Tyler Blake netted the first two points for Fannin County, but that would be the Rebels’ lone lead in the Region Tournament championship game against the Christian Heritage Lions Saturday, February 21.
Playing at Armuchee High School in Rome, the Rebels came home with the Region Runner Ups title after falling to Christian Heritage, 72-43.
Following the quick 2-0 Fannin lead, the Lions started coming back. The Rebels weren’t helped when Kolton Kaylor went out of the game with an ankle injury with less than three minutes gone. Soon afterward, Matthew Ponton went out when he was running full speed down the court and collided with a stationary Christian Heritage player. Both returned before the game ended, but saw limited action.
With the Lions up 10-5, Keaton Watkins put together a three-point play to close the gap to 10-8. After the Lions went up 13-80, Kolby Kaylor drained a three to make the score 13-11. But that would end Fannin’s opening quarter offensive production while the Lions put 10 points on the board to lead 23-1 at the buzzer.
The Rebels held their own in the second stanza, scoring 10 points to 13 for the eventual winners. The teams went into the locker room at halftime with Fannin trailing 36-21.
The second half was almost a mirror image of the opening two quarters as Christian Heritage outscored Fannin 36-22.
Brody Henson was the leading scorer for the Rebels, recording ten points.
Kolby Kaylor hit two threes for six points and added two more for a total of eight points, and Watkins led the team with seven rebounds.
Scoring behind Henson and Kaylor were Matthew Ponton putting in seven points, Cannon Holloway adding four points, Avrey Angel and Watkins with three points each, and Tyler Blake, Hudson York, Mario Dragustunovis, and Hunter Kennedy all scoring two points.