BASKETBALL: East Laurens boys finish off feisty fight with Thomasville, fly on to second round

The East Laurens boys were tested – as much by their hard luck around the basket as the Thomasville Bulldogs – in a grinding first-round home game Wednesday night. 

Getting even the closest of shots to fall was a major chore as they fought to put away a modest lead held for most of the evening. 

But the Falcons overcame on defense, and at the free throw line, to pull through and chalk up the 71-59 win. 

They’re now headed to Rome to play Model Saturday in the second round, with a tipoff time of 6 p.m. 

The East Laurens girls, meanwhile, learned their opponent in a second-rounder set for the same time Friday night back at home. The Lady Falcons will play host to Bremen as they also search out a second-straight berth in the state quarterfinals. 

Each of the Falcons’ main members of the Class of 2025 went out with a big night. 

Rashund Washington Jr. doubled up in points (25) and rebounds (16)… and in slam dunks, with two in quick first-half succession. Ty Snead added 19 points, nine boards and three steals. Fellow senior Kemo Mitchell had 16 points and six re’s. 

Thomasville hardly shot the lights out, but did knock down some big 3s to keep the first half of action nice and cozy. Monte Coleman and Antoine Garland Jr. drained two each in the first quarter, and Garland hit a third to complete a 5-0 Bulldog run in the first minute of the second to tie the game at 21. 

And the rest of the half was an even exchange on the way to a 33-apiece dead heat, courtesy of a putback by Keymon Jefferson, at intermission. 

East Laurens, by contrast, hit just a pair out of three tries from outside with one in either half, staying mostly with the slash-and-dash style that its length and quickness has made effective all season. 

And that, going along with a not-too-shabby 21-for-29 night shooting free throws, was enough to outrun the Bulldogs, who played some physical D and did the best they could to cause problems throughout the game. 

The Falcons, for their part, tried to do the same with a 1-2-1-1 zone press covering most of the court that succeeded at getting in Thomasville’s way as it tried to establish an early rhythm. 

They forced two early 10-second violations, but didn’t get a turnover till one was poked loose for a runout by Washington, who was shoved in the back by a defender on his way toward the basket on a foul that would be reversed by a quick technical whistled in the other direction, sending Thomasville to the other free throw line. 

It was the first of many chances to even the score that the Bulldogs took advantage of in the early half, though East Laurens (18-7, 8-5 region 2-High A) ran out front on the stretches in between visiting rallies, later in the first to go up 12-7 on a 5-0 run that was all Washington. 

A rash of charges and 3-second calls put both offenses in neutral for a good portion of the second that both finished out with a free throw-shooting contest. 

The first part of the third remained a very slow slog for each. 

East Laurens never trailed, but got tied up a couple of times in some lengthy gaps between baskets. The game seemed to finally turn as Washington spun to find Snead in the corner for a stepback 3 that took the Falcons’ two-point edge up to five with a minute and 12 seconds to go. 

They hit four more free throws in the remaining time to extend the lead to 53-44, and create some needed breathing room. 

The run continued with a quick Snead lay-in to make it 55-44. Thomasville would chisel that advantage down to four by about the halfway mark of the fourth period, but East Laurens responded with five unanswered in about a minute’s time to get the number back up to nine with 3:21. 

Another Snead lay-in shortly after made it 11, which was enough to do it. 

The Falcons finished the evening with 36 rebounds and 11 steals. 

Washington’s stat line also included team-highs in assists (4) and steals (3, for a tie with Snead).