GAINESVILLE — Gainesville opened defense of its Lanierland Tournament with Flowery Branch, East Hall, and Lakeview Academy each advancing in the boys bracket on the opening day of the three-day event at the Lakeview Academy gym on Thursday.
Flowery Branch opened the boys bracket with a 71-22 demolition of North Hall. The Falcons used a 14-1 run to open the game and led 40-13 at halftime. The Trojans managed just two free throws in the third quarter as Flowery Branch cruised to the easy victory.
Lakeview’s Adam Cottrell poured in 20 points to lead the Lions past Chestatee 62-49 . It was a back-and-forth affair much of first half until the Lions pulled away in the second half.
East Hall got 13 points from Jayvion Rucker and DJ Gray as the Vikings used a 22-2 run in the second quarter to erase an early 4-point West Hall advantage. The Vikings pulled away in the second half for an 83-60 win .
Gainesville exploded for a 27-4 run in the first half against Johnson and then rolled to a 107-46 win in the nightcap. Xavier Bledson poured in 19 points to lead 14 Red Elephants’ scorers.
On Friday, the tournament will move to Flowery Branch High School. Lakeview Academy and East Hall will meet in the first 4:30 p.m. semifinal while Gainesville and Flowery Branch will clash in the 7:30 p.m. semifinal.
GAINESVILLE BOYS 107,
JOHNSON 46
Gainesville never trailed but the Red Elephants led Johnson just 6-5 in the opening two minutes and just 13-12 late in the first quarter. But they exploded for a 16-0 run to close out the first quarter for a 29-12 lead.
Gainesville continued the onslaught opening the second quarter with an 11-4 spurt for a 40-16 lead. The Knights never got closer than 25 points the rest of the way.
The Red Elephants led 59-21 at halftime, 88-33 at the end of the third quarter, and led by as many as 65 in the fourth quarter.
All 14 players on the Gainesville bench played and all 14 scored, led by Xavier Bledson’s 19 points. Jarred Rosser and KJ Buffen had 12 points each and Brent Kelly chipped in 11 for the Red Elephants.
Johnson as led by Chandler Jones, Danny Garcia, and Jesse Harbin with 7 points each.
Gainesville will take on Flowery Branch in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. at Flowery Branch. Johnson will take on North Hall in the consolation round at 1:30 p.m. at Flowery Branch.
EAST HALL BOYS 83,
WEST HALL 60
The Vikings used a 22-2 run to begin the second quarter to blow open a close game en route to the big win.
East Hall (5-5) had 11 players score, led by Jayvion Rucker and DJ Gray with 13 points apiece. Starters Luke Holtzclaw and Luke Cooper, in just three quarters of work, added 11 points and 8 points, respectively.
West Hall (5-8) led 8-4 early after Tae Reid capped an 8-0 burst. After the teams traded three leads, the Vikings reclaimed the lead for good at 14-13 on a Cooper basket and took a 16-13 advantage into the second quarter.
The Vikings exploded in the second period turning eight West Hall turnovers into a 38-15 lead. They led 45-25 at halftime.
West Hall cut the lead to 16 early in the third quarter but East Hall outscored the Spartans 19-10 over the final minutes of the period for a 66-41 lead. The Vikings led by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Noah Edmondson led West Hall with 13 points. DJ Buffington added 11 points for the Spartans.
East Hall will take on Lakeview Academy in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. at Flowery Branch. West Hall will take on Chestatee in the consolation round at 10:30 a.m. at Flowery Branch.
LAKEVIEW ACADEMY BOYS 62,
CHESTATEE 49
The Lions survived the hot-shooting of the War Eagles to pull away in the second half and advance to their second straight semifinals.
Chestatee opened the game with an 11-5 run as the War Eagles hit their first three 3-pointers, two by Cooper Wilson and one from Cameron Gwyn. But Lakeview found its offense in the final minutes of the first quarter to close out the period with a 9-1 run and a 14-12 lead.
The War Eagles started the second quarter strong using a 5-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. After Lakeview’s Adam Cottrell tied the game at 17 on a 3-pointer, the two teams traded the lead four times before the Lions took a 27-25 lead into the intermission.
Lakeview came out firing to open the third quarter and outscored Chestatee 20-13 in the quarter for a 47-38 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. The Lions used an 8-4 spurt to take a 55-42 lead and then held off a late Chestatee charge to get the victory.
Lakeview will take on East Hall winner in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. at Flowery Branch. Chestatee will take on -West Hall in the consolation round at 10:30 a.m. at Flowery Branch.
FLOWERY BRANCH BOYS 71,
NORTH HALL 22
The Falcons had 10 players score and held the Trojans to just nine second half points in taking the lopsided victory.
Flowery Branch opened the game with a 14-1 run and led 40-13 by halftime. The Falcons used a 20-2 third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Justin Quick paced Flowery Branch with 19 points. Patsheko Lutumba added 13 points and Myles Janess and Angel Rivera both chipped in 9 points for the Falcons.
North Hall was led by Noah Holman and Nate Nixon with just 5 points each.
Flowery Branch will take on Gainesville in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. at Flowery Branch. North Hall will take on Johnson in the consolation round at 1:30 p.m. at Flowery Branch.
2017 LANIERLAND SCHEDULE
Semifinals and consolation round - Friday at Flowery Branch
9 a.m. - Girls consolation, Chestatee girls vs. Gainesville
10:30 a.m. - Boys consolation, Chestatee vs. West Hall
Noon - Girls consolation, Lakeview Academy vs. Johnson
1:30 p.m. - Boys consolation, North Hall vs. Johnson
3 p.m. - Girls semifinal, West Hall vs. East Hall -- Radio: 1240 AM
4:30 p.m. - Boys semifinal, East Hall vs. Lakeview Academy -- Radio: 1240 AM
6 p.m. - Girls semifinal, North Hall vs. Flowery Branch -- Radio: 550 AM/102.9 FM
7:30 p.m. - Boys semifinal, Gainesville vs. Flowery Branch -- Radio: 550 AM/102.9 FM
Finals and consolation round - Saturday at Flowery Branch
9 a.m. - Girls consolation
10:30 a.m. - Boys consolation
Noon - Girls consolation
1:30 p.m. - Boys consolation
3 p.m. - Girls third place game
4:30 p.m. - Boys third place game
6 p.m. - Girls championship -- Radio: 550 AM/102.9 FM
7:30 p.m. - Boys championship -- Radio: 550 AM/102.9 FM
