Lakeside Hoops Stays Red Hot During Post Season

Fifteen games into the 2024-2025 basketball season, the Lakeside Panthers boys found themselves with a 6-9 record. Coming off an offseason where the Panthers lost one of the area’s top scorers, Bryce Reynierson, who transferred to Augusta Christian, it would have been easy to write this team off. 

As the Panthers prepare for their second-round GHSAA State Playoff game this Saturday, it’s clear things went a little bit different than expected. 

Under second-year head coach Marcus Diggs, things weren’t always as they seemed early on. This team that was picked to finish in the middle of the pack in a difficult region that features Brunswick, Statesboro and Bradwell Institute (all 20-win teams this season), wasn’t quite whole. 

While football season extended longer than expected, as the Panthers made the second round of the state playoffs, the Panthers were missing some key pieces. Coach Diggs was looking for the right combination of players to implement the system and get buy-in – a difficult task when the losses were piling up. 

That’s when Ty Jones stepped in. Jones, a star on the football team, led a group of players who joined the basketball team a little late. The talented senior point guard was just the spark Diggs was looking for. 

Suddenly the wins on the court started piling up, just like they had on the football field. Jones quarterbacked the football team to one of the finest seasons in school history, being named Region Player of the Year, First Team All-Area and an All-State Performer. He followed that up by being the undisputed best player on the field during the Border Bowl in January. He was so impressive, Reinhardt University offered him a full athletic Scholarship. 

If Reinhardt University is smart, they’ll save him a spot on the basketball team too. Despite being just 5 feet 8 inches - and that may be inflated - Jones has terrorized opposing teams all season. He blossomed as a scorer this season, but his imprint has gone far beyond scoring. Jones is the consummate floor general. Although blessed with supreme athleticism, he also has a great feel for the game, playing under control, and altering the pace of the game when necessary. This season he averaged 20 points per game, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists, but he saved his best performance for the opening round of the state playoffs. 

The Panthers faced perennial basketball power New Manchester in that opening matchup. From the opening tip, nobody had an answer for Jones. He set a school record with 26 of his team’s 28 points in the first quarter. The Panthers held on for a solid 62-57 win. Jones finished with a career-high 44 points and had plenty of people talking about Lakeside and their “tiny” point guard.  

Lakeside is not a one-man team. Jones is the leader for sure, but the Panthers are extremely quick, fight for every loose ball, and make teams work on both sides of the floor. That tenacity has them at 16-11 overall, after the rough 6-9 start. The team faces a tough test in round two Saturday, facing off against a Winder Barrow squad that comes into the matchup highly ranked and boasting a 25-3 record. I would warn the team, however. not to roll into Columbia County feeling complacent.  

That ride home may not be much fun.