Box Score

Demorest, GA - Piedmont held on to defeat Huntingdon in its first GSAC win of the season, 90-82, despite watching a double-digit lead and nine-point halftime lead disappear late in the second half.  The Hawks tied the game at 76 with 4:42 to go in the game after trailing by 17 at one point in the opening half.  Senior Josh Haymore and freshman Dylan Delaney buried clutch triples in the closing minutes to preserve the win.

Four Lions reached double figures in scoring while the team combined for 12 3-pointers on the afternoon, and shot 77-percent at the free throw line in the process.  Haymore started out on fire, hitting two downtown baskets and a jumper for Piedmont's first eight points.  Many times the Hawks closed within single digits of the lead, but senior Tracey Gardner came up with a rare but timely trey to give Piedmont a 22-12 lead with under 14 minutes to play in the first half.  Just over the halfway point, both freshman Safari Smith and junior Michael Ross connected from long distance as well to pad the lead.

With 7:27 left Huntingdon looked to be gaining momentum with an inside bucket to come within four, but a 12-3 run, highlighted by another Delaney tri-fecta gave the Lions their largest lead of 13 with under three minutes left in the half.  In one eight-second span, the two teams combined for three triples, including yet another by Delaney, who had the hot hand. The freshman's trey gave PC a 16-point padding with 55 seconds on the clock, but Huntingdon scratched across another to pull closer.  A 7-0 run in the last minute gave the Hawks new life and hope as they trailed by just nine going into intermission.

Freshman Jessie Jenkins got hot at just the right time, hitting a jumper when the game was getting close, then hitting a downtown shot beyond the arc to go up 11 on the visitors.  Yet the pesky Hawks wouldn't go quietly.  They battled back and again used a 3-pointer to gain momentum, finding themselves down just four with 10 minutes to go.  But sophomore Kevin Kubandi and Jenkins hit long range shots back-to-back in response, again making it a 10-point ball game.

The 3-point shot was again the culprit for the Piedmont defense, this time going on a rampage, as three Hawks' attempts in a row found nylon, tying the game for the first time at 76 apiece and 4:42 remaining.  Haymore showed poise and came up with a huge trey of his own, followed by Delaney's inside deuce to go back up five as the four minute mark came off the clock.

Delaney's final triple was followed by six free throws made the rest of the way, more than enough for the Lions to hold on and earn their first conference win.  Haymore led four in double figures with 19 points, while Jenkins and Delaney had 14 and 13 respectively.  Junior Tyler Arnold also came up with 10 points in the win.  The Lions move to 5-14 on the season and 1-3 in GSAC competition.  Piedmont next takes the court on Wednesday when it travels to Young Harris for a 7:00 pm tipoff.