Calhoun keeps cruising, downs Colts for region title

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

RINGGOLD, Ga. - Calhoun basketball coach Vince Layson has the perfect excuse for forgetting flowers and chocolates for his wife on Valentine's Day weekend.

On one condition - he needs to bring home a region championship trophy.

For the fourth straight year, and for the fourth time in his marriage of nearly 10 years, Layson handed such a trophy to his wife following Calhoun's 82-63 win over Coahulla Creek at Ringgold High School.

"It's an ongoing joke that a trophy is her present, because the region tournament almost always falls around Valentine's Day," Layson said. "I'm very busy with basketball, so the best thing I can get Kari is a trophy."

The next gift for the undefeated Yellow Jackets is a home game in the first round of the state tournament after cruising through the Colts, who provided Calhoun with its best test of the season when they went into overtime in their last matchup.

Kalean Riley and Malik Lawrence led Calhoun with 19 points each, and Jireh Wilson added 18 points. Alex Fisher led the Colts with 18 points, while J.R. Laird scored 15, Caleb Lewis scored 14 and Tyler Phillips added 11.

"We want to be as prepared as we can be in these next five games that we need to win," senior Riley said. "We work as hard as we can to get better. Coahulla Creek isn't scared of us, and we had to jump on them early."

The rest of the season has essentially had Calhoun on cruise control. Wilson admitted that he sets his car at about 79 mph when he's on the freeway. Riley admitted to 75 mph with a wink.

Calhoun keeps on driving with the destination of a state championship. It is 25-0 and the Region 6-AAA champion.

On Saturday, the Yellow Jackets cruised as if neither foot had a thought of touching the brake. Calhoun used its size, experience and speed to casually break down the Colts' defense and control the game from the opening tip.

Wilson smiled after he corralled the opening tip and took a deep breath. About five seconds later, Riley scored a left-handed layup.

Calhoun maintained its composure during the first quarter despite the various trapping defenses Coahulla Creek tried to employ and led 18-14 after the first stanza. The Colts tried to crawl back into contention following a timeout midway through the second quarter, but Calhoun pulled away to take a 43-26 lead into halftime

The Colts never crept back within less than 10 points and trailed by as many as 22 in the second half.

"We wanted to win a region championship, but our main goal is a state championship," Wilson said. "We've played big teams, but Coahulla Creek had given us our best competition this year. We knew we had to make a statement, and that's what we did."

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at Twitter @Uchiyama CTFP

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