DAHLONEGA — The Lumpkin County boys did not let a little thing like coach Jeff Steele’s retirement sendoff distract them Friday night.
The Indians trailed Fannin County 4-0 early but used an 11-3 run to grab the lead and then held off the Rebels down the stretch for a 53-44 win at the Lumpkin County gym.
“It was an emotional night for me, for sure,” Steele said. “I had a lot of my former players be here, which was just great, and it was hard at the beginning. It was just a great night overall.”
The win for the Indians (8-12, 4-5 Region 7-3A) was their second straight after a four-game losing streak. They led by as many as 10 points, 27-17, late in the second quarter and by as many as 11 in the waning seconds.
The Rebels (4-14, 0-9 Region 7-3A) used a late first-half rally to close the gap to 27-20 by halftime and then pulled within 31-30 midway through the third quarter. But Lumpkin answered with a 14-5 run into the fourth quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from Jacob Cumbie, to maintain control.
Lumpkin County got balanced scoring with Cumbie, who also pulled down 10 rebounds, Chandler Pulley, and Gus Faulkner all pouring in 12 points.
Fannin County was led by Jerritt Holloway with 11 points. Jordan Bennett added 10 points for the Rebels.
“This was a big win for us,” Steele said. “It solidified at least the fifth spot for us (in the region). I think we’re playing pretty well right now so we just need to keep doing what we’re doing.”
LUMPKIN COUNTY GIRLS 53,
FANNIN COUNTY 47
Lumpkin County used a 13-0 run to close out the game to knock off the Class 3A sixth-ranked Lady Rebels in a big game for both teams.
The win for the Lady Indians (12-8, 4-5 Region 7-3A) moved them into a statistical tie with Fannin County (13-7, 4-5 Region 7-3A) as the two teams split their regular-season meetings.
“Hopefully this will give us some momentum heading into the final couple of weeks,” Lumpkin County coach David Dowse said. “It was big for the standings as well.”
Lumpkin County opened strong with a 16-8 first quarter but watched as the Lady Rebels rallied to tie the game at 16 late in the second quarter. But the Lady Indians responded with a 9-2 run over the final 1:25 of the half for a 25-18 halftime lead.
Isabel Davenport was huge in the opening 16 minutes pouring in 20 points, including four 3-pointers, for Lumpkin County.
But Fannin County switched defenses to key on Davenport in the third quarter and outscored the Lady Indians 21-13 to grab a 39-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
And, the Lady Rebels extended the lead to 47-40 with just under five minutes left as Lumpkin County went cold from the field. But it was a Davenport 3-pointer, her first basket of the second half, that ignited the big closing run.
Baskets by Kate Jackson Lexi Pierce, both off feeds from Davenport, and then another Davenport 3-pointer, in just over two minutes, reclaimed the lead for the Lady Indians and they held on from there.
“Isabel played well but the rest of the group really stepped up when (Fannin County) started double-teaming Isabel,” Dowse said. “They did a great job playing as a team. There were some big plays, big shots, and a couple of big blocks. Really proud of the girls.”
Davenport finished with 26 points to lead Lumpkin County. Pierce added 14 points and Jackson had 4 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Indians.
Morgan Holt had 13 points to lead Fannin County. Reagan York chipped in 10 points for the Lady Rebels.
