BASKETBALL: West Laurens girls come up point short in third-place game; 2-seeds win Friday’s 4-AAA titles

The West Laurens Lady Raiders made the bounce-back they needed in Friday’s region 4-AAA consolation game, but suffered a heartbreaking loss to Hephzibah that came down to the final handful of possessions. 

And a last of those misfired as they set up a full-court inbound play, but had an overthrown pass toward the opposite baseline get a step or two out of reach to give the ball back over to the Lady Rebels to run out the clock. 

Ja’Halee Snead (14 points), Brooklyn Jackson (13) and Demmie Moss (10) led West Laurens offensively amid some wild momentum swings in what head coach Tyler Rogers described as a “legit back-and-forth game.” 

The Lady Raiders were ahead by seven after a strong first quarter, but lost a lot of that momentum as Jackson hit some foul trouble in the second, and Hephzibah gained a lead of three by the half. 

A six-point swing in the third flipped it back to a West Laurens advantage of the same number entering the fourth. 

The Lady Raiders, seeded 22nd, will go on the road as they open the AAA state playoffs at Luella Thursday. 

In the rest of Friday’s 4-AAA tournament action, Harlem’s boys routed Hephzibah 72-49 for third place, and the second seeds won out in both the evening’s finals. 

Baldwin’s girls scored the last eight points in a come-from-behind effort to defeat Cross Creek 40-35, and win their third region crown in a row. 

The ball never crossed over into the Razorbacks’ offensive half over a sequence of three possessions in the final half-minute that saw Baldwin hit three consecutive field goals and two free throws to capitalize on a technical foul. 

Conniya Reaves, who hit the go-ahead jumper and both ensuing foul shots above, led the Bravettes with 17 points. 

In the boys’ title game, the last word belonged to Cross Creek, whose Frashad Tisby made a shot to tie, and two to put the Razorbacks ahead in the last two minutes before getting a hand on an attempt by Baldwin’s Josiah Billups at the buzzer to seal the 53-51 victory. 

Karez Demory scored 19, including two for the Braves’ last-minute equalizer, and Zion Grant chipped in 14.