Back-to-back defending class 3A state champion Cross Creek escaped Butler with a 63-59 win over its rival Tuesday behind 26 points and 10 rebounds from 6’7” senior Antoine Lorrick. Lorrick scored the go ahead bucket on an assist from Antonio Buffington with 35 seconds remaining. And after teammate Kylen Clark followed with two made free throws, Lorrick swatted Butler’s final field goal attempt to send home happy the many Cross Creek fans in attendance.
Cross Creek took a 47-37 lead with 2:30 left in the third quarter after Lorrick exploded for 11 points in the quarter.
But the Bulldogs refused to quit and began the fourth period trailing only 49-45 after a third quarter closing 8-2 run. Jayden Bell scored a field goal and made an assist to Willie Taylor during the final 20 seconds of the quarter to set up a thrilling final period.
De’kel Hobbs, who scored 9 points for the Razorbacks, nailed a three pointer to slow down Butler and give Cross Creek a 54-47 advantage with 6:25 remaining in the fourth. Lorrick made the opportunity available by using his size to grab an offensive rebound right before the Hobbs sank the three.
Before the crowd could catch its breath, back came Butler with a 9-1 run that was punctuated by a pair of layups on consecutive possessions by Hondo Franklin. ZyQuan Grant assisted Franklin for the first score, and Roosevelt Brown dropped the dime on the second.
Butler made it clear it would not go down easily when Roosevelt Brown came out of nowhere to prevent an easy two with a dramatic chase down block. And immediately afterwards, four Bulldogs hit the floor to fight for the loose ball.
But Hobbs would score again in the paint to give Cross Creek a 59-58 lead with 1:57 remaining. And after Latrell Rainey tied the game with a free throw with 55 seconds remaining, Lorrick took care of the rest.
Sophomore Marcus Scurry scored 18 points to lead Butler, and Roosevelt Brown added 10. Scurry has played lights out basketball in Butler’s first two games, both close losses against returning state champions (Cross Creek and Augusta Christian).
Cross Creek improved to 2-3 as the Razorbacks have started the season with games against three fellow returning state champions and a returning state runner up (Butler). Lorrick has slammed home both of his team’s victories with dominant individual performances, something I’ll explore in depth in tomorrow’s column.
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports.
