No. 1 LeFlore defeats BCHS
Nick Williams scored 16 points, and DeMarcus Cousins and Hilton Grant added 14 apiece as top-ranked LeFlore rallied past visiting Baldwin County 74-65 in a 6A Area 4 game Thursday night.
DeMarcus Cousins also had 19 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Rattlers, ranked 15th in the ESPN poll and 16th by USA Today, improved to 9-0.
The Rattlers trailed 29-20 and 38-31 in the first half, and were behind by as many as 10 in the third period before DeMarcus Cousins went on a tear, scoring eight points to help the Rattlers cut the deficit to 51-49.
LeFlore coach Otis Hughley said finally getting DeMarcus Cousins declared eligible after transferring from Birmingham was a relief, especially with the Rattlers preparing to fly to Honolulu Saturday morning to play in the prestigious Iliani Classic.
"He (DeMarcus Cousins) had a slow start, but gobbled up everything," said Hughley. "When he played big-man ball, it made things a lot easier for us."
Ronnie Stanley scored 16 points for Baldwin County (7-3), which hosts Spanish Fort Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
"LeFlore played like the champions they are," BCHS coach Lorenzo Hunter said of the defending 6A state kings. "Our kids really showed up to play, and if we play everybody the way we played tonight, we'll have a great season."
The Rattlers led by as many as seven points before Williams fouled out with 6:16 left in the game. BCHS moved to within three but was called for a technical foul for calling a timeout with none left. Darryl Woods hit both technical free throws and the Tigers would get no closer.
"That technical foul really hurt us," said Hunter. "It was one of those things where our kids got caught up in the moment."
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