Hot shooting LaGrange routed visiting Brevard 102-67 in a USA South game Sunday in Mariotti Gym. The win pushed the Panthers over .500 at 10-9. LC remained one game back of West Division leader Maryville at 5-1. The victory also completed a perfect 3-0 record for the week.
LC shot 69.5% in the game and was led by Bershard Edwards' game-high 23 points. The senior guard was 9-11 from the floor, including 2-for-2 shooting 3s. Zac Hill finished with 17 points, making 7-of-8 shots. In the last two games, Hill is shooting 85.7% (18-of-21). Kyle Brown added 13, while Camerin Lyons and Micah Paulk had 10 points each.
The Panthers remained unbeaten against Brevard (5-12, 3-4 USA South) with their seventh straight win in the series. The 35-point blowout matched the Panthers' 83-48 win in 2019. The Panthers hit the century for the third time this season and for the first time in a USA South game since a 103-97 overtime win at Berea in 2020.
Coach Kendal Wallace
"We're starting to find our identity right now. We wanted to come out and be as focused and professional as possible. We did that yesterday and wanted to repeat that again today. We've got to continue to do it daily and be consistent and create good habits, so that when we play those big teams and hopefully for a championship down the road, we're going to be prepared and do it the right way.
I'm very proud of the way my guys played the last two days. We wanted to get to 5-1 in the conference and we've done that. We have six games left and hopefully replicate that or better yet go 6-0."
The Game
For the second straight game, the Panthers came out and quickly took control. Edwards lit up the Tornados for 12 points in just over six minutes as LC grabbed a 20-5 lead. He hit back-to-back 3s off assists from Lyons to finish a 14-0 run. The Panthers built a 31-point lead, 53-22, by halftime. Edwards had 16 points, Hill 11, and Lyons all 10 of his points in the half. LC shot 67.7% in the half, holding the Tornados to 29.0% shooting.
The Panthers continued their blazing shooting in the second half, finishing at 71.4%. LC shot better from the floor than at the free throw line (13-of-22 59.1%). The Panthers led by as many as 39 in the second half. LC had 10 of the 12 players who got in the game get in the scoring column. The Panthers had 22 assists in the game, their second highest of the season.
The Panthers face Covenant in Mariotti Gym next Saturday with a 4 p.m. tipoff. The Panthers won the first meeting 62-60 on Jan. 23 as Edwards' hit a game-winning 3 with 4.7 seconds left.
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