RINGGOLD, Ga. - Hank Peppers knows it's way too early in the high school basketball season to get too excited about a win or down about a loss, but it was hard for the LaFayette boys' coach to hide a smile Tuesday night.
The Ramblers had just handled Region 6-AAAA contender Heritage, 69-56, on the road, and the excitable Peppers was trying his best to put a settle-down spin on an early statement win.
"It's just another win and really your focus is just on getting a little better every day," he said with a smile. "That's the focus you have to have to go where you want. Heritage is a good team, one I have a lot of respect for, so this is a good win.
"We came out a little too jacked up in the first half. We fouled too much and you'll notice in the third quarter we didn't have a single foul, so we settled down there and played a lot more level-headed in the second half."
The balance Peppers craves was there Tuesday, with Andrew Pendergrass scoring 18 points and Jon Morgan and Alex Kelehear adding 15 each. The three combined for eight of the team's 10 3-pointers as the Generals' defense just couldn't keep up with the weapons spread across the floor.
"Tonight was one of those things," Heritage coach Kevin Terry said. "Our best defenders aren't necessarily our best scorers, but with LaFayette if we have a chance to guard Kelehear and Morgan, which is hard to do, we have to keep a couple of shooters on the bench. They are just so hard to defend."
Still, LaFayette (4-0, 3-0) led just 34-30 at halftime on a Kelehear step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer. The momentum carried over when the Ramblers took control with a 9-0 run in a little over a minute to start the third quarter, with Pendergrass starting the run with a trey and Kelehear capping it with another.
Pendergrass, who was left open several times as Heritage elected to chase Morgan and Kelehear, hit two more 3-pointers in the quarter, and Kelehear hit another buzzer-beater to end it as the Ramblers soared to a 55-38 lead.
The Generals (3-3, 1-1), facing a tightly packed zone defense all night, could get no closer than 12 the rest of the way despite 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots from senior post Cole Wilcox.
"We shot it well," Peppers said. "I'll take 10 3-pointers any day of the week. One thing that's underrated is chemistry. In my opinion, chemistry and culture trumps talent. These guys enjoy playing together, and that makes a big difference. They are as excited for the next guy to score as they are themselves, and that's invaluable."
Morgan led the Ramblers with nine rebounds, while Adam Thacker had 16 points and eight rebounds and guard Luke Grant added 12 points for the Generals.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.