By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LAGRANGE, Ga. – In a game marked by long scoring droughts and back-and-forth play, No. 3 Seed LaGrange (16-10, 7-5 CCS) pulled out a 62-54 victory over No. 6 Seed Covenant (9-17, 5-7 CCS) in the final minutes in a Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Quarterfinal and NCAA Division III men's basketball game on Tuesday, February 21.
Junior guard Camerin Lyons (Peachtree City, Ga.) delivered a clutch performance with 19 points and eight rebounds to pace the Panthers while sophomore forward Kyle Smith (Titusville, Fla.) registered a double-double of 13 points and 13 boards.
Junior guard Gabe Cofield (LaGrange, Ga.) produced a solid all-around game with four points, seven caroms, two assists and a pair of steals and senior guard Bershard Edwards (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) and senior forward Zac Hill (Senoia, Ga.) had eight and seven points, respectively. Freshman forward Isaiah Pettigrew (Lincoln, Neb.) rounded out the top performances with five points and three rebounds.
LC jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the opening three and a half minutes before the Scots knocked down three triples and rode seven points from Promise Igbanu to put together a 12-6 run and take a 14-13 lead by the 12:23 mark. A pair of buckets by Scott then sparked a 6-0 run that gave the Panthers back the lead at 19-14 two minutes later.
The clubs would then trade baskets before Promise and Malcolm Noel connected on back-to-back scores to cut it to 21-20 by the 8:28 mark. And there it would stay for the next 4:41 as the teams went into a massive scoring drought, finally ended by a Charlie Hester layup that gave CC a 22-21 advantage. The dry spell would stretch to a span of 6:09 for LC before Smith knocked down a pair of jumpers and put the Panthers back ahead, 25-22, which would be the margin they would take to the break.
LaGrange pushed the lead to six at 35-29 but Covenant would not go away as they scored eight of the next 10 points to knot it up at 37-37 by the 14:20 mark. It would continue to be a back-and-forth affair as Pettigrew knocked down three free throws for a three-point advantage and Promise drained a jumper at 12:44 and, following a more than three-minute drought for both teams, Logan Pearlman nailed a three to pull back ahead, 42-40, with 9:31 to play.
Lyons then drove the lane to tie it and Cofield converted a pair of free throws to retake the lead with just under eight to play. It would be short lived, however, as Noel knocked down a jumper to deadlock at 44-44 at the 7:35 mark. Hill then converted a traditional three-point play to pull back ahead with 6:47 showing on the clock.
It would be another protracted scoring lull, this time a span of 3:06, before Luke Crowden cut it to one with a layup at 3:41. Smith then took the lid off the rim for the Panthers as he drilled a longball to stretch to a four-point lead, only to see Promise convert two from the line.
That would be as close as they would get, however, as Lyons took over, draining a jumper with just over a minute and a half to play and sinking six of the Panthers' 10 free throws down the stretch to help seal the 62-54 victory.
Igbanu delivered a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards to go with four assists to lead the Scots while Crowden finished with 11 points as the only other player in double-figures. Noel added seven points, five assists and three caroms and Pearlman chipped in with six points and five rebounds.
The Panthers advance to the semifinals of the CCS Tournament and will face No. 2S Belhaven, which narrowly defeated No. 7S Huntingdon 73-69 in their quarterfinal. That game is set for Friday, February 24 and will be played in Maryville, Tennessee at top seeded Maryville.
