MORGAN COUNTY
The Lake Oconee Academy boys’ basketball team is still in the hunt for favorable region tournament seeding as the regular season winds down.
The Titans recently hosted the Taliaferro County Jaguars and were able to add another win to their region record after coming out on top 59-32 last Tuesday night.
After the win over Taliaferro, the Titans dropped three straight games to Lincoln County, GSIC and Washington Wilkes. They’re now sitting at 3-8 in region play but in a good spot, although head coach Josiah Rechenbach is looking for consistency down the stretch.
“At this point in the season as we approach February, the biggest thing with our guys is just finding consistency,” Rechenbach said. “You know, we’ve had an up-and-down year, but we’ve battled with some really good teams and struggled with other teams, so as we go down this homestretch, I’m hoping our guys can play their best ball.”
LOA, indeed, played some of its best basketball in the victory over the Jaguars, and it was a group effort.
Senior point guard Will Goss led the team in scoring during the home win and contributed a good bit from behind the arc. Goss ended the game with five 3-pointers and multiple assists to get other Titans some looks at the basket.
The Titans also saw production from most of its big men down low. Players like Rhett Smith, Ja’quon Hall and Thomas Miller were able to limit the Jaguars on the boards, which led to more opportunities for scoring on offense.
On the defensive end of the court, Lake Oconee Academy swarmed to the ball most of the game causing Taliaferro County players to turn the ball over.
The Titans forced 17 turnovers in the game and kept the Jaguars' scoring to a minimum. The away team only had one player in double digits, and the Titans were just too much for the Jaguars that night.
Rechenbach acknowledged the Titans can be a competitive team when the guys play for all four quarters.
“The boys were able to put it together for all four quarters and execute what we wanted to see happen,” Rechenbach said. “A lot of things just clicked at the right times, and it was a good effort from our guys. I was proud of the performance they were able to put together last Tuesday, and I think we can be successful if we execute like that.”
Looking ahead, Lake Oconee Academy has five more regular season games left on its schedule before the region tournament begins in the middle of February.
With the opportunity for the postseason still wide open, Rechenbach knows there is still work to be done for this group of Titan basketball players.
“At the beginning of the year, we gave these guys goals, and they have achieved some of them, but there is still a good bit on the list we have not achieved,” Rechenbach said. “There’s a lot left to be desired, and this group specifically has five seniors who all get playing time, so we want to use this moment to help lay the foundation for the direction our program is headed.”