GAINESVILLE — It is certainly understandable if Shad Dabney and the Riverside Military Academy basketball team have a chip on their shoulders.
The Eagles are one of just two Hall County boys teams to be ranked in their respective classification. They came into Friday’s monster Region 8-A showdown with the other ranked team, Lakeview Academy, a perfect 2-0 against Hall County teams. And, they felt slighted after being denied a spot in the annual Lanierland Tournament.
The rather large chip was on full display at the Lakeview gym as Dabney and the Eagles pulled away late for an impressive 75-66 win over the Lions.
Dabney poured in a game-high 28 points from nearly every angle imaginable. Isaac Teasley added 20 points and Khalid Duke 16 as the Lakeview defense could do little to stop the trio.
“We wanted to win this to show that we can play with Hall County teams,” Dabney said. “But our goal is to win region so this was a big win for us.”
Riverside coach Marvin Latham said his squad executed their game plan near perfect.
“We wanted the ball in Shad’s hands. Not too many guys can stop him 1-on-1 and he did a great job of finishing and finding guys,” Latham said. “Shad is finding his groove right now. We made some mistakes but overall I was very pleased with how we played.”
The win pushed the Class A Private No. 5-ranked Eagles (16-4, 7-1 Region 8-A) into temporary sole possession of first place in the region. They came in tied with 9th-ranked Lakeview (16-7, 6-2) and Athens Academy (14-2, 7-1) which whipped Commerce 69-50 on Friday. They left owning a full game lead on the Lions and tied with the Spartans with just two games left in the regular season.
However, Riverside owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Spartans with a 57-49 win on the road two weeks ago. The Eagles improved to a perfect 5-0 on the road in region play.
“This was an important game because getting that No. 1 seed gives you that extra day off,” Latham said. “Now we just need to stay focused over the final week.”
After the two teams traded the lead seven times, with the Lions holding a 41-38 lead following five consecutive points by Adam Cottrell, Riverside used a 12-0 spurt late in the third quarter to grab the lead for good. Duke poured in six of his points during the run, which was capped by an Ariel Clark basket for a 50-41 advantage.
Lakeview rallied within 56-53 early in the fourth quarter on an Arturo Varela three-point play and a Cottrell basket off a feed from Blake McIntyre. But they could get no closer.
The Eagles answered that with a 10-2 capped by a Duke basket following a pair of Dabney free throws for a 66-55 lead, their biggest of the game. Dabney was 11-of-14 from the line for the game.
Lakeview managed one last run cutting the lead to 68-64 on a Sam Stewart bucket but the Eagles hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
The first half was a battle of point guards as Dabney and McIntyre put on a show.
Dabney poured in 11 of the Eagles’ 17 first-quarter points on a variety of drives and jumpers. Many of his baskets came off Lakeview turnovers or fastbreak opportunities as Riverside built a 17-11 lead. He finished with 18 first-half points.
McIntyre nearly matched Dabney with 16 first-half points, including three 3-pointers. McIntyre poured in 13 in the second quarter as he helped the Lions erase the 17-11 deficit with a 14-4 run to open the frame to grab a 25-21 lead. From there the two teams traded the lead three times with Teasley converting a beautiful dish from Michael Poteat with just 2 seconds left to give Riverside a 36-34 halftime lead.
McIntyre, however, was held to just 4 points in the second half but still finished with 20 to lead Lakeview. Cottrell had 16 points and Varela 14 points for the Lions.
The free throw line was a key as Riverside was 20-of-26 for the game while Lakeview was just 5-of-9 from the line.
