The Adair County Indians outlasted the Russell County Lakers in a double-overtime thriller Friday night, earning a three-point victory to advance in the 2A Section 4 Tournament.
Russell County came out strong, building a lead of as many as 15 points in the second quarter. Adair County responded with tenacity, rallying to cut the deficit to three. A 3-pointer by the Lakers at the halftime buzzer sent the Indians into the break, trailing by six.
Senior Landon Blakey turned in a career performance, scoring a career-high 35 points while surpassing the 1,500-point mark for his high school career. Blakey recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds and added five blocked shots.
Senior Dawson Gilbert also played a key role, contributing 28 points and 10 rebounds earning a double double as well.
Adair County controlled the boards, finishing with 42 rebounds. Russell County recorded 15 defensive rebounds and one offensive rebound. The Lakers shot well from 3-point range, hitting 10 of 32 attempts, while the Indians connected on three of 11 from beyond the arc.
One of Adair County’s leading scorers, Tylin George, was unable to play due to a uniform issue. Several players who typically see limited minutes stepped up, making key plays that kept the Indians in the game.
With the win, Adair County advances to the semifinals of the 2A Section 4 Tournament to face LaRue County. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. Central time tonight in Marion County.
“Larue has a good team. They’ve beat Caverna. A lot of people think they are the top dog in the region,” said head coach Deron Breeze. “We got a size advantage. We just got to be smart enough to get it in and punish it inside.”
