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| By Dallas Bordon |
There’s no place like home. Now that basketball season has tipped off I can’t help but remember the old days of Raider basketball in “The Barn.” I’m of course referring to the former home of the Red Raiders; the old high school gym that sits in the parking lot of the Lady Raider softball field.
The front of the old gym has the “Class Of 1966” stamped high above the main entrance but the walls surrounding the old barn have seen its share of exciting times dating back to the late 50’s. Many former players, fans and students can recall the noise level in the building reaching a point to where you could feel it in your chest. A high level of cheering and taunting that was so loud that you were lucky to hear the blowing of the referee’s whistle.
I moved to Madison County in 1987 and witnessed my first Madison County game in the barn the following year. I’ve attended many high school basketball games at much larger schools while living in Augusta, but nothing compared to the noise level of those games in that old Madison County gym. The success of the (26-3) 1988 Raider team filled the barn full of parents and fans not only from Madison County or the opposing team followers but from surrounding counties. Basketball fans trying to catch a glimpse of Charles Wilkes’ 1988 Raiders who went on to win the state championship by defeating Marist 73-60 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta. Those followers, either pulling for Madison County or just those interested in watching that title team play, came in groves hoping to see the rafter shaking slam dunks from Arlando Bennett and Keith Gantt. I have heard the stories of fans being turned away at the doors because of the filled capacity of the building that included standing room only. I can remember the cars forced to park roadside along Madison Street because of the filled parking lot. The excitement level of those years was something to see. Names like Bennett, who went on to play for Georgia, Sheila Collins, a member of the 1981 state champion 30-0 team, who ended up at Tennessee under Pat Summitt are just a couple of names that had the crowds jumping. So many games and so many players that wore the Red & Grey are etched in the memory of the old barn.
Not to be lost in the memory bank was Coach Leon Fitzpatrick’s years which included a 164-17 run during the years of 1978 through 1985, twice being ranked at number 3 in the state polls. The boys’ success in the barn included a 23-3 1981 season under Phil Thornton capped off with Wilkes’ state champion ’88 team.
One vivid memory I have of a game in the barn was a comeback win against Monroe in the mid 90’s. Trailing by seven points with 10 seconds left, the Raiders rallied with the help of two straight three pointers from Ron Kelley. Kelley ended the game hitting 2 of 2 shots from the free throw line that gave Madison County the win and kept them in the rankings. That wild comeback sent fans pouring onto the court. It was like a scene taken out of the movie “Hoosiers.”
There are only a few of the older gyms like the barn left that are still in use by high schools. Old rival schools such as Franklin County and Hart County are among two of the older gyms still in use today. Royston’s play by play radio announcer called it a “Coliseum Slam” from Keith Gantt that was part of the region title run for Madison County in 1988 at the Lion’s Den in Franklin County. Despite Raider memories held in that old gym like Gantt’s monster dunk that night, nothing compared to what happened in “The Barn” on many nights.
Dallas Bordon is the former Sports Editor of the Comer News/Danielsville Monitor and a regular columnist with the Madison County Journal.
