Hondo Franklin made the biggest shot of the season so far for Butler when fellow senior Jashaun Belton found him in the right corner for a three pointer that stripped the net with 15 seconds remaining and gave Butler a 54-53 win over No. 7 Thomson. Butler improved to 4-3 in Class 2A, Region 4 action, and the win moved Butler into a tie for third place with Thomson, who fell to 4-3 after the loss. The eight teams in region four all have seven region games remaining before region tournament time.
Belton led all scorers with 17 points, Latrell Rainey added 11 for Butler and Franklin scored 10 off the bench. Butler head coach Cervantes Boddy said Franklin told him he was ready to deliver in advance of the big shot.
“We abide by the next man up mentality,” Boddy explained after the game. “And I told Hondo when Willie (Taylor) got four (fouls)… I said, get ready. And he said, ‘I gotcha coach.’
“Willie got five,” Boddy continued. “Hondo went in. And he was ready. He kept his word to me. So that was a great feeling and a great moment, especially for him being a senior and not having many games left. So that’s something he can take with him the rest of his life and tell his grandkids about.”
MORE: Westside flexes muscles in rematch win over Butler
Belton, Rainey and Franklin, all seniors, combined to score 19 of Butler’s 25 second half points and hold off a run by Thomson, who trailed 36-26 halfway through the third quarter. That was before Timmy Steed and Jaquan Hart powered a run by the visitors. Steed scored 14 of his team high 16 points in the final 12 minutes, and Hart scored all 9 of his points in the second half. Steed’s three pointer from the right wing with 2:22 remaining gave Thomson a 53-51 lead that Franklin erased in the final seconds.
No. 4 Thomson Prevailed over No. 8 Butler in Overtime in the Girls Game
Sophomore Jada Kendrick scored a game high 23 points for Thomson in a 56-51 overtime win over Butler in the girls game. Kendrick made 4 three pointers, including one from the top of the key after a nifty pass by freshman Paris Rosser that gave Thomson a 49-46 lead with 3 minutes remaining.
That would have been enough for a Thomson victory in regulation had Markera Tarver not buried her third three pointer of the game with 2 seconds remaining to force overtime. Tarver scored a team high 13 points for Butler.
No. 5 Grovetown Grabs Road Win over Lakeside
Grovetown improved to 5-0 in Class 6A, Region 2 action with a 57-44 win over Lakeside Tuesday. 6’8″ junior dynamo Derrion Reid scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and teammate Frankquon Sherman added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Sherman, a 6’6″ senior, is the returning class 6A player of the year for the defending state champion Warriors. Tuesday was the second straight game in which Reid and Sherman both logged a double-double after Reid tallied 26 points and 16 rebounds, and Sherman 13 and 12, against Brunswick Saturday.
Sophomore Bryce Reynierson led Lakeside with 13 points.
MORE: Westside and Butler to square off in rematch of last season’s State Championship game
Vines a Hero for Aquinas as the Fightin’ Irish Claim Region’s Top Spot
Senior Tahj Vines buried a three pointer at the buzzer for Aquinas to give the Fightin’ Irish a 52-50 road win over Warren County. The victory gives Aquinas (6-1) the top spot in the Class 1A (Division II), Region 8 standings via a tie breaker over Warren County (7-1). Vines scored 15 points and fellow senior Patrick Green led the team with 19.
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports.
