North GA Showcase notebook

North GA Showcase notebook

By Robert Alfonso Jr

Gainesville, GA – There was a full slate of basketball for the North Georgia Showcase at Lakeview Academy. The marquee matchup was between Holy Innocents’ and East Hall.

This featured recent Holy Innocents’ Caleb Wilson, a recent North Carolina commit and East Hall’s Braydon Langston, who is one of the top players in the Class of 2027.

Holy Innocents dominates East Hall

Holy Innocents’ was out to make a statement. After its 86-38 victory, the statement was made. The Bears are gearing up for region tournament play and preparing for the state tournament in a few weeks.

Holy Innocents controlled the game from the opening tip to the final whistle. The Bears flexed their will and strength against a young Vikings team. Recent North Carolina commit and McDonald’s game selection, Caleb Wilson led all scorers with 18 points. Many thought he had more points because the 6-foot-10 forward was either getting to the basket or making others around him better. Wilson had other players show up and out with Devin Hutcherson, Clark Thurman, and Khalid Worthy Jr. Hutcherson finished with 16 points. Thurman had a 12-point outing. Worthy added 10 points.

Both teams came in ranked second in their respective classifications in MaxPreps power rankings. The Lions trailed North Cobb Christian in the private school rankings. East Hall trailed Cherokee Bluff, who they beat on the road Friday night in a region game.

Depth propels Rabun Gap to victory

Rabun Gap’s depth and size were more than enough to help them to a 66-61 victory over Cedar Shoals. The Eagles got production from several different players in the scorebook. They were led by RJ Lacossade, Rares Trandefir, Borin Kitanovski, Filip Pasek, and Jakob Pasek.

Lacossade had a team-high 20 points The Turk and Caicos native was hard to guard on the perimeter. This junior guard attacked the rim and nailed jumpers from all over. Kitanovski added 12 points for the Eagles. The Macedonia native is a junior who displayed tremendous efficiency and athleticism. Trandefir dominated inside with his 6-foot-11 frame adding 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Pasek twins ran the team and applied pressure combining for 16 assists.

Cedar Shoals did not have enough production on their side of the floor. They only had three players to score for them. Leading the way for them was DJ Hubbard. The junior guard finished with a game-high 33 points nailing four 3-pointers. Destin Foote added 19 points. Tybias Lay chipped in with nine points.

Lakeview has a complete game

Lakeview put together a relatively complete game against Furtah Prep. The Lions roared out to a good start and never let up on defense for a 79-53 win at home. Lakeview had three seniors Tayden Ware, Jude Ellis, and Justyce Sadler leading the way. Ware attacked the rim and finished through contact and a few thunderous dunks. Sadler was the catalyst on the defensive end and scoring on the interior while grabbing a slew of rebounds. Ellis helped handle the offense to push the pace. Lakeview, who won the GIAA state championship last season, is geared up to make another run after this performance.

This was the biggest defeat Furtah Prep (19-4) has suffered all season. They have lost to three public schools on its schedule. Furtah just didn’t have enough to overcome the Lions’ defensive intensity and three-point shooting.

Lakeview girls win second straight

After a hard-fought game Friday night, the Lions took the floor and dominated both ends of the floor for a 70-41 win over Forsyth Central. There was a trio of Lions in Emyrie Combs, Natalie Turner, and Nicole Tuner. They combined for 30 points. Combs controlled with her pace and patience. She was playing downhill and setting teammates up for easy scoring opportunities. The Lions, the defending GIAA state champions, are putting things together to make another title run.