By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LAGRANGE, Ga. – In a game that featured a number of runs and lead changes, LaGrange (14-5, 8-2 CCS) came up just short in the final seconds as they fell by a 59-56 score against Huntingdon (6-13, 5-6 CCS) in an NCAA Division III women's basketball game on Tuesday, January 31.
Freshman guard Laila Battle (Smyrna, Ga.) led the way with 14 points, five caroms and a pair of assists off the bench for the Panthers while freshman forward Amanda McLendon (Orlando, Fla.) finished with six points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes of work.
They were joined by sophomore guard Zyhia Johnson (Homerville, Ga.) with 11 points and five boards and sophomore guard Ema Turner (Dalton, Ga.) with nine points, seven caroms and a pair of steals. Freshman forward Skylar Edwards (Canton, Ga.) wasn't far behind with eight boards, four points and three steals and senior forward Breonna Glover (Macon, Ga.) rounded things out with four points and as many rebounds.
The records would go out the window from the opening tip as the Hawks jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in the first 1:23 behind two buckets apiece from Kinstin Davis and Alina Shoemake. LC would recover over the next 3:49 as they used a 10-4 stretch to pull to within 12-10 before Huntingdon closed the opening frame with a slight 16-12 lead.
At the beginning of the second it would feel like someone had put a lid on the basket between quarters as neither team could crack the scoreboard over the first 2:02. When they did it would be a triple and then layup by Johnson to help spark an 11-4 run that flipped the script and gave LaGrange the lead, 23-20, by the 6:08 mark.
Another prolonged drought of nearly two minutes would be followed by a jumper by AB Davis to cut it to one before the Panthers notched the next four points on their way to a 29-27 lead at the half.
LaGrange would widen that margin in the opening 3:20 of the third quarter as three different scorers fueled a 6-0 burst that put them up 35-27. The tandem of Davis and Davis would then get the Hawks off the snide as Kinstin notched a layup at 5:32 and AB a three-pointer with 4:15 to play to cut it to 35-32.
From there the teams would be separated by no more than four points, that being 39-35 at the 2:46 mark. At that point HC scored six of the next eight points to knot it up at 41-41 before a layup in the final seconds of the third by freshman forward Amrita Singh (Canton, Ga.) sent the Panthers to the fourth with a narrow two-point advantage.
With defense the order of the day once again, neither team could hit their mark over the first 1:43 – something that would change as Erica Rodriguez drilled a go-ahead three-pointer for a 44-43 lead. It would be short lived as Turner connected on 1-of-2 at the foul line to tie it up with just over two minutes gone by but that would be the first of two ties along with a pair of lead changes.
The last of the latter would see the Panthers go from a 46-46 deadlock to a 52-46 lead at 4:51 behind a pair of buckets from Turner. Following a quick timeout, the Hawks would get off the deck with baskets by AB Davis and Briana McGruder to close to within two with 3:42 to play.
A pair of free throws by Johnson a minute later gave LaGrange some breathing room but they would quickly see that taken away. McGruder delivered a pair of key layups with a minute and a half and 30 seconds to play to take back the lead, 56-54, and Huntingdon would salt away the three-point victory as they hit on three-of-four from the charity stripe in the waning seconds.
AB Davis would lead the way for the Hawks with 16 points, eight boards and a pair of assists while Shoemake finished with 12 points and five caroms. Kinstin Davis notched nine points, five rebounds and four steals in 35 minutes of work and McGruder added 13 points, five boards and two steals. Rodriguez closed out the top performers with nine points, all behind a 3-of-4 outing from beyond the arc.
The Panthers return to action on Friday, February 3 when they host Maryville. Tip-off is set 5 p.m. in historic Mariotti Gym.
