The LaFayette Ramblers and Lady Ramblers split their season-openers with Chattooga Friday night in LaFayette.

The opener saw the Lady Ramblers put three in double figures as they pulled away in the second half to beat the Lady Indians, 73-41.

Two early fouls relegated standout center Keri O’Neal to the bench, but LaFayette (1-0) was able to forge an eight-point lead at the break.

But led by sophomore Kelsie Byrd, the Lady Ramblers exploded out of the gates in the third quarter.

A 13-0 run jump-started the offense and Chattoga would never threaten again.

"It’s nice to win the first game," head coach Matt Swanson said. "To see two sophomores be our top two scorers tonight speaks well about what kind of season and what kind of future we can have."

Byrd paced LaFayette with 17 points. Emily White added 13 while Keisha Ward finished with 12.

O’Neal had just six points, but still had a big game with nine assists and 21 rebounds. The senior is now just seven points away from the 1,000-point mark for her career.

The nightcap saw the Indians outscore LaFayette, 31-16, in the final eight minutes en route to a 92-69 victory.

Chattooga led 39-27 at halftime, but the Ramblers (0-1) rallied in the third quarter, pulling to within two points.

But the Indians finished the period on an 8-2 run, then pulled away late to claim the win.

Nic Perry led Chattooga with 31 points while Perie Finley added 29. Rashad Ramsey chaipped in with 10 points.

Kota Dixon had 17 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Tyler Burse had 15 points and 12 rebounds while Dimitri Miles added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

LaFayette won’t take the court again until a Dec. 2 clash at Trion.

Article Courtsey of The Rome News Tribune