LAGRANGE – The Lafayette Christian School Cougars put the finishing touches on a perfect regular season with a 76-48 victory over visiting Arlington Christian on Friday.

The Cougars finished the regular season with a 17-0 record, and they went 12-0 in region play.

Lafayette Christian will be the number one seed in the region tournament, and it will host a semifinal game on Thursday.

The Cougars have already guaranteed themselves a spot in the Georgia Independent Christian Athletic Association state tournament.

Lafayettte Christian would have been the number one seed regardless of the outcome of Friday’s game, but head coach Jarred Pike felt it was important for his team to stay hot.

“I told them we’ve got to finish strong,” Pike said. “The worst thing we can do is lose this game going into the tournament and lose all our momentum. So I didn’t what that to happen.”

Early on, it was obvious the Cougars had no intention of slipping up.

When Lafayette Christian and Arlington Christian played the first time, it was a competitive game most of the way.

In the rematch, it was all Lafayette Christian.

Lafayette Christian showed it meant business by outscoring Arlington Christian 26-7 in the first quarter, with Jemi Reed and Marcus Mobley combining for 15 points.

It was more of the same in the second quarter, with Lafayette Christian outscoring Arlington 25-14 to take a commanding 51-21 lead at the half.

Pike was able to empty the bench in the second half as everyone on the team got plenty of playing time.

Antaveis Sands led the Cougars with 19 points, and Mobley added 16 points, with all but two of his points coming in the first half.

Reed scored 11 points, all in the first half.

Ross Clifton was also in double digits with 10 points, and Josh Shepherd added eight points.

In the girls’ game, it was close at the half, with Arlington Christian clinging to a 16-10 lead.

The second half was Arlington Christian, though, which claimed a 54-23 victory.

Rory Kloster led Lafayette Christian with 10 points, and Abbey Hudson had eight points.

Lafayette Christian will host a first-round game on Monday in the region tournament, and it will need to win to advance to the semifinals and keep its season alive.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports