Lexington keeps unbeaten streak alive with playoff win over Goose Creek
The Lexington boys let Goose Creek’s Travelle Simmons and Shakerian Nelson get their points Saturday.
The unbeaten Wildcats practically blanked all the other Gators.
Mason Carver scored 28 points and Johnathan Corley added 15 as Lexington tied a school record for consecutive wins in a single season — 28 — with a 64-40 victory over Goose Creek in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs
“That was probably our best defensive effort of the year,” Lexington head coach Bailey Harris said. “They’re a really good offense and they can really get it open. We did a good job of being prepared and taking away some things.”
Lexington plays host to Conway (21-5) Tuesday in the third round. The Tigers beat James Island 53-40 Saturday. The winner of Tuesday’s game plays for the lower state championship Saturday at the Florence Civic Center.
“Conway’s very athletic. Very athletic,” Harris said.
Simmons got Saturday’s game going when he scored the opening two baskets in transition.
Lexington didn’t let any other scorer get away for the rest of the first quarter. Simmons sank a 3-pointer after a 9-0 Wildcats run, but Goose Creek (16-11) was playing behind for the rest of the game. Throughout, the Gators were continually frustrated in moving into the lane, whereas the Wildcats seemed to rebound, steal, and score at will from anywhere on the floor.
“It’s something we always get them to do, to constantly communicate,” Harris said. “We got lost a couple of times, but they were constantly communicating and pushing and sliding. They (the Gators) were putting us in some weird alignments because of some stuff they do, but we did a really good job of talking. You gotta give the kids all the credit in the world. Being vocal on the floor is just so hard to get kids to do.”
Boosted by Carver’s 21 first-half points, the Wildcats took a 33-18 lead at the half. Corley took on the scoring in the second half with 12 points coming on two 3-pointers, two inside baskets and a pair of free throws.
A Carver basket 1:41 into the second half gave Lexington a 40-20 lead. From there, the Wildcats protected that 20-plus point cushion, even though the Gators worked at limiting Carver.
“They were denying him and taking him away,” Harris said. “He had some passes and hit Corley for back-to-back layups when they tried to double him, and (Bradley) Foulks was solid all night.”
As for the consecutive wins —the longest streak since the Wildcats won 28 games at the end of the 1996 season and through most of the 1997 season — Lexington players remain focused on winning one game at a time.
“They’ve had 0-0 written on the board in the locker room since mid-January,” Harris said. “They’ve done a great job of maintaining that mentality, that the only game that matters is the next one.”
GC: Travelle Simmons 16, Shakerian Nelson 16, McGill 3, Smith 2, Belton 2, Ford 1. L: Mason Carver 28, Jonathan Corley 15, Foulks 9, Green 7, Edwards 3, Long 2