Warriors fall in state opener

Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, March 2, 2021

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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The LaGrange Academy Warriors saw their season come to a close with a 51-47 loss to St. George’s in the opening round of the GISA Class A state tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The Warriors made things interesting after falling behind by 11 points midway through the fourth quarter.

An Andrew Knight 3-pointer cut St. George’s lead to 45-37 with 3:47 to play, and LaGrange got within three with 1:55 remaining on a Brayden Salter 3-pointer.

LaGrange Academy kept charging and got within two on an Andrew Knight basket with 13 seconds left in the game, and St. George’s extended its lead to four on two free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

LaGrange Academy missed on its end, and St. George’s grabbed the rebound to end the suspense.

The Warriors, after trailing 20-19 at the half, surged to a 30-24 lead when Jackson Malone made a 3-pointer with 3:02 left in the third quarter.

St. George’s ended the third quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 33-32 lead into the final quarter.

The Warriors fell behind 45-34 with 4:02 left in the third quarter before making their move, only to see the comeback fall just short.