GAINESVILLE — Many thought Todd Cottrell was, well, crazy when he decided to leave Gainesville for Lakeview Academy three years ago.
“Yea, I got that some,” Cottrell said Monday as his Lions prepare for their biggest game in Cottrell’s three seasons at the helm.
“But this is a great place to be and I really walked into a great situation with what Coach (Seth) Vining left here. Hopefully, we can start (Tuesday) building to that (region) championship,” he said.
Lakeview Academy plays host to Hebron Christian Tuesday night in a showdown of Region 8-A unbeatens for first place. It will be the first of two games between the two teams, who have been on a collision course all season. They will also meet in the season finale in Dacula in two weeks.
The Lions (15-4, 7-0 Region 8-A) have won five of their last six and among their 15 wins on the season is Class AAA East Hall and Class AAAA programs Stephens County and North Oconee.
Hebron Christian (14-4, 6-0) has won four straight and among their season victims is Class AAAAA Winder-Barrow twice and also North Oconee.
But more is at stake than just region positioning for the Lions. Respect and exposure also are on the line.
Right now Lakeview Academy is third in the all-important Class A Private power rankings, powered by a pair of wins in the Lanierland Tournament, including a forfeit win over Gainesville. But Cottrell said they also have been building to this point over the past two seasons and that it may be time to prove that they are ready to be among the contenders in Class A.
Last year they were crushed in the first round 103-59 by eventual state champion St. Francis.
“The rankings take into affect anything that is considered a win so that is helping our standing some. But being third is huge for us," he said. "Last year we were on the fence the whole year and squeaked in. We were just glad to get in but we weren’t quite ready for it. I think this team is ready.
“This team set some lofty goals at the beginning of the year like winning the region, getting back into the (state) tournament, and then making a run this time. It’s a pretty focused group that doesn’t get too far ahead of itself.”
Which is even more impressive considering their top five scorers are all underclassmen. Sophomore Drew Cottrell leads the way at 13 points a game while juniors Tre Gober (12 ppg), Carter Reeves (10 ppg), Josh Randolph (9 ppg) and sophomore Evan Pitts (9 ppg) give them balanced scoring across the lineup. Senior Daniel Fadool (8 ppg, 6 apg) is the only upperclassman among the team leaders.
In fact, Fadool is the only senior on the roster and has been a big catalyst of late averaging nearly a double-double over the past six games.
“It took Daniel a little time to get comfortable at the point but he has found his rhythm and has been driving the offense,” Cottrell said. “But the entire group is very unselfish and they are all making those personal sacrifices for the team to just get wins. It’s been fun to watch.”
Lakeview has not won a region title since 2008 -- the only one in the program’s history -- but now sits in position to grab the top seed in next month’s Region 8-A tournament at Athens Academy. The region tournament winner gets an automatic berth in the playoffs. A win Tuesday would put the Lions 1 1/2-games ahead of Hebron with five games left.
But Cottrell also knows the recent history between the two teams, which has developed into one of the better rivalries in Region 8-A. Hebron has won three of the last four and four of the last six meetings.
And Lakeview will have its hands full once again. Hebron is led by 6-foot-4 senior wing/forward Luke Crawford. Hebron also has 6-3 guards Thomas Swift and John Stewart, which offers plenty of matchup problems for the Lions.
However, 6-7 junior Matt Rowland, who has been easing back into the lineup for Lakeview after being cleared from a heart condition, could be a key element.
“They have had our number, for sure," Cottrell said. "Matt gives us some height and length and having him back could help defensively. Hebron has several matchup problems for us and their 3/4-court press is tough. But I think we’re more experienced this year so I think that will make a difference for us.”
No matter the outcome Tuesday, Cottrell said Lakeview’s future path definitely looks like a smooth one.
“It’s a big game and a win will put us much closer to our goals,” he said. “But it’s also just one game and we still have some tough games ahead, plus we still have to go to their place so really nothing will be totally decided. But it would be nice to have that cushion and also help us continue to build toward the future.
“I like where we’re headed as a program and I think (Tuesday) will show us how far we’ve come or how far we still need to go to get to where we want to be. Hopefully it’s the first one."
I think we’ll all know the answer to that by, say, 9 p.m. Tuesday night.
