It was a 10-second heartbreak for Madison County Tuesday night as the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs stole the victory from the Red Raiders.
Foul trouble took it’s toil on the Madison County offense and defense as Stan Maxwell hit five fouls with just over two minutes left to play. The 18-point lead the Red Raiders had accumulated began to slip away as Winder-Barrow chipped away at the deficit from the free-throw line.
Two steals in the final seconds by the Bulldoggs were capitalized on and Winder-Barrow took the win, 66-63.
The loss leaves Madison County 7-8 and 1-1 as Winder-Barrow (6-10) takes the lead in the sub-region hunt 2-0.
Madison County coach Steve Crouse has said that basketball is a game of runs and opportunity. Madison County hit its runs early and then in the third quarter hit several outside shots to contribute to 24 points scored in that period. Winder-Barrow proved to be hotter from the line, taking 14 free throw shots in the final eight minutes alone.
The Red Raiders will try to shake off the loss and get back to work at home this week as Madison County hosts another set of Raiders Friday night.
Habersham Central comes to Madison County Friday night for an 8:30 tip-off. The Habersham Raiders (12-4) are also 1-1 in the sub-region, coming off a 47-36 over Apalachee Tuesday night.
“Habersham has a lot of players back from last year’s team and are very disciplined and work very hard,” Crouse said. “They do have some athletes this year and are well coached. It is going to be a good game and we have to work really hard to beat them.”
Madison County trails Habersham 4-6 in the series between the sub-region competitors. The Red Raiders won the last meeting 53-52 in the 2010 campaign. Habersham appears to have the ability this season to put up the same kind of fight and could prove to be quite a challenge for Madison County.
With Madison County entering the weekend against a tough sub-region opponent, Saturday’s non-region game against Hart County should prove to be every bit as exciting as well.
“Hart County is a good rivalry, and hopefully we can get a good crowd,” said Crouse. “We had a come from behind and made it a game up there, but we didn’t have Trae Burton last time we faced them, so it should be a good game. A good rivalry and a good game for the fans. They are a good basketball team.”
Hart County takes on Madison County on the Red Raider hardwood at 6:30 p.m., Jan. 22.
Next week, Madison County returns to sub-region competition, hosting Flowery Branch in a Tuesday night 7:30 showdown.
In the second meeting with the Falcons, Madison County has the advantage after an earlier 61-51 win from the beginning of the month. Flowery Branch added any wins since that loss and are 3-10 and 0-1.
For more, see the Madison County Journal. 
