By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

The LaGrange Grangers have this overtime routine down pat.

LaGrange (5-3) beat South Paulding 65-62 on Saturday to improve to 3-0 in overtime.

Earlier, LaGrange got back-to-back overtime wins against Northside-Columbus and Harris County.

In Saturday’s game, Daz Williams hit a 3-pointer to give LaGrange a two-point lead with nine seconds left, but South  Paulding scored at the fourth-quarter buzzer to tie it at 56-56 and force overtime.

In the four-minute extra period, LaGrange outscored South Paulding 9-6 to win for the fourth time in five games since an 0-2 start.

Bo Russell led the Grangers with 19 points, and he scored four points in overtime.

Jay Benton made three 3-pointers on the way to a 15-point night, Williams knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 12 points, and post player Jordan Ogletree added eight points.

The game completed a grueling two-day stretch for the Grangers.

On Friday, LaGrange went on the road to play a talented and unbeaten McIntosh team and lost 62-54.

A day later, LaGrange was back on the road to face another elite team in South Paulding.

It was the first meeting between the two teams since the second round of the Class AAAA state tournament.

South Paulding won that game 62-60 to reach the quarterfinals, and it made it back to the third round of the state tournament last season.

“One thing we’ve always done at LaGrange, we haven’t been scared to play whoever,” LaGrange head coach Mark Veal said. “We’ll go play these teams around Atlanta. We feel like it makes us better. (Friday night), we played the number six team in the state at their place. And we had chances to win at the end. Then you get to region play, and you’ll have to play back-to-back nights.”

LaGrange will be back on the road on Monday and Tuesday when it participates in the War Eagle Classic at Woodward Academy.

LaGrange KIPP Atlanta Collegiate on Monday at 7 p.m., and Forest Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m.