GREENE COUNTY
The Greene County boys’ basketball team got back on the right track by beating a region rival last Friday night to start the new year.
The Tigers traveled to Lake Oconee Academy for their first region game of 2023 and defeated the Titans 47-37.
LOA actually came out with the momentum of the home crowd and jumped out to an early 9-2 lead to start the first quarter. Sophomores Thomas Miller and Torin Maddox both made shots from beyond the arc and helped the other Titan defenders in their full-court press.
Greene County weathered the early storm, however, and started playing more aggressively on the defensive end of the court.
Laryous Burt played a key role in the Tigers’ press and led to multiple transition layups. Sophomore Steve Miller benefited the most from the steals, making multiple fast-break layups and going to the free-throw line multiple times. With the fast-paced game favoring the visiting team, Titans’ head coach Josiah Rechenbach called a timeout to try to stop the Tigers’ early counter-push.
When the game finally slowed down a little, Greene County found itself in front at the end of the first quarter.
Once both teams started running sets in the halfcourt, Greene County’s Ryder Eschbach capitalized on a couple of opportunities from deep and gave the Tigers a 3-point scoring threat as the game went on.
Tigers’ head coach Mark Wright had all of his guys playing with high intensity, and it carried into the later parts of the game.
After the first quarter, both defenses really made it tough for the other team to score, which is what resulted in the low-scoring contest. It was the lowest-scoring win that Greene County has had all season.
Even though the win is big for the Tigers, both teams are still very much in the hunt to finish in a good spot in the region standings come tournament time. Greene County is currently sitting at 4-2 in the region while Lake Oconee Academy sits at 2-3.
The Tigers prepare to host the Hurricanes of Jasper County Friday before a string of region games next week.
As for the Titans, the rest of their schedule will be against region opponents with its next matchup coming against the Indians of Towns County Friday night.