03/06/2026
BY JACK BULLOCK
MACON - A slight modification in the Lawrenceville Indians' defense during the second quarter of their sectional championship battle with Altamont on Friday night was the spark that turned things around for Coach Tad Shick's squad.

Trailing early in the title game, Coach Shick decided to “turn up the pressure” on his 1-3-1 full-court press into a trapping mode.

This adjustment triggered a rally as they forced 10 of Altamont's 11-turnovers during the second and third quarters, turning an early deficit into a commanding 59-45 victory in front of a packed house at Macon Meridian.

Lawrenceville improved to 33-2 on the season with the triumph and will now move to the 1A Charleston Super-sectional on Monday night.

The Indians will face LeRoy, a 62-58 winner over Decatur Unity Christian at the Danville Schlarman Sectional.

“In the first quarter we were dropping back in the 1-3-1. We were not wanting direct passes or lobs so we could have time to close out on their shooters. In the second quarter I said 'Hey, let's pressure the ball a little more'. Sometimes it gets you out of position but it can also get you some deflections, turnovers and some easy buckets,” said Coach Shick.

Six-five senior Jayden Goff drilled home three of the Lawrenceville four made 3-pointers and finished with a team-leading 19-points.

Noah Wilson, a 6-4 senior, ended up with 15-points and 6-4 senior Jacek Mickiewicz scored 12.

Senior point guard Zander Cessna added seven-points an senior Emery Ivers rounded out the scoring with three important scores and six total points in the win.

“Jayden (Goff) is a big-time player. He's a 'pass first' type of player but we get on him sometimes to 'go get yours' and when he does he is hard to stop,” said Coach Shick. “He has gotten better as a 3-point shooter. But when he drops back on the defensive end, he is elite. It is hard to do anything when he is around the basketball.”

For Altamont and head coach John Niebrugge, it was a tough ending to a challenging season.

The Indians saw the postseason end on a sour note after winning the program's 11th regional title and the fifth title such championship for Coach Niebrugge.

Cooper McManaway, a 6-2 sophomore, paced Altamont with 21-points as the Tribe fell to 24-11 on the season.

Junior Zaine Miller scored seven-points and teammates seniors Kade Milleville and Jacob Johnson finished with six-points apiece in the loss.

McManaway got the ball rolling for Altamont early in the game, scoring three times in the first three and a half minutes.

A steal and fast break score, a driving basket in the lane and a 3-pointer from the right wing forced a Lawrenceville timeout at 9-2 Altamont.

Coach Shick and his club responded with points from Wilson from the foul line and on a shot outside of the lane before a nice lob assist from Cessna to Goff closed the first quarter with Altamont on top, 11-9.

Lawrenceville took its first lead with early baskets by Goff, Cessna and Mickiewicz.

A 3-pointer from Wilson closed a 7-2 run that forced an Altamont timeout at 18-13 Lawrenceville.

The final lead for Altamont came on the strength of six-straight points with Milleville scoring on an inbounds play before McManaway added a couple of fast break scores to give his team a brief 21-20 advantage.

(CONTINUED)

The final seven-points of the first half came from Goff on a long range shot, a pair of free throws from Wilson and a bucket inside by Mickiewicz on an assist from Goff for a 27-21 Lawrenceville advantage at the break.

“Our ball pressure, length on defense and crashing the offensive rebounds were key,” said Coach Shick. “We're getting back 39 to 40 percent of our missed shots and that is a big advantage for us. We really buckled down and go physical on the defensive rebounds. It was a tremendous effort by everyone who stepped on the floor tonight.”

Following a couple of scores from Altamont to open the second half, Lawrenceville went on a scoring blitz that turned the tide.

Twice in the quarter Lawrenceville scored on offensive rebounds with Wilson and Goff each earning second chance points.

Goff was a part of three-consecutive scores as the Tribe closed the quarter with a 9-0 run.

He rebounded his own missed shot for score, fed Mickiewicz for points in the lane and then drilled home a monumental 3-pointer in transition.

A pair of foul shots by Mickiewicz sent the teams to the fourth quarter with Lawrenceville up, 42-29.

The final quarter started with Goff hitting another 3-pointer and then the senior scored on a mid-range shot to give Lawrenceville its biggest lead at 47-29 with 7:18 left.

Altamont cut the deficit down to 53-43 with 2:30 remaining thanks to four made 3-pointers, three from McManaway and one from Miller in the final minutes.

However Lawrenceville closed the win, and the sectional championship, with a back door score on a two-handed dunk from Wilson off of an assist from Cessna and a pair of late free throws from Cessna.

The Indians head back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1996.

With a victory over LeRoy at Charleston on Monday night, the Indians would match the program record of 34-wins in a season.

Both the 1982 and 1983 Lawrenceville teams led by Marty Simmons went 34-0, 68-straight wins, to take home back-to-back state championships.

Unofficially Altamont finished 18-of-51 from the field, 6-of-19 from long range and the 11-turnovers proved costly.

Lawrenceville held a 29-23 rebounding edge with Goff leading the way with 11.

Goff also dished out six-assists for the Indians.

Coach Shick's club ended up 22-of-45 overall from the floor, 4-of-10 from the arc and they coughed up just eight turnovers.

LeRoy will be a huge challenge for the Indians on Monday as the Panthers are 32-2 and have won 14-consecutive games.

“Altamont is a very good team and they played one of the hardest 1A schedules in the state and we knew we were going to have our hands full,” said Coach Shick. “They came out and put it on us in the first quarter. We were a little shaky early but we stay patient. We just needed to do things that got us here. That's what the boys did. We relied on what got us here and we got back into the game.”