LaGrange took West Division-leading Covenant to the wire in a 80-78 loss in a USA South game Friday night in Mariotti Gym. Chris Barnette's jumper with four seconds left was the game-winner for the Scots (10-6, 7-2 USA South). The heart breaking loss left LC 3-13 overall and 2-7 in conference play.

Julian Cameron tied for game-honors with Covenant's Will Crumly with 23 points. Cameron added a game-high 6 assists and pulled down 5 rebounds. He had three 3-pointers in the game to give him 133 for his career, which is ninth on the school career list for 3s. Lincoln Anderson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The 21 points tied Anderson's career-high set earlier this season against Bob Jones.

Coach Kendal Wallace:
"I'm very proud of the way we played tonight. We felt like we had a good week of practice and had the game plan set up for them. You have to give hats off to Covenant, they're a heckuva of a ball team. The kid made a big shot at the end, 17 feet and falling backwards. We've grown up a lot and I'm very proud of the way we played tonight. We just have to keep grinding away, there is a lot of season left. We just need to get in one of the top four spots on our side and get to the conference tournament. The kids are growing up. I hope we find some success soon to keep them positive. We have to keep pounding the rock and hopefully a diamond will come out soon."

On Lincoln Anderson: "I feel like he is one of the better centers in the league and needs to play like that night in and night out. I'm very proud of his performance tonight."

On Julian Cameron: "You cannont say enought about the kid. Not only does he do it in the scoring column but also in rebounds, assists, and plays defense well."

First Half Highlights

• The two teams played on even terms for the first 10 minutes. There were four lead changes and three ties. Arthur Jones' 3-pointer tied the game at 17. It would be the last tie until 24 seconds remained in the game.
• Anderson gave the Panthers a 21-20 lead with 9:14 left. He scored off an assist from Cameron, then dunked off a pass from Jones to give LC its last lead of the game.
• Covenant answered Anderson's baskets with a 9-0 run. The Scots would never trail again and led 39-30 at halftime. The Panthers were held to 31.4 percent shooting in the half. The Scots shot 63.6 from the floor and from 3-point range.

Second Half Highlights

• Covenant opened up a 47-34 lead five minutes into the second half. 
• The Panthers chipped away at the deficit. Jones made a steal, then drained a trey to make it 49-45. The Panthers kept within striking distance, getting within four on two more occasions.
• Drew Shepherd's 3-pointer off an assist from Cameron drew the Panthers within two, 67-65, with five minutes remaining. Anderson dunked off another Cameron assist to keep it a two-point game, 69-67, with 4:12 left.
• The Scots took a 78-71 lead on a James Mitchell trey with 1:54 showing.
• Cameron took over for LC, scoring the next seven points to tie the game. He scored off a layup, then hit a 3-pointer, and tied the game at 78 with a drive to the basket with 24 seconds left.
• The Scots worked the clock down and Barnette hit the go-ahead jumper with four seconds showing. The Panthers were unable to get a good look at the basket as time ran out.

By the Numbers

• The Panthers shot 51.4 percent in the second half, including making 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
• LC had a season-low seven turnovers. The Panthers forced 18 turnovers, scoring 18 points off of them.
• The Panthers had a 36-33 advantage on the boards. The Panthers had a whopping 17-4 edge on the offensive glass.

Up Next

The Panthers take on Brevard in a USA South game Saturday in Mariotti Gym. Tip-off is 5 p.m.