Editor’s note: This game was originally scheduled to be played Tuesday, but it was postponed because of weather concerns. Callaway head coach Greg Moultrie said the game would likely be made up Wednesday. We will post the new game time when it becomes available.

By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

The Callaway Cavaliers were moments away from securing a huge state-tournament win.

They were up by 10 points in the final minute of their second-round game against Dade County a year ago, and as well as they’d played for nearly 32 minutes, the game looked like it was in the bag.

It wasn’t over, though. Far from it.

The Wolverines rallied to tie the game at the end of regulation, and with their fans bring the decibel level to earthquake-type proportions, they eventually won 103-99 in double-overtime.

It was a devastating loss for the Cavs.

A game they thought for sure was their’s was yanked cruelly away.

Flash forward a year and here they are again, preparing for a second-round test against a quality opponent in Decatur.

There are some noteworthy differences, though.

First, the Cavaliers are at home where they have been so tough this season.

Also, they’re a year older, a year wiser, and they’re hoping a year better.

“We are a better team now,” said junior point guard Terrance Jackson, a starter on last season’s team. “We’re ready.”

The Cavaliers will need to be at their best from here on out,

With only 16 teams remaining, there are no pushovers left.

Decatur is certainly no pushover.

The Bulldogs, who finished second in the Region 6-AA tournament, are 22-5, and they handled Chattooga 58-43 in the first round.

Callaway (19-7), which won the Region 5-AA tournament, held off Dawson County 59-50 in its state opener.

“Decatur will be a dogfight,” said Greg Moultrie, who has had a stellar first season as Callaway’s head coach. “They’re a real disciplined team, a real well-coached team. It’s going to be one of the toughest ballgames we’ve played all year, and we’ll have to play a complete game. We can’t have any lapses.”

The Cavaliers know what’s ahead of them, but they’re a confident team.

They had a hiccup when they dropped four of five games in January, but they’ve won eight of their past nine games, including three games in the region tournament.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but in the region tournament and the state playoffs, we’ve been playing hard,” said senior Reggie Perry. “We’ve been fighting.”

Most of the players who’ll be on the court tonight were a part of last year’s heart-breaking loss to Dade County.

Perry is an exception.

He wasn’t a varsity player as a junior, but although he wasn’t on the court, he knew how difficult the moment was for the men who gave so much, only to come up short.

“I still felt for them,” Perry said. “I felt the pain.”

Seniors Quantavius Leslie and D.J. Rutledge, and juniors Quan Bray, Jackson and Dominique Smedley, did play in that game.

Leslie scored 39 points and was so exhausted afterward that he had to lie on the floor for a few moments before he could get to his feet.

As grueling as that loss was, Moultrie believes it has made the players stronger.

“It builds character,” he said. “But we’re hoping not to have a loss like that again.”

The lesson, Moultrie said, is to play all the way to the final horn.

“Keep playing, and never, never put your head down,” he said. “They have used that experience.”

Moultrie figures the Cavs are playing as well as they have all season, and his hope is that the good times continue.

“We just want to keep peaking, and keep playing well together,” he said. “This (hot streak) has happened at the right time of year.”