, but fought back to take a 35-33 halftime lead. Cooper Dolhancyk, who had all eight of his points in the half, tied the game at 31 with a 3-pointer. He hit a jumper off an assist from Hill to give LC the lead at the break. The Panthers forced nine turnovers in the half and scored 14 points off of them.
The Panthers host 16th ranked Maryville on Sunday in Mariotti Gym. Game time is 3 p.m.
