The LaGrange Grangers are 19-0 after beating Shaw 56-54 on Saturday. The Grangers will put their perfect record on the line Tuesday night at Kendrick.
Sports Editor
The LaGrange Grangers are still perfect, but they received a big-time scare from the Shaw Raiders Saturday afternoon.
Jamius Gunsby made a driving lay-in with 18 seconds left, and the Grangers made a defensive stand to secure a 56-54 victory in the Region 2-AAA game.
The Grangers moved to 19-0, and they remained in first place in the region with a 7-0 record.
LaGrange is six victories away from a perfect regular season.
The Raiders made the Grangers work for Saturday’s win.
The game was tight throughout, and the Raiders refused to wilt in the face of LaGrange’s relentless pressure.
It wasn’t over until Kerun Hill came up with a steal with less than 10 seconds left and the Grangers passed the ball around without getting fouled to run out the clock.
Gunsby, who led his team with 18 points, said the Grangers always felt like the game would go their way.
“Just stay calm, and everything will work itself out,” Gunsby said. “We’ve got a good team. We haven’t lost any games. Don’t panic, and everything will go as planned.”
Added LaGrange head coach Mike Pauley: “I was real pleased down the stretch how the guys turned it up. You can see the heart of the guys. Royal Thomas, he was diving around everywhere.”
The Grangers took a 54-52 lead when Gunsby scored off a nice pass from Hill.
The Raiders responded, with Chris Denson making a layup with 27 seconds left to tie it.
When Gunsby got the ball, he didn’t hesitate.
The 6-foot-5 Gunsby took the ball right through the heart of the Shaw defense and scored to put his team back up by two.
“The guard couldn’t get open, so I flashed through the middle,” Gunsby said.
The Raiders couldn’t get a shot off on their ensuing possession, and that was that.
LaGrange will try to reach the 20-win mark Tuesday when it visits Kendrick.
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