SPORTS
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19 - 25, 2019 • PAGE 12
BASKETBALL \
Eric Gaines gets ready to catch a pass and shoot a three.
Eric Gaines and Franklin Champion set up a press. Photos by Jay Phillips
Franklin Champion keeping his eyes on the ball.
Brandon Pettway shoots a free throw.
Lithonia remains undefeated
BY JAY PHILLIPS
Jay@dekalbchamp.com
Lithonia hosted Clarkston Dec.
10 and remained undefeated with a
68-18 win.
The Lithonia Bulldogs (8-0, 2-0)
started fast against the Clarkston
Angoras (1-6, 0-3) and went up
29-0 before surrendering their first
basket.
Lithonia was clicking on both
sides of the court from start to
finish, with senior guard Eric
Gaines continuing his breakout
season.
Clarkston won the opening
tip and then Gaines took over.
He blocked Clarkston’s first shot
attempt of the game, which the
Angoras were to recover, and then
Gaines stole the following pass.
Gaines would have tagged a
layup onto the end of that steal but
was called for a travel.
Gaines finished with 10 points,
three steals, two assists and one
block in the first half and totaled
16 points, five steals, three assists,
two rebounds and one block in the
game, without playing in the fourth
quarter.
“Defense is very important to
us,” Gaines said. “I try to get as
many steals, on ball, as possible to
[help] my teammates.”
This wasn’t Gaines’ first big
game of the season. The senior
guard had 27 points in a win over
Westside Macon, another 27 points
against Glenn Hills, which included
seven steals in the first half, and 24
points against Meadowcreek.
Gaines’ speed, athleticism
and ball handling make it hard for
defenders to keep up with him when
he turns steals into fast breaks.
“We try to get his steals even
with his assists,” Lithonia head
coach Wallace Corker said. “I
emphasize defense and transition
to get his points, because a lot of
teams will try to double him and
things like that.”
Gaines attributes his hot start to
the motivation of winning a state
championship.
“I just want to get us a state
championship this year, that’s it,”
Gaines said.
However, Gaines has received
interest from schools such as
Nebraska, Georgia State, Houston,
Middle Tennessee and TCU,
according to 247sports.
It wasn’t just Gaines
contributing to the Bulldogs’
success. Lithonia shut down every
Clarkston scoring option while
rarely missing a shot of their own.
At the end of the first half, the
Bulldogs led 45-5 before Gaines
added five points and three steals in
the first three minutes of the third
quarter and put to bed any hope
Clarkston had of a comeback.
The Bulldogs led 62-12 at the
end of the third quarter and cruised
to victory.
Lithonia is entering a tough
stretch of its schedule, with key
games against Columbia, Pinson
Valley in Huntsville and Grayson in
the Tournament of Champions all
coming in December.
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