Lee hands Bob Jones their first loss
The top-ranked teams from 5A and 6A took to the court at the Bob Jones gym on Saturday evening. The much-anticipated matchup drew a packed house as Lee fans streamed in well after the 7 p.m. tip off and filled the balconies. The game lived up to the billing and was not decided until the last second.
Trailing by two points, Lee’s Bobby Strickland hit a pull up jump shot from behind the 3-point line with the clock at less than 1 second to give the Lee Generals a 55-54 win over previously unbeaten Bob Jones. Lee’s record is now 16-8 and Bob Jones is now 21-1.
Both teams had already clinched area titles so with the pressure of area races behind them, the game took on an atmosphere of free-wheeling playground style basketball. Despite the loss to his alma mater, Bob Jones coach Danny Petty was upbeat after the game.
“The guys took it hard and are upset but its just one game. Maybe it will take some pressure off of us about being unbeaten,” said Petty.
From the outset it was clear Lee was unlike any team Bob Jones has faced this season. The Generals full court press and pressure defense was non-stop. Bob Jones ball handlers turned the ball over a season high 13 times. Lee also shot almost 50 percent from behind the 3-point line going 7-16 and shot 42 percent for the game from the field.
After a close first quarter Lee grabbed their biggest lead of the first half at 29-24 after a steal and layup by Bobby Strickland. For Bob Jones’ Tyler Davis struggled with the press and could not find the range on his shots going 1-7 from the field and 0-3 from 3-point land in the first half which ended 29-27 Lee leading.
The Patriots got big three point shots from Kevin Wright, Brandon Harris, Travon Landry, and Reggie Ragland to keep it close.
Having one of his best games of the season for the Patriots was Ragland who put Bob Jones ahead early in the second half. His free throws put Bob Jones up 38-33 but Lee would not go away.
Eric Robertson hit a three to cut the lead to two and he hit another one early in the fourth quarter. But he also committed his fourth foul in the third quarter and fouled out at 3:47 of the fourth quarter. With him went his12 points and Lee’s top player.
Lee burned Bob Jones on the fast break especially in the fourth quarter as the Generals took a 49-44 lead with 3 minutes left.
Bob Jones fought back behind Jeffrey Moss who broke the press and hit a jumper. A steal and slam by Ragland finished a 6-0 Bob Jones run to take back the lead. After Lee’s Jordan Elliot buried a three, Moss hit another shot to give Bob Jones the lead at 54-52 with 8.8 second left. After a time out, Strickland dribbled the clock down and nailed a shot from behind the three-point line as time expired. The Lee fans erupted when they realized they had ended Bob Jones winning streak that had reached 21 games.
For Bob Jones, Ragland was the leading scorer with19 points but it wasn’t enough as Lee’s Bobby Strickland had 17 and Jordan Elliot had 12.
“They are a very talented and athletic team and they have great size and good ball handlers. They were the best team we have faced this season,” Petty said.
Bob Jones will play close out area play at Decatur on Monday night.
