By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The Panthers are soaring.

LaGrange College’s men’s basketball team made it five straight wins and remained perfect in 2019 with a 91-76 home win over Averett on Sunday.

That victory came one day after LaGrange College reached 100 points for the third time in four games in a 122-90 win over Greensboro.

LaGrange College (11-4 overall) improved to 7-1 in the USA South and remained in second place in the West division, one game behind Covenant.

In Sunday’s game, LaGrange College made more than 70 percent of its shots to surge to a 48-33 halftime lead, and it withstood an Averett challenge in the second half to secure the win.

Jamison McCray, who was 10-of-14 from the field, led the Panthers with 22 points, and he also had six assists.

Elijah Adedoyin added 11 points while pulling down six rebounds, and Travis Thompson scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Lincoln Anderson, a sophomore from LaGrange Academy, had 10 points off the bench, and he was 4-of-4 from the field.

Jalen McCallum, a 6-foot-8 big man who has been a force in the paint this season, had nine points and a pair of blocks.

Trailing by 15 at the half, Averett fought back and cut LaGrange College’s lead to four with with less than seven minutes to play.

Needing a spark, the Panthers got one.

The left-handed Gary Bishop found himself alone beyond the 3-point line and just in front of the home bench, and his shot found nothing but net, extending the Panthers’ lead to 72-65 with 6:31 to play.

The Panthers continued to pull away, and when Adedoyin scored and was fouled with 4:08 to play, the lead was 11.

Adedoyin made the ensuing free throw to complete the three-point play, and the Panthers were leading 78-66.

The Panthers had a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

Adedoyin helped the Panthers salt the game away with nine second-half points.

LaGrange College head coach Kendal Wallace felt Adedoyin provided tremendous leadership, particularly after McCallum fouled out, leaving a void on the defensive end.

“Elijah is an amazing young man who has been great for us all four years. He’s played every position on the court,” Wallace said. “On our last timeout, I called everyone over when McCallum fouled out. I said Elijah has really picked up his defense and he’s been showing the desire that he wants to win this game, let’s everybody else do that and I think it kind of motivated the guys to pick it up in the last three or four minutes.”

SATURDAY’S GAME: For the third time in four games, LaGrange surpassed the century mark in points on the way to a 122-90 USA South win over Greensboro.

Six LaGrange College players were in double figures in points, including Travis Thompson, who scored 22 points and was 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Jamison McCray added 16 points, Gary Bishop and Elijah Adedoyin scored 11 points apiece, and Jalen McCallum and Lincoln Anderson each scored 10 points.

McCallum also had 12 rebounds and four blocks, and Anderson grabbed seven rebounds.

Thompson scored 14 of his points in the first half as the Panthers surged to a 56-46 lead, and they exploded for 66 points in the second half.

McCray scored all 16 of his points in the second half on 5-of-6 shooting.

The Panthers were 31-of-33 from the free-throw line in the game.