Lovett End Regular Season With 17-0 Record After Surviving Late Lambert Rally
No better way to close out the Georgia High School Association boys lacrosse regular season than to have the top two teams in the state go head to head as the Lambert Longhorns, 15-1 heading into the game, hosted the Lovett Lions 16-0 prior to the match up, on Saturday. A relatively close contest throughout most of the first half, however after a 5-5 tie, the Lions would score two unanswered goals to take a 7-5 lead into the break.
The two teams would score an even amount of goals in the third quarter as Lovett led 9-7 heading into the final period of play, in which they would score the first two goals of the period to take an 11-7 lead. However, the Longhorns would go on a quick run, scoring the next three goals, including two goals a in 37 seconds span and when they connected for the third goal, Lambert was trailing 11-10 with 2:13 to go.
The Lions would win the ensuing face off and would try to use up as much time as possible, but the Longhorns began to apply extra pressure to the X and eventually forced a turnover giving then just enough time to tie the game. Once on their end of the field, Lambert would have about 36 seconds and would get one shot off that was deflected by Lovett’s Owen Armentrout in goal for the Lions. Then with six seconds remaining, the Longhorns attempt to set a score would be lost after they turned the ball over and time running out.
“There’s a lot of respect between this program and our program, between the coaches, we’re rooting for each other for every game except for one” Lovett head coach Jim Buczek said following their 11-10 win over Lambert. Praising the Longhorns for the type of program they are, Buczek added that playing Lambert for the final game of the season is a “great test against a great program”. Now with the GHSA Lacrosse playoffs beginning next week, the Lions will prepare for Georgia Walton in the 1A-5A opening round.
“We told the boys, I think we made them flinch a little bit at times and they certainly made us flinch a little bit at times. So we’re going to look at those areas where we flinched and try to sure those up,” Buczek said about the Lions getting ready for their match up with George Walton. Meanwhile, the Longhorns will open up the playoffs against Grovetown as they look to defend their 2021 GHSA 6A-7A title win and go back to back for the first time since they did so in 2011 and 2012.
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