By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LAGRANGE, Ga. – A complete mismatch on paper would be anything but on the court as LaGrange (14-6, 6-1 CCS) held on for a narrow 80-74 victory over Huntingdon (1-19, 0-8 CCS) in an NCAA Division III men's basketball game on Tuesday, January 31.
Senior forward Zac Hill (Senoia, Ga.) erupted for a game-high 24 points to go with eight boards and a pair of blocks to pace the Panthers while senior guard Bershard Edwards (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) delivered 17 points, six assists, four steals and four caroms.
Joining them on the stat sheet would be junior guard Gabe Cofield (LaGrange, Ga.) with 13 points, netting almost all of that with a 4-of-6 performance from long range, to go with five boards and junior guard Camerin Lyons (Peachtree City, Ga.) with 11 points. Sophomore forward Kyle Smith (Titusville, Fla.) rounded things out with eight points and five rebounds.
Deadlocked at 5-5 just under three minutes in, LaGrange used a 7-0 burst fueled by five points from Lyons to pull ahead 12-5 by the 13:23 mark. The Hawks would cut it to three, 14-11, and would trail by no more than six points for much of the first half.
That would change after they pulled to within 21-17 with 8:37 on the clock when the Panthers used a 10-4 run to stretch their lead back to double-digits at 31-21 by the 3:44 mark. From there Huntingdon came to life, scoring 12 of the last 18 points of the half – the last two on a dunk by Nate Johns – to claw to within 37-33 by the break.
Following an opening bucket by Lyons, the Hawks would pick up where they left off at the start of the second half as Tate Goolesby threw down a dunk that ignited a 9-3 run that took them from down six to up 42-40 by the 16:24 mark. The Panthers would answer back with a deliberate stretch over the next six minutes as they mounted a 16-3 run to not only retake the lead but put it in double-figures at 56-45.
With the lead expanded to 62-48 with just under nine minutes remaining, the Hawks would go all in as a triple by Johns and traditional three-point play by Goolesby sparked an 8-0 run that cut the deficit to just 62-56 with 7:36 to play. A minute later Edwards would respond with a long ball to snap that streak and add another with 5:15 on the clock to stretch to a 68-58 advantage.
Huntingdon would not go away though as they eventually battled back and pulled to within four 71-67 with a minute and a half left. That would be as close as they would get, however, doing so two more times with the last coming at 78-74 with six seconds left. From there Edwards put the finishing touches on the 80-74 victory with a pair of free throws in the final seconds.
Goolesby powered the Huntingdon attack with 13 points, seven caroms and a pair of blocks while Johns came away with 18 points. DaQuan Hawkins was not far behind with 12 points (4-of-4 from long range) and five rebounds and Rashawn Knox chipped in with 11 points. Myles Murphy rounded out the top performances with six boards and four points.
LaGrange continues a season-high five-game homestand when they host Maryville on Friday, February 3.Game time is slated for approximately 7 p.m. following the women's contests in historic Mariotti Gym.
NOTES
With the win the Panthers maintain their lead in the Collegiate Conference of the South ahead of idle Maryville … their meeting this week will be a battle for first place with LC sporting a 6-1 league mark and the Scots at 5-2 … LaGrange won the first meeting between the clubs by an 88-84 score on February 6.
