Members of the Arts & Sciences boys’ basketball team were overflowing with energy on their way to the locker room Friday night after a momentous 53-51 home win over Tyner in a District 4-2A battle.
The Patriots’ lengthy frames helped them play great 3-point defense — the Rams shot 5-of-24 behind the arc — and the offense provided by seniors Louis Bell and Ture Gaines in the second and fourth quarters changed the game.
“This time last year at Tyner we were up 11 in the fourth quarter and gave up the lead and lost in overtime,” said coach Zach Dragoo, whose Patriots have won seven of their past eight games. “We kind of never recovered from that. I would love to say this is where we want to be, but it’s just another step. We are just going to keep working because we play in the toughest district by far in the state in 2A.”
In front of a sold-out and lively crowd, the Patriots (12-4, 3-1) were propelled to a 14-2 lead by steals from senior Jarius Cameron and junior Chris McDonald.
The 6-foot-6 Bell asserted his dominance in the second quarter, when he brought the crowd noise to an ear-piercing decibel as he answered Keelan Jackson’s driving one-handed slam on the other end with a powerful two-handed dunk of his own while being fouled. Bell also blocked a shot just before halftime, leading to a runout for senior Justin Brown for a tomahawk slam and a 37-26 lead at the break.
Bell finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while making it tough for Tyner to do much in the paint.
“This place got rocking really quick,” Dragoo said. “We were extremely efficient on both sides of the ball early, and our guys were locked in. They had the belief they could go out there and play the way we want to play.”
Tyner (8-4, 3-1) fought back even after going down 41-27 on a strong drive by Brown down the left lane.
Senior guard Nehemiah Bloodsaw, who scored a game-high 15 points, cut the Rams’ deficit to 45-42 after a steal under his own hoop. Jackson’s three-point play tied the game at 47 with 4:33 remaining.
But the Patriots’ Gaines was tough to stop down the stretch as he attacked on the drive, scoring seven of his 11 points in the fourth and weaving around several defenders for a tough finish to provide a 51-47 lead late.
Tyner’s final 3-point attempt of the game fell short as the Patriots contested another shot to close the win.
“We have the deepest group of role players in the area,” Dragoo said. “We can spread it out. You can’t key on us. Ture got going for us and made some big shots down the stretch. I keep telling him to believe in himself, and he did that in a big way tonight.”
STARS OF THE NIGHT
Tucker Patterson, Polk County: The senior guard had one of the most impressive games by an area player so far this season, dropping 41 points to go with six assists in an 81-50 win over Marion County. Patterson made 16 baskets (three 3-pointers) and all four of his free throws.
Hunter Holmes, Gordon Lee: He hit seven 3s in scoring 38 points as the Trojans won a Region 6-AAA game over Coahulla Creek, 50-38.
O’Reilly Matthews, Ringgold: He scored 15 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter as Ringgold rallied past Bremen, 82-69, in Region 6-AAA.
Dani Reeves, Boyd Buchanan: She dominated with 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals in a 52-43 home win over GPS.
Angel Simmons, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe: The sharp-shooting guard hit three 3-pointers in a 14-point first quarter and finished with a game-high 24 points as the Lady Warriors improved to 14-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 6-AAA.
Camden Andrews, Hamilton Heights: The senior point guard scored a game-high 24 points in the Hawks’ 65-63 overtime loss at Baylor.
Zane Restelli, Baylor: The sophomore star scored 23 points, closing out the OT victory against Hamilton Heights by sinking five free throws.
Leya Mitchell, Tyner: She was 4-for-4 from the foul line before knocking down a trio of 3s and two more baskets in the second quarter to score 17 first-half points in the Lady Rams’ 52-17 win at CSAS.
Dakota Blackwell, Northwest Whitfield: He led the Bruins’ rally for a 73-67 win at Cedartown with 22 points, six assists and three steals.
Kimora Fields, Bradley Central: The freshman forward scored 22 points to go with 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 58-30 win over Knoxville Catholic.
Compiled by Patrick MacCoon and Lindsey Young. Coaches, submit game results to pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com, lyoung@timesfreepress.com or sports@timesfreepress.com.