GAINESVILLE -- Starting just his second game, Flowery Branch freshman James Hodges showed he could be one of the top players in Hall County by season's end.
Hodges poured in a career-high 24 points, including seven points to break a 53-53 tie with Johnson to lead the Falcons to a 62-59, come-from-behind victory over the Knights in the first round of the 51st Lanierland Tournament at the Chestatee gym.
Hodges converted an offensive rebound into basket, drained a 3-pointer, and then hit two free throws in consecutive possessions to give Flowery Branch a 59-53 lead they would never relinquish.
Falcons coach Duke Mullis said Hodges has been playing his way into more playing time in the early part of the season.
"We felt all along he could be a special player but he was still learning our system and learning how to be more consistent," Mullis said. "He has a way of being around the ball and he played a tremendous game today."
Hodges spurt came during an 11-0 run over a three minute stretch. The Knights were not done, however, getting a pair of free throws from Ty Odem, a basket from Matt Hollis, and two more free throws from Jalen Bowens to pull within 62-59 with 14 seconds left.
Johnson would force a Flowery Branch turnover and get two shots to tie the game, including a 3-point attempt from Bowens at the buzzer that bounced in-and-out of the rim as time expired.
Mullis said he was pleased with how his team battled from three separate double-digit deficits.
"It was good to see the kids respond when they got down," Mullis said. "That's been a problem for us but we challenged them at halftime to show what they were made of."
In the third quarter Flowery Branch held the Knights to just five points while rallying to take a 47-45 lead into halftime. Johnson would rally to start the fourth quarter with an 8-1 run, capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Bowens for a 53-48 lead.
The two teams traded 3-pointers the lead seven times in the first quarter alone before the Knights got going. Johnson drained eight 3-pointers, including back-to-back treys from Cam Schofield and Matt Hollis to cap a 24-9 run and a 38-24 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Falcons, however, would respond in the final 1:21 with a 9-2 run, fueled by six consecutive points from Hodges, to get within 40-33 at the end of the half.
Rudy DeAza added 18 points for Flowery Branch on six 3-pointers. Jason Woodruff had nine points on three 3-pointers for the Falcons.
Hollis finished with 22 points to lead Johnson, but just seven after halftime. Bowens had 13 points, nine in the fourth quarter, and Cam Schofield had nine points for the Knights.
The Falcons (3-3) will play the winner of North Hall vs. Lakeview contest in a semifinal showdown at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at West Hall High in Oakwood.
The Knights (6-2) will play loser of North Hall vs. Lakeview contest at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Chestatee.
Check back throughout the day for score and game updates from the Lanierland Tournament.
Tuesday
May 6th, 2025
10:19AM
