Antwan Hatten’s three at the halftime buzzer looked oddly familiar to Laurel head coach Marcus Price.
“That shot reminded me of Troymain Crosby,” Price said when asked about Hatten’s three to give Laurel a five-point lead, 36-31, at the break. “Crosby made the same step-back shot against Wayne County in the state championship years ago.”
Finishing with a game-high 29 points, including four first-half threes, Hatten led Laurel to a 61-58 victory over rival Wayne County Friday night in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.
"We could not have done it without the whole team, but Antwan Hatten has been our main guy the whole year," said Price. "He's one of the most underrated players in the state. Hopefully, as we continue to play, we can get him and some other guys some need exposure."
Laurel won despite being outscored in the final eight minutes, 13-4. They won the first three periods by margins of two, three, and five points.
"At this point in the season, all we want to do is win, whether it's one point or 100 points," said Price. "We were able to survive and advance."
The largest lead of the night was a 10-point cushion Laurel gave itself to start the final eight-minute stretch that didn’t look so pretty. That lead allowed Laurel to survive the night.
How did Price prepare his team mentality for the night?
"I told them to be prepared for war," said Price. "Every time we play Wayne County, it's always a good game. Coach Davis always has his guys prepared. We knew what we wanted to do. The challenge was getting out and doing it."
Seventeen of Hatten’s 29 points came in the first half.
"Before the game, Coach [Price] told me I had to carry the team to a win," Hatten added. "I've been here four years, and I've seen state championship teams, and we're becoming one."
Junior Ben Murry was the only other Tornado to finish in double-digits. He had 11 points.
Laurel moves on the quarterfinals and will face Forest Hill next Saturday at Pearl River Community College. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
