Midway through the region 6-AAAAA basketball schedule, Alpharetta High School is exactly where no one thought they would be: in sole possession of second place. And they got there by doing something no Raider basketball team had ever done: beating Centennial.

Tuesday at Alpharetta, the Raiders used a 21-2 second half run to stun the favored Knights 66-57. Going into the game, Alpharetta was 0-9 all-time against Centennial.

The tide of the back-and-forth game changed in the third quarter. After a basket by Centennial's Jeffrey Nobles put the Knights up 46-38 – their biggest lead of the game – Alpharetta head coach Fredrick Hurt took a timeout and decided to try something different. "We subbed a new five in to try and get some defensive energy," Hurt said, hoping his bench could provide a spark. "And they brought it for us."

Alpharetta's five players off the bench played the final 2:56 of the third quarter, a time span where they went on a 9-1 run to tie the game. The Raiders Earl Hill – the only starter among the five subs – scored eight points during the run.

When the fourth quarter started, Hurt subbed his starters back in and that group didn't miss a beat. Hill, Davian Jones, D.J. Suter, Logan Reitz and Ty Toney continued the 9-1 run with a 13-1 run of their own, giving Alpharetta a 21-2 run over the game's final two quarters. By the time the Raider scoring spurt was over, Centennial's 46-38 lead had turned into a 59-48 Alpharetta advantage.

Centennial would get no closer then seven points the rest of the way.

Before Alpharetta (5-1, 14-4) took the court, Hurt emphasized to this team the magnitude of the game, "We knew tonight was a huge game," Hurt said. "If we lost to them tonight, they would have had a two game lead over us because they would have beaten us twice. So we knew tonight was huge."

The Raider's Earl Hill led all scorers in the game with 21 points, including his eight big ones in the third quarter. Hill also led the team in rebounds with nine. As for Alpharetta's other scoring: Davian Jones chipped in 12 and Reitz added 9, including two huge fourth quarter 3-balls that fired up the Alpharetta student section.

For Centennial (4-2, 8-9), Nathan Harries led the way with 17 points, 12 of which he scored in the second half. The Knight's Malik Wood had a solid all-around game. The 5'9" senior finished the night with eight points, five rebounds and seven assists. Jeffrey Nobles also reached double digits in the game, scoring 11.

Other Tuesday Night Boys Scores:

AAAAA

No. 1 Milton 102-61 over Northview

Roswell 52-40 over West Forsyth

AAAA

No. 5 Chattahoochee 64-51 over Forsyth Central 

Lambert 51-46 over Johns Creek

AA

Buford 54-41 over Blessed Trinity 

A

Fellowship 72-36 over King's Ridge 

Providence Christian 68-61 over Mt. Pisgah

Lady Raiders Continue Rolling With 62-23 Win Over Centennial

Super sophomores Kylee Smith and Lauren Brown combined to score 37 points as Alpharetta claimed their sixth straight win Tuesday with a 62-23 victory over Centennial.

Smith scored 10 of her team's first 13 points as the Lady Raiders shot out to a 13-2 lead. Brown took over after that, scoring nine second quarter points to help propel Alpharetta to a 28-15 halftime lead.

Coach Angela Anderson Hurt emptied the bench in the second half, which allowed seven of Alpharetta's 10 varsity players to get in the scorebook.

Smith, who sat out the entire fourth quarter, led the way for Alpharetta with 22 points. She also added six steals and four assists. Brown finished her night with 15 points while freshman Nikki King chipped in seven.

Paige Elliot was the top Centennial scorer with six points. She was followed by teammate Brooke Koblitz who had five.

Up next for Alpharetta (6-0, 16-2) is a Thursday showdown at Roswell (7-0, 14-4). That game will tip off at 6 p.m.

Centennial (2-4, 3-8) will host Region 6-AAAAA No. 3 Milton (6-1, 11-3). That game is also set to tip off at 6 p.m.

Other Tuesday Night Girls Scores: 

AAAAA

Roswell 48-35 over West Forsyth

No. 8 Milton 68-61 over Northview

AAAA

No. 4 Chattahoochee 57-50 over Forsyth Central 

Lambert 77-66 over Johns Creek

AA

Buford 63-34 over Blessed Trinity 

A

Providence Christian 50-42 over Mt. Pisgah