Bulldogs hang on, will face Lanett in regional championship
By Daniel Schmidt
MONTGOMERY — Having dominated the competition up until now, No. 8 LaFayette High School knew they would have to dig deep at some point against Central Coosa County High School.
After building up a large halftime lead and doing just enough in the second half to defend it, the Bulldogs (25-7) took down the Cougars (15-9) 52-43 on Feb. 17 in the boys’ 2A central region tournament.
Even though the game was a little too close for comfort at times in the fourth quarter, LHS head coach Chase Lewis praised his team’s ability to block out the noise and stay focused.
“We even talked about it at halftime because our third quarter starts haven’t been all that great at times. I’m just happy that my boys didn’t panic no matter what was going on,” Lewis said. “I knew turnovers were going to be a problem for us, but I also knew rebounding was going to be a good problem for us. We just had to balance it out and try to make it make sense.”
The victory also sets a matchup with Lanett High School in the regional championship with a trip to Birmingham and the state tournament on the line.
“Lanett has that tradition of just coming out and working hard. They’re construction workers, they put on their hardhat and they work hard,” Lewis said. “We’ve beaten them three times, and I know that fourth time they’re going to come out desperate and hungry. I need our guys for the next couple days at practice to learn how to be even more desperate and even more hungry.”
As the man of the hour according to Lewis, junior forward Jayden Thomason turned in perhaps his best performance of this year’s postseason with a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double. His eight first-quarter points set the tone and helped the Bulldogs build a big lead.
“We could have fought a little harder at the end by limiting turnovers, but you know, it feels good,” Thomason said. “I felt confident. We prepare for this every day and we work hard.”
The first quarter featured a back-and-forth start after CCCHS hit two three-pointers and LHS found success on both ends of the court. After six minutes of dominant basketball, Amilleon Huguley hit back-to-back shots in the final minutes to give the Bulldogs a 21-8 lead going into the second quarter.
With a big lead in hand, LHS’ forwards became even more involved, with Jayden Thomason racking up rebounds on both ends of the court. From there, an unselfish display of team basketball and deceptive passing grew the Bulldogs’ lead to 36-16 by halftime.
Adversity then crept in during the third quarter as the Cougars capitalized on second-chance scoring opportunities and shrunk LHS’ 20-point lead to 11 points around the 4:50 mark. During that period, Tykaden Williams’ offensive rebounding particularly helped keep the Bulldogs ahead 44-34 entering the fourth quarter.
The pressure only grew in the fourth quarter as LHS’ lead dropped to five points within the first four minutes of the fourth quarter and CCCHS’ full-court press forced several turnovers in a row. However, a swarming set defense and late, energy-providing dunk from Thomason sealed the deal.
Thomason finished as the game’s leading scorer with 17 points for the Bulldogs, while Cameron Thomas added 13 points. Waylon Chapman-Allen and Lacorrian Thompson led the Cougars with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
