FLOWERY BRANCH — For the Flowery Branch boys basketball team to be able to garner its first state tournament appearance since 2009, it will need its best effort to date on Tuesday.
The Falcons shook off a slow start Monday night to put away Winder-Barrow 68-49 in the Region 8-AAAAA play-in game at the Flowery Branch gym.
Flowery Branch fell behind 20-11 after the first quarter but used a 14-0 run to close out the first half and then used a 15-3 run in the third quarter to blow the game open.
Now comes the real test when the Falcons will take on a Salem (16-9) squad Tuesday in the quarterfinals at the Gainesville gym. The Seminoles have won 7 of their last 9 games overall and whipped Flowery Branch (15-10) 47-28 early in the season in their only meeting.
“Salem is big and athletic and the key will be for us to be able to rebound,” Flowery Branch coach David Sokol said. “They killed us on the boards in the first meeting. We have to execute on offense and hit some shots. I like the way we’re playing defense right now so getting stops will be important as well.
"We didn't play any near as well as I was hoping or as we'll need to (Tuesday night). But we've been playing well over the last couple of weeks. I feel we can win it if we execute and don't make mistakes. But it will be a big challenge for us."
Despite just two wins on the season, Winder-Barrow (2-23) started strong in an attempt to pull the upset. The Bulldoggs reeled off a 14-0 run midway through the first quarter to grab a 16-8 lead, powered by a pair of 3-pointers by Terence Butler sandwiched around a 3-pointer from Brandon Hayes.
Winder-Barrow took a 20-11 lead into the second quarter and the Bulldoggs led 24-17 midway through the second quarter. That’s when the Falcons offense came alive.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Garfield Woodruffe, John Mills, and Brannon Clark gave Flowery Branch its first lead since early in the first quarter. The Falcons closed out the first half on a 14-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws from Gabe Holston after being fouled on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer, for a 31-24 lead. They held Winder-Barrow to just four second quarter points.
“We gave up too many offensive rebounds in the first quarter and we did a better job of rebounding the ball after that,” Sokol said. “Winder had nothing to lose and they came out and battled hard.”
The Falcons didn’t let up in the third quarter. After Butler hit another 3-pointer to pull the Bulldoggs within 36-29, Flowery Branch exploded for a 17-3 run into the fourth quarter for a 53-32 lead. Winder-Barrow never got closer than 17 the rest of the way.
Clark and Mills each finished with 12 points to lead the Falcons. Holston added 10 points and Woodruffe had nine for Flowery Branch, which had 11 different players score.
Butler poured in a game-high 14 points to lead Winder-Barrow. Andre Jackson had 11 points for the Bulldoggs.
LANIER BOYS 69,
DISCOVERY 59
Lanier used a 15-4 run in the third quarter to break a 30-30 tie en route to the win in a play-in game.
The Longhorns (10-15) advance and will take on 8-AAAAA South No. 1 seed and fifth-ranked Cedar Shoals on Tuesday at Cedar Shoals.
Lanier trailed most of the first half but pulled within 27-26 by halftime. Adrian Martin hit a long 3-pointer early in the third quarter to give Lanier a 33-32 lead it would never relinquish.
A pair of fastbreak baskets by Martin late in the period gave Lanier a 45-34 lead but Discovery (11-15) climbed to within 45-38 by the end of the third quarter.
Discovery would cut the lead to seven points twice but each time Lanier pushed the lead back to 11. The Longhorns hit enough free throws late to keep the lead to at least three possessions. Lanier was 14-of-19 from the line in the fourth quarter and 24-of-35 for the game.
Derrick Brown led Lanier with 16 points before fouling out. Martin finished with 14 points, Edmund Ruiz had 13, and Juwan Jones 10 for the Longhorns.
D.J. Young led Discovery with a game-high 17 points.
