Grayson boys basketball proving to be Georgia's best with another impressive win

Purdue committ Gicarri Harris scores 21 points to held lead Rams to 14th win

Author:
Colin Hubbard
Updated:
Jan 7, 2024 9:33 AM EST
Original:
Jan 7, 2024

LOGANVILLE, GEORGIA — Grayson head coach Geoffrey Pierce hasn’t had a lot to complain about through his team’s first 15 games to start the season.

On Saturday night, his Rams improved to an impressive 14-1 on the season defeating Florida's North Broward Prep 68-51, and it came in front of their home crowd for the first time this season.

Purdue commit Gicarri Harris led the way for the Rams scoring 21 points and dishing out four assists while senior point guard CJ Hyland (16 points, 2 assists) and UGA commit Jacob Wilkins (15 points, 5 rebounds) joined him in double figures.

The Rams’ win on Saturday night marked their fourth win against an out-of-state opponent, and they’ve already scored a win against McEachern, who is currently considered to be their biggest threat when it comes to winning a Class 7A state championship in 2024. Grayson was ranked No. 21 this week in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings.

Grayson's Gicarri Harris (24) goes up for a shot against North Broward Prep Saturday night.
Photo by Colin Hubbard

“I like where we’re at,” Pierce said. “Of course, any coach can see areas of improvement and we will definitely work on those areas in practice, but everything we do scheduling wise is to get ready for region play. Because at the end of the day, it’s about getting a good seed for the region tournament, winning the region tournament and then it’s win-or-go-home at that point.”

The Rams’ 17-point victory Saturday night did not come easy to start.

North Broward’s Enrico Borio gave the Eagles an early 9-2 advantage with just over three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, but from there, the Rams dominated.

Grayson finished off the quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 12-11 lead into the second, and despite some great three-point shooting from the Eagles in the second quarter, the Rams only built upon its lead from there.

The Rams took a 33-26 lead into the half with Harris leading all scorers with 10 points.

Grayson Basketball — Grayson's Jacob Wilkins attempts a dunk during Saturday night's win over North Broward Prep (Fl.). (Photo: Colin Hubbard)
Photo by Colin Hubbard

“They started off the game 9-2 and we held them to two points the rest of the quarter,” Pierce said. “It all comes down to defense and rebounding and after that first little run that they went on, I thought they did a good job of locking in defensively and limiting their second chance opportunities.”

The athletic, high-flying Rams wore down the Eagles in the second half.

Grayson’s 7-point lead at the break quickly turned into double figures with a dominant third quarter. The Rams opened up the third on a 12-2 run to take a commanding 45-28 lead, and by the end of the quarter, the Rams were well out in front 54-36.

From there, the Rams were able to cruise down the stretch behind a big second half from Hyland and secure a 17-point win over the Eagles.

“The second half was great,” Harris said. “We were moving the ball around, finding open cutters and hitting open shots. I felt like we played great in that second half. We have great chemistry and a lot of players that have played varsity basketball for awhile now. All of that fits together and we’ve been playing great basketball.”

The Rams are still in search of their first-ever state championship and with Region 4-7A play about to heat up, Pierce said they’re excited about the second half of the season. The Rams’ two biggest challengers within Region 4-7A will in all likelihood be the Newton Rams and Archer Tigers.

Grayson plays host to Archer on Tuesday night.

“Our region has always been tough,” Pierce said. “Newton is going to be Newton and Archer is playing really good ball right now. We’re up to the challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”

(All photos by Colin Hubbard)