Lassiter Earning Respect; Tops #6 Ranked Milton

Region 6-AAAAA is a beast. It is by far the most competitive region in Georgia High school hoops. When discussing the contenders, most pre-season talk centered around the perennially strong Wheeler program, as well as Centennial, Walton, Milton, and even Campbell. Few people considered the Lassiter Trojans to even be in the upper half of region. Coach Jeremy Morris' squad was content to stay under the radar and let their play on the court speak for them. And their play has spoken loudly thus far. After a big win against a hot Campbell squad this past weekend; the Trojans won another big Region matchup last night over Milton by the score of 64-59. Milton came into the game ranked #6 in State. The victory gave Lassiter a record of 14-3 and 4-1 in the Region.

Tuesday's night's game was one of momentum, as Milton stormed out to an double digit big lead. However, Lassiter responded with a nice run of their own, getting right back in the game behind a 15-1 run right before halftime. As he has done all season long, Senior Blaise White sparked the comeback with his outside shooting and hustling all around play. White knocked down a couple of treys and had several buckets in transition, and played good on ball defense. The 3rd Quarter was hard fought by both teams, trading baskets and the lead exchanging hands multiple times. However, Lassiter's 6' 5 Wing Alex Gilmore stepped up his play to give Lassiter a lead they would never relinquish. Gilmore attacked the rim, finishing with 15 points (13 of those scored in the 2nd half). Junior Guard Hutson Mason also contributed some big jumpers in the stretch on the way to a 13 point night. With Lassiter holding on to a two possesion lead throughout the final minutes of the game, Milton repeatedly put Lassiter on the foul line. The Trojans struggled at the charity stripe, leaving a window open for a Milton comeback. However, Milton failed to capitalize on these opportunities and the Trojans were finally able to close the door and secure the win with two converted free throws by White.
Blaise White was the game's leading scorer with 20 points and dishing out 6 assists. Highly regarded 2011 prospect Julian Royal (6' 8, Forward, 2011) led Milton with 19 points. Fellow 2011 prospect Dai Jon Parker (6' 3, SG, 2011) chipped in with 13 points.

Additional Game Notes:

• Lassiter has demonstrated they are worthy of a Top 10 State ranking in Class AAAAA. They will certainly be in the State playoff mix come February.
• Milton's 2011 trio of rising stars Julian Royal, Shannon Scott, and Dai Jon Parker are a special group of young players. While this game was not one of the trio's better overall performances, and all three have certain room for growth and development, there is certainly no denying the talent and potential present in all three players. Coach David Boyd has to be very excited about the potential success of his program over the next two seasons.
• Blaise White is a baller. He doesn't have great size or overwhelming athleticism, but he is very skilled, has a quick first step, high basketball IQ, and most important to his game, plays with tremendous hustle and scrappiness.
• Lassiter's Alex Gilmore struggled in the early season after making transition from the football field. However, he has played well of late and is a unsigned senior wing player with good upside.
• With so much depth, Region 6 is producing good matchups almost every game night. An excellent one is on tap Friday evening as the State's #4 ranked team (Walton) will take on the top ranked Centennial Knights.