Expect the scoreboard watching to intensify over the next week or so.
Off to a 6-0 start in subregion play with four games remaining, resurgent Madison County (18-3) is gunning for its first divisional championship since 1996-1997 as it tries to fight off second-place Winder-Barrow and third-place Clarke Central.
“We like to know what everyone else is doing,” coach Steve Crouse said. “But we can’t control that. We can only control how hard we play.”
And so far, that’s going pretty well.
Madison County has won seven straight games and stayed unbeaten in 8-AAAA North play with a 64-49 victory over Cedar Shoals Tuesday.
The Red Raiders now face a huge road test at Winder-Barrow (14-4, 3-1) Friday as they try to maintain their hold on first place.
Madison County already owns a 67-60 victory over the Bulldoggs earlier this year. Crouse said handling Winder-Barrow’s defense will be the major chore in the rematch.
“Their (Winder-Barrow’s) man-to-man pressure is a lot better than last year,” Crouse said. “We’ve got to take care of the ball, and we’ve got to execute.”
That’s something the Red Raiders didn’t necessarily do in their Tuesday victory.
Though Madison County kept its winning streak intact, Crouse wasn’t exactly singing his team’s praises in the 15-point win over Cedar Shoals.
“We didn’t play well tonight (Tuesday), and our guys know that,” Crouse said.
Specifically, Madison County was a little too careless with the basketball for Crouse’s taste, with the coach noting that the Red Raiders committed 10 turnovers in the first half as they led just 27-23.
“Their pressure shouldn’t have caused that many turnovers,” Crouse said.
Overall, Crouse thought it was an inefficient offensive night.
“We had an opportunity to play smarter and not force shots, and we didn’t do that,” Crouse said.
Still, Madison County outscored the Jaguars 37-26 in the second half to earn its third consecutive victory over Cedar Shoals, dating back to last year.
The Jaguars never got closer than 10 points in the final quarter.
“We’ll take it,” Crouse said. “They’re a good basketball team and they’re capable of upsetting somebody.”
Bradley Raines and Trae Burton led the Red Raiders with 14 points apiece.
Also helping out offensively were Patrick McCrary, who finished with 13, and T.J. McGuire scored 11. Stan Maxwell added five points, which included catching a missed layup by McGuire and slamming it home.
Madison County’s 18 wins now are the most since the 1996-1997 team went 21-6, the last time the Red Raiders reached the state playoffs.
•Madison County 64, Habersham Central 39 (Jan. 22): With the student section displaying a sign that read, “just like football,” Madison County’s boys’ basketball team steamrolled Habersham Central as convincingly as gridiron Red Raiders did this past fall.
Madison County High School – which won the football game between the two schools 35-6 – routed Habersham Central 64-39 Friday in Danielsville behind a strong second half.
The Red Raiders scored the first 16 points after intermission to blow past the Mt. Airy Raiders and avoid a letdown following a huge victory over Clarke Central three days earlier.
Though star center Patrick McCrary was limited to four points, 10 different Madison County players got into the scorebook as the Red Raiders recorded their fifth victory this year by 20 points or more.
Bradley Raines led Madison County with 14 points, while Stan Maxwell (13 points) and T.J. McGuire (13 points) also reached double figures.
Madison County, which led 29-20 at halftime, scored seven straight buckets to start the third quarter and then got a pair of free throws from McGuire to put the Red Raiders up 45-20.
Madison County led by as much as 30 in the fourth quarter.
Habersham Central’s 39 points are the fewest a Red Raider foe has scored this year.
MCHS 64, Cedar Shoals 49 (Jan. 26)
MCHS 15 12 19 18 — 64
CSHS 7 16 12 14 — 49
Scorers: Raines 14, Burton 14, McCrary 13, McGuire 11, Butler 7, Maxwell 5
MCHS 64, Hab. Central 39 (Jan. 22)
HCHS 12 8 6 13 — 39
MCHS 12 17 25 10 – 64
Scorers: Raines 14, McGuire 13, Maxwell 13, Burton 6, McKeever 4, P. McCrary 4, T. McCrary 4, Butler 2, Parrish 2, Thomas 2
