Boys 3rd round playoffs: Tri-Cities ends Raiders record-setting run

MT. AIRY, Ga. — The disappointment, and part sadness, on the face of Habersham Central boys coach Tommy Yancey said it all.

“It was a tough night, but I just told them thank you and that I was proud of them,” Yancey said he told his group following the Raiders’ 92-74 loss to Tri-Cities in the Class 5A quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The Raiders rolled into Wednesday’s Elite 8 showdown on the heels of the program’s best-ever season by far. The wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs were the first-ever in program history. That came after capturing their first-ever Region 8-5A title.

And there was plenty to be proud of for sure on Wednesday as they hung with the powerful Bulldogs for the better part of three-plus quarters. But they also will think about just how close they really were despite never leading in the entire game.

The Raiders (27-4) missed eight layups in the first three quarters. They also struggled with the Bulldogs press, committing a dozen turnovers in the first half alone that led to a dozen points.

Habersham Central could never get into an offensive rhythm as the Bulldogs harassed them on every possession.

“Their length kind of bothered us all night. It just set us off a little bit timing-wise (on offense),” Yancey said. “Maybe we were in sets and too rushed, and that's that's on me when we're rushed. When we're missing layups, a lot of times it's because we're rushed. But yeah, I thought the score was much closer than what the final says.”

Tri-Cities (24-6) jumped out to a 5-0 lead on a Tre Keith 3-pointe,r but Habersham Central cut it to 9-8 on Jalen Davis’s second 3-pointer in the opening minutes. That would be as close as the Raiders would get the entire night.

The Bulldogs firepower was on full display as Keith, who has offers from Georgia and UCF, hit two more treys. Sean Vandorn, a Georgia Southern commit, and Jalan Wingfield, who has 13 Power 4 offers as a junior, dominated the inside on both ends, each getting a block and a dunk in the opening period.

But a Jake Mihalik 3-pointer later in the period trimmed it 19-16 for Habersham before Tri-Cities went on its first big run into the second quarter for a 33-21 advantage. The Bulldogs took a 43-31 lead into halftime.

The lead stayed near a dozen until a JoJo McCurry basket capped a 7-0 Habersham spurt to pull the Raiders within 61-54 with just over a minute left in the third.

But any comeback attempts were thwarted as Tri-Cities answered with a 13-4 run into the fourth for a 74-58 lead, essentially ending the Raiders bid for a first-ever Final 4 appearance.

“In games like this, it's going to be the hotter shooting team. And (Tri-Cities) were hot tonight,” Yancey said. “That’s a testament and credit to their coaching staff and their players. They played a great game.”

Keith led Tri-Cities with 31 points, tying a career-high for the sophomore guard. Vandorn had 29 points and Wingfield 17 for the Bulldogs.

Davis had 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and Enzo Combs had 17 points in their final games for the Raiders. Mihalik added 19 points for Habersham Central.

(See below for the entire schedule of Wednesday's 3rd round games:)