MACON, Ga. — There is never a good time to go nearly five minutes without scoring a point.
That kind of stretch came at perhaps the worst time for LaGrange on Saturday against Columbia in the GHSA Class AAA championship, and a 54-46 loss was the result for the Grangers. LaGrange entered the game seeking an unbeaten championship season but saw those hopes crushed by a third quarter in which LaGrange didn’t score its first point until 3:08 remained in the quarter.
By then, the damage was done. LaGrange, which trailed 20-16 at halftime, found itself down 31-18 late in the third quarter and never recovered.
The title is the third since 2006 for Columbia, which also claimed the girls title earlier Saturday.
That title was solidified largely in the third quarter, when seemingly every shot put up by the Grangers, near or close to the basket, was either off the mark or bounced off the rim. Columbia, on the other hand, had no such troubles, getting scoring from five different players in a 13-2 run during the early part of the third quarter.
Even after LaGrange awoke from its scoring slumber with a Jamius Gunsby layup, there was no stopping Columbia, especially JerShon Cobb. Cobb kept the Eagles’ offense going, pouring in 22 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter when the Grangers ramped up their defensive intensity with a fullcourt press at times.
But the deficit was too much for LaGrange to overcome as a result of its cold shooting spell in the third quarter. Royal Thomas led LaGrange with 13 points.
Columbia was on the verge of pulling away in the second quarter, leading 18-10 when Darnelius Sessions’ tip-in put the Eagles ahead 18-10. But the Grangers rallied, first on an open jumper by Martez Johnson and a Thomas layup to trim Columbia’s lead to 20-14. Another LaGrange shot, also from Johnson, cut Columbia’s lead to 20-16 with a minute left in the first half, putting the Grangers in contention after a half of play.
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