Westover boys starts slowly but top Worth County

ALBANY — A year removed from a highly-contested matchup, Worth County and Westover staged another classic battle — at least for the first three quarters.

However, this year, the Patriots would eventually pull away to send the Rams back to Sylvester with a 71-54 setback Tuesday night at Westover High School.

After trailing the Rams in the region standings, the win propelled the Patriots to a 9-6 overall mark, while the Rams fell to 5-5.

Andre Kennedy led the Patriots with 22 points, while Brandon Moore put up 20 for the Rams.

The game started with the intensity of a crosstown rivalry as the Rams jumped out to a 10-0 lead in just over a minute. The Patriots responded with an 11-0 run of their own.

Then after trading blows throughout the first half, the Patriots held a 33-27 lead at intermission. The home team shot a perfect seven-for-seven from the charity stripe in the first half.

Worth County finished 14-for-21 from the free throw line, while Westover finished 15-for-22.

The turnover margin was fairly equal throughout the first half though by the end, the Rams turned the ball over 17 times to the Patriots’ eight.

The largest lead Westover held for the most of the first three quarters was ten, but by the end of the third quarter, they held a 15-point lead.

Earlier in the evening, the Lady Patriots cruised to a 50-20 victory over Worth County. Led by a nine-point effort from Nyla Perry, the home team jumped out to a 27-8 halftime lead. The visitors wouldn’t get within 20 points after the third quarter.

As a testament to the Lady Patriots’ balanced attack, the home team put up 50 points without a single player in double digits. The win pushed the Lady Patriots to a 9-4 record.

The Rams will travel to Valdosta to take on Lowndes on Friday, while the Patriots will face Dougherty in another Region 1-AAAA matchup.