GREENE COUNTY
After hiring two new head coaches for both the girls and boys basketball programs, Lake Oconee Academy hosted its first home game of the 2022 season.
The defending state champion Lady Titans took the court first at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and defeated Athens Christian 62-45. The boys’ team followed immediately after but fell to the Eagles 64-47 in its contest.
As its new girls’ head coach, LOA hired Savannah Soles, an assistant off last year’s coaching staff.
Soles had her girls pressing from the beginning of the game and would have her team drop back into zone after the ball crossed halfcourt.
The Lady Titans also return their top seven scorers from last season, including each of their starting five, and the experience on the court was noticeable.
Athens Christian tried to press, especially as the game progressed, but Soles was able to slow her team down and limit its mistakes. Lake Oconee Academy led by a comfortable margin at halftime and didn’t let up.
Players like Georgia Bosart and Jada Williams controlled possession most of the second half, and teammates Hannah Heinen, Jane Monachello and Kensi Stevens all knocked down shots from the outside.
As the game came to a close, the Lady Titans defense became suffocating and they pulled away from the Eagles to win by 17.
Heading forward, Soles has a talented roster with a relatively deep bench that she can use if need be. Look for the Lady Titans to make some noise in Class A Division II in hopes of defending their title.
Lake Oconee Academy’s boys’ team also revamped its coaching staff by bringing in first-year head coach Josiah Rechenbach.
Rechenbach comes to a program with years of basketball experience. He played at the collegiate level at Johnson University in Tennessee and has coached multiple travel teams and middle-school programs.
After not winning a game last season, Rechenbach led the Titans to a victory in its seasonopener last Saturday against Taliaferro.
Unfortunately, Athens Christian was just too much for Lake Oconee Academy in the second half on Tuesday.
The Titans went down by double digits early in the second quarter but battled their way back to cut the deficit to two with less than a minute to go before halftime.
Players like William Goss, Robert Bosart and Lawson Shurling were able to connect from beyond the arc while Ja’quon Hall and Rhett Smith battled in the paint.
Smith would end the game as the Titans’ leading scorer with 15 while Bosart added 14.
Only being down five, the Titans came out hungry in the second half but were unable to find a rhythm offensively. The Eagles would outscore Rechenbach’s squad 34-19 in the second half to win by 17.
The boys’ team is now 1-1 on the year while the girls are 3-0. The Titans and Lady Titans will take on East Jackson at home on Friday.