Junior wing TeMarcus Blanton was good in the late stages of his team’s win over Albany Monroe.

The first game of the Hoops In Overdrive schedule on New Year’s Day was a good one as Luella and Albany Monroe went to overtime to decide a winner.

Nyrrk Evans hit a three-pointer with less than a minute and half to play to put his team down by a point and shortly thereafter forced a costly Monroe five second violation turnover.

TeMarcus Blanton hit one of two free throws to send the game to overtime. Then in OT, he scored four points, had a big steal, blocked a three-point attempt from Monroe and helped control the defense pace for Luella.

Luella won 73-67.

Blanton was strong in the second half, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, four steals and a pair of assists. We’ll have more on Blanton later in the week.

Evans finished with 11 points, six assists and a pair of steals.

MCGHEE IS MCGOOD ON THE GLASS

When you look at the top unsigned seniors in Georgia (and, yes, we’ll have a list of those players in the next couple of weeks), Jabari McGhee‘s name will be close to the top of a lot of those lists. But what position? That’s the question of the Albany Monroe senior.

Wing or block forward?

After watching him rim down 21 rebounds against a 6-foot-11 sophomore and talking to those that have a good grasp on the Albany basketball scene, it is pretty evident that Crawford is a block forward at the next level. His production comes from that position more than any.

A 20-rebound game isn’t a first for the 6-foot-6 forward. He’s good (and sometimes great) on the boards. That kind of skill set will serve someone well at the next level.

Luella 71, Albany Monroe 67 OT
Top player: Jabari McGhee, Monroe
Top underclassmen: TeMarcus Blanton, Luella
Top unsigned senior: Nyrrck Evans, Luella