Hawks rally but come up short to LaGrange

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon men's basketball team rallied from a 17-point deficit in the final 10 minutes but couldn't complete the comeback in an 84-80 loss to LaGrange College on Wednesday night.

Huntingdon outscored LaGrange 32-15 during a nine-minute span and cut the Panthers' lead to 81-80 on a basket by B.J. Barker with 42 seconds to play. But LaGrange sank 3-of-4 free throws in the final 16 seconds to close out the game.

Huntingdon played from behind for the entire game but pushed the Panthers until the final seconds. The Hawks fell behind by double digits in both the first half and second half, but fought back into the game each time.

Huntingdon trailed 24-10 in the first half before answering with 13 straight points to make it a one-point game with 6:25 to play before halftime. LaGrange carried a 39-30 lead into the half.

The Hawks fell behind by 14 points in the opening minutes of the second half before using a 9-0 run to pull within five points, 44-39. But again, LaGrange eased back ahead. Trailing 65-48 with 9:20 to play in the game, Huntingdon made its final push and chipped away at the Panthers' lead.

Isaiah King led Huntingdon with 20 points and Barker followed with 14 points. Kyante Pines added 13 points and five rebounds and James Harris had five rebounds.

Records: Huntingdon (9-8, 6-4 USA South); LaGrange (13-4, 9-1 USA South)

Coming Up: Huntingdon plays at William Peace on Saturday at 2 p.m. (Central)