GREENE COUNTY
The Lake Oconee Academy boys’ basketball team has gotten hot over the holidays after winning two of its last four regular season games to end the year.
The Titans picked up their second region victory last Friday defeating the Georgia School for Innovation and Classics (GSIC) Patriots 73-61.
Most recently, first-year head coach Josiah Rechenbach led his squad to a 50-37 win over the Atlanta International Eagles this past Tuesday, a team Lake Oconee Academy lost to twice last season.
The newfound success has stemmed from the Titans’ ability to pick it up on the offensive side of the ball. The win over GSIC actually marked the most points Lake Oconee Academy has scored in a game since the program began in 2016.
Rechenbach’s offense was averaging less than 45 points per game through the first six games of the season; however, the Titans are averaging over 51 points per game through their last four.
Senior ball-handler William Goss has facilitated a lot around the perimeter while Rhett Smith and Ja’quon Hall have helped the Titans play bigger in the paint.
Lake Oconee Academy has also tightened down on the defensive side of the ball as well. In that same split, the Titans have given up five points less per game over their last four than through its first six contests.
Even though it may look like a slow start to some, this has been the Titans’ most successful season to date, and it’s not even halfway over.
Rechenbach has led the team to three wins so far this season, which is the same amount of wins the program has accrued over the past three years and tied for the most in a single season since 2018-19.
Looking ahead, Lake Oconee Academy’s next game will come against Warren County on Jan. 3. The team will also host its cross-town rival, Greene County the Friday after.
The Titans have never won more than two region games in a year, and the games against the Screaming Devils and Tigers that start off the new year will be their next opportunity to do so.