Langston Hughes 70, Lanier 57
During the height of his career, former World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson used to say every one of his opponents had a plan for beating him … until they got hit.
That was the case for Lanier when the Longhorns traveled to Fairburn to take on defending Class AAAAAA champion Langston Hughes. The Panthers (24-5) blitzed Lanier early, bolting to a 21-7 first quarter lead, and never looked back on the way to a 70-57 win in the second round of the playoffs.
“We came in with a good plan but in that first quarter we didn’t execute the things we worked on in practice,” said Lanier head coach Branden Mayweather. “But give them credit, they are a good team and there’s a reason they are the defending state champions. You just can’t spot a good team that many points like we did in the first quarter.”
Leading the first quarter barrage for Hughes, the Region 5-AAAAAA champion, was senior Landers Nolley II, who had seven of the Panthers’ 21 points in the period. The Virginia Tech signee leads the state in scoring at 30 points per game. Thursday against Lanier, Nolley facilitated more than usual on the offensive end, finishing with a game-high 16 points, along with junior wing Tyrel Morgan.
“Everything depends on what my team needs,” said Nolley. “I adapt to that and to what the defense is doing.”
Though he is considered to be one of the best players in the nation, the 6-7 wing/guard was left off of this year’s McDonald’s All-American list. Adding to the insult is that fact that this year the game will be played in Atlanta, March 28 at Philips Arena. But repeating as Class AAAAAA champions is more important, Nolley said.
“It bothered me for about a couple of weeks at first,” he said. “But then I moved on. It was an opportunity that I missed out on, but that’s done. The thing I’m focused on is getting another ring, a third one for me.”
Nolley won an Illinois Class AAAA title for Curie in Chicago his sophomore year, before leading the Panthers to the Class AAAAAA crown last season. Hughes was a high-flying squad last year, but defense was the team’s calling card. Head coach Rory Welsh said Thursday’s defensive effort was closer to championship caliber than what his team showed in a 68-62 first-round win over Allatoona, the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AAAAAA.
“I was proud of our defensive effort tonight,” Welsh said. “We played four quarters of defense and finished strong, which is something I don’t think we did in the first round.”
In fact, when Lanier went on an 11-4 run – sparked by three-pointers by seniors Alex Walker, Adrian Martin and Jehloni James – with a little more than three minutes left in the game to cut a 20-point lead down to 13 (62-49), Welsh called for a half-court trap. The result was a turnover by the Longhorns, which led to two free throws by Patrick Carter Jr., who was five-of-six from the free throw line down the stretch.
“[Walker and Martin] combined for 59 points and 15 three pointers in their last game,” Welsh said of the backcourt duo that led Lanier to its best season in program history, 20 wins and the school’s first state playoff win. “They knocked down some clean looks, so I wanted to slow them down and make sure they didn’t catch fire.”
The strategy worked as the Longhorns wouldn’t get any closer than the 13-point deficit. Still, Mayweather said his team has a lot to be proud of, particularly the team’s 10 seniors, led by Walker and Martin.
“They are a group of tremendous individuals,” Mayweather said of the group. “They led us to the most wins in school history and our first state playoff win. I’ll be forever in their debt for what they did for this program.”
Hughes will continue its march toward a repeat on Wednesday when the Panthers take on Coffee (20-7), the Region 1-AAAAAA champions, in the quarterfinals.
About the Author
