On Saturday evening, January 21st, the top two teams in Region 5-AAAAAAA finally went head to head in a battle for region supremacy. The two teams were originally slated to play on January 10th, but the terrible blizzard that thrashed the county (please note the sarcasm) forced the match-up to be postponed. Both squads entered the game with unblemished 5-0 records in region play. Lambert came into the game averaging 81.6 points per game in region play with an average margin of victory of 36.8 points. The Eagles of Milton entered the contest averaging 72.8 points per region game and an average victory of 17.6 points per game. The two teams were far and away the best team in the region entering the match-up, so to see how the game would turn out was anticipated by many.

Milton is led by 6’6″ guard Alex O’Connell, who has committed to play collegiate basketball at Duke University, one of the top such programs in the country. The stands in the Horn were filled to see how the Longhorns would fare against who is surely the most highly touted player in the region. Lambert senior Matt Ganote defended O’Connell for most of the game, and he held his ground well enough, as the Longhorns were able to come away with a 77-72 victory and sole possession of first place in the Region.

Neither team scored up to their average points per game, and the margin of victory was close. That is to be expected when two top teams with dynamic players and solid coaches come together in a game of great importance.

The Longhorns are now 18-3 (6-0 in region play), and their next game is against the Wolverines of West Forsyth at the Horn. The Milton Eagles are now 8-11 (5-1), and their next game is against the South Forsyth War Eagles at South Forsyth High School.