Kalen Williams
Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Williams, Berrien carry poised Panthers to overtime upset of No. 5 Heritage-Conyers

1 Comment

Lakeside-Evans 62, No. 5 Heritage-Conyers 58

“It’s just another game,” said sophomore guard Kalen Williams before Lakeside’s biggest test of the season, a road showdown with Class AAAAAA No. 5 Heritage-Conyers who made national headlines earlier in the week with Isaiah Banks shattering a backboard with a thunderous dunk. With a chance to prove they could play with the big boys outside of the Augusta area, the Panthers didn’t miss their shot – literally and figuratively.

Heritage came out of the gates hot and jumped on Lakeside 15-6, pressing and getting out in transition. The Panthers found their footing at the end of the quarter and weathered the storm. Williams buried a three and Deon Berrien cleaned the glass for a put-back to cap a 12-2 run to take a 18-17 lead and eventually head into the second quarter tied at 18.

Berrien, the 6-foot-6 senior forward, was instrumental in keeping the Patriots afloat, posting eight points and six rebounds in the opening eight minutes.

The second quarter was nip-and-tuck, both teams trading baskets. Jordan Thomas scored two of his game-high 25 for the Patriots on a euro-step before entering the half down 27-24, the Panthers outscoring Heritage 21-9 after their early deficit.

In the third quarter, both defenses continued to stiffen as just a combined 15 points were scored. Thomas scored six of Heritage’s eight points in the frame while Lakeside nursed a 34-32 lead into the final period of regulation.

Things started to get hot and heavy as Heritage ramped up the pressure and started picking up full court after Williams dropped off an assist to push the Panthers to their largest lead of the game at 40-32. The Patriots began to force rushed shots and turnovers and attacked the rim at the other end, living at the foul line.

Florida Atlantic-signee Byron Abrams hit a streaking Banks on an And-1 to cut the lead to 40-36 at the 4:36 mark. 21 seconds later, Abrams found a basket of his own, cutting the lead to two. Lakeside extended its lead back to five after a Williams hoop in traffic.

But Heritage quickly raced back, scoring four straight to make it 44-43 with 2:10 remaining after the Patriots played volleyball on the rim and Banks finished a tip-in.

 

Following a huge Brad Hilley bucket on the block at the 1:44 mark giving Lakeside a 46-43 advantage, the Patriots stormed ahead. Kre’Sean Hall missed a free throw up 46-45 and Abrams cleared it and pitched to Banks who rushed ahead the length of the floor for a layup in transition giving Heritage a 47-46 lead with just 15.7 seconds left.

Momentum had swung and Lakeside was forced to foul Blake Roberts. Roberts sank both free throws to take a 49-46 lead as the Patriots and their fans had a chance to exhale with the prospects of a come from behind victory just 10.9 seconds away, but Deon Berrien had other plans.

With two men on him and Abrams’ hand in his face, Berrien sank a contested three at the buzzer to force overtime, the Panthers bench pouring onto the court to celebrate.  

Overtime saw Lakeside take a quick 53-50 advantage and the emotionally drained Patriots struggle to corral Williams. With 54 seconds remaining, Jalen Nealious sank a pair of free throws to move the Panthers lead to 55-52. Heritage couldn’t tie on the following possession and had to send Williams back to the line to supply the dagger with 2.5 seconds left as he buried his final five free throws in overtime and taunted the home crowd as his 19th and 20th points of the game secured Lakeside’s biggest win in years.

 

My Take 

All of Lakeside’s winning over the summer with the Georgia Bulls program has spilled into this season under first-year head coach Jeff Williams.  Back in May I said Lakeside-Evans was a sleeper. The Panthers’ mixture of confidence and cockiness has them playing with a major chip on their shoulder, especially when they play a rare game outside of the Augusta-area. Kalen Williams wasn’t worried pregame about taking on the No. 5 team in the state and let me know after his 20-point performance that the sophomore is “the next Collin Sexton.” Deon Berrien said when the ball left his hands at the end of regulation that he “knew it was cash.” With two players as confident as Williams and Berrien, the Panthers are now in the driver’s seat in Region 3 and should run the table until their rematch with Heritage on January 31.  As far as the play on the court goes, Berrien brought it from the opening tip, battling for 18 points and 10 rebounds. His energy around the basket matched Heritage’s. The Patriots were bigger, faster and stronger at every position, but that didn’t deter the plucky Panthers. Williams was hounded for a few five second calls but once he saw his first rainbow three drop, the gamer was up to the challenge. Jalen Nealious gave Lakeside a spark off the bench with 11 points and his two free throws in overtime were as big as any shots in the game. He’s a herky jerky athlete that looks more like a football player on the court, but his energy was key. Kre’Sean Hall had a tough scoreless night but still grabbed 10 rebounds. Brad Hilley scored 13 points with only one three-pointer. Seeing him score inside the arc is a major boost for Lakeside who had just four players score on the night but all four were in double figures.

Heritage-Conyers looked amped up to start the game and jumped all over Lakeside-Evans and in the back of their mind might have thought they were going to run away with the game. Jordan Thomas was great throughout the night with 25 points. Isaiah Banks turned it on late with eight of his 10 points coming in the fourth quarter. Byron Abrams missed three free throws in the fourth quarter which came back to haunt the Patriots. JaQuez Hicks swatted away five shots. The Patriots will definitely have January 31 circled on their calendar.

Top Performers

Lakeside-Evans
Kalen Williams – 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block
Deon Berrien – 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Brad Hilley – 13 points, 3 rebounds
Jalen Nealious – 11 points, 1 rebounds, 2 steals

Heritage-Conyers
Jordan Thomas – 25 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Isaiah Banks – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Byron Abrams – 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
JaQuez Hicks – 6 rebounds, 5 blocks

One thought on “Williams, Berrien carry poised Panthers to overtime upset of No. 5 Heritage-Conyers”

  1. Pingback: Week 9 Boys Rankings - Sandy's Spiel

Comments are closed.