It was a tough night for most of the area boys' basketball teams competing in the first round of the GHSA state tournament.
LaFayette was the lone exception - and in notable fashion.
The Ramblers rolled to a 30-5 lead after one quarter against North Hall while cruising to a 69-40 win in Class AAA. The Region 6 champions were led by 29 points from Aidan Hadaway, with Decameron Porter adding 15 points and 21 rebounds and Jaylon Ramsey 10 points for LaFayette (21-1).
"We came out getting after it and making shots," Ramblers coach Hank Peppers said. "Our defense led to the great start. We were forcing tough shots and getting rebounds, which led to some easy points offensively. It was all about effort from beginning to end. Everybody who played did well."
LaFayette, a Class AAAA quarterfinalist a year ago, will host Greater Atlanta Christian in the second round on Saturday.
White County 54, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 52: The Warriors (14-9) trailed by eight entering the final period in their AAA first-round game, but led by seven points from JaMichael Davis in the fourth quarter, they tied the score at 52 in the final minute. White County's Silas Mulligan, however, hit a short jumper for the win as he finished with a team-high 15 points.
Davis led LFO with a game-high 17 points, with Dee Calhoun and Cameron Gregg adding 13 each.
"They played a physical game, and we weren't able to make a run until the fourth quarter and then came up just short," LFO coach Josh Laney said.
Sonoraville, another 6-AAA state qualifier, lost 57-39 to Cherokee Bluff.
Class AAAA
Mays 60, Heritage 43: A slow start - Jackson led 10-2 after one quarter - was too much to overcome for the Generals as the Region 7 champions lost to the Region 6 No. 4 seed. Heritage (17-8) got within three points on a Cooper Terry layup with less than a minute to play in the third quarter, but the visitors scored the next six points, four off turnovers, to take control.
Terry led Heritage with 18 points, with Cade Kiniry adding 10. Solomon Evans scored 20 to top the list for Mays (12-10).
"It took us too long to settle down at the start and we dug a hole, but our guys battled all night," Heritage coach Kevin Terry said. "The score ended up a little lopsided, but we had them scared in the third quarter."
Class AAAAA
Chapel Hill 56, Calhoun 36: The Yellow Jackets, the Region 7 champions, were ice cold from long range in falling to the Region 6 No. 4 seed. They trailed throughout the game, but a Blaze Hammett 3-pointer with 3:55 remaining got them within five at 41-36.
Calhoun, however, would not score again as the visitors pulled away.
"They were big and made it tough on us on the offensive end," Calhoun coach Vince Layson said. "When we got open looks, we didn't convert. I liked our fight and battle, but it got out of hand towards the end. I'm proud of our guys; we had a heck of a season."
Dylan Faulkner led Calhoun (15-11) with 12 points, with K.J. Doucet netting 15 to lead Chapel Hill (16-10), which also got 11 points apiece from Kelvin Hunter and Devan Wiggins.
Class AA
Dade County's season ended with a 95-25 loss to Atlanta's Pace Academy.
GIRLS' BASKETBALL
In the first round of the TSSAA Division II-A state tournament, Silverdale Baptist Academy lost 46-38 to Goodpasture and Boyd Buchanan lost 49-24 to Tipton-Rosemark.
BASEBALL
Gordon Lee 8, Mount Paran Christian 6: The Trojans improved to 2-1 as Kade Cowan led the attack at the plate with two hits and four RBIs. Griffin Collins and Nate Dunfee had two hits and an RBI each, with Jacob Neal scoring twice and driving in a run for Gordon Lee.
Coahulla Creek 6, Northwest Whitfield 2: The Colts (1-2) split the two-game series with the Bruins (3-1) as Ben Glines limited Northwest to an earned run and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Ryan Langford had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run, and Pedro Sanmartin added a pair of RBIs.
For the Bruins, Matt Redmond was 2-for-3 and Cade Fisher drove in a pair of runs.
Northwest 4, Coahulla Creek 0: Fisher pitched a 16-strikeout one-hitter Tuesday, with that coming on the heels of a 21-strikeout no-hitter in his first outing for the Bruins last week. Daiman Banta drove in a pair of runs, and Fisher and Aiden Hosford each had an RBI.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.