By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

The Callaway Cavaliers lost their best player, but they didn’t lose the game.

Quantavius Leslie, the Cavs’ leading scorer and last season’s player of the year in the county, went down with an ankle injury in the first half, and he didn’t return.

The Cavaliers hung tough without Leslie, though, and they pulled away late to beat Macon County 57-51.

The Cavs (15-7 overall) finished as the third seed in Region 5-AA with a 10-6 record, and they’ll open play in the region tournament on Friday against an opponent still to be determined.

Whoever the Cavs play, it’s a game they’ll have to win if they want to return to the state tournament.

Head coach Greg Moultrie hopes to have Leslie in the lineup.

Leslie injured his ankle in January, he returned to the lineup a few days later, and he hurt the same ankle Monday afternoon.

He was walking unaided with a slight limp after the game, and Moultrie said the superstar will rest and hopefully be ready to go Friday.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do with Q is make sure he’s rested,” Moultrie said. “You want to be healthy going into region play.”

Without Leslie, the Cavs collected a hard-earned win.

Late in the third quarter, it looked like the Cavaliers might be able to relax a bit in the final period, but it didn’t work out that way.

Callaway went up by 15 points when Quan Bray scored with 1:55 left in the third, but Macon County was within 10 by the time the final quarter started.

The Bulldogs continued their run in the fourth period began, and with 3:15 left, they were within three.

It was still a three-point game when D.J. Rutledge scored off an offensive rebound with 30 seconds left, and after the Bulldogs again got within three, Dominique Smedley scored with 42 seconds left to make it a 56-51 game, and Macon County didn’t score again.

“We got a bunch of key defensive stops in the fourth quarter and got some good transition baskets,” Moultrie said. “We stopped the run that Macon County was on.”

Rutledge led Callaway with 16 points, and the senior came up with some critical offensive rebounds.

“He really knows how to use his body,” Moultrie said.

Bray added 13 points.