FLOWERY BRANCH — Sometimes, thinking in sports only gets you in trouble.
Which is precisely what happened to the Flowery Branch girls Tuesday in their showdown with No. 7 Marist for first place in Region 7-4A.
After a nip-and-tuck first half that saw the War Eagles lead just 27-24, Flowery Branch had more turnovers (6) than points (4) in a disastrous third quarter that helped propel Marist to a 47-43 win at the Flowery Branch gym.
“I think the girls started to overthink the game there and not just playing,” Falcons coach Courtney Gonzalez said. “That was no where near what we’re capable of.”
Marist (11-0, 4-0 Region 7-4A) took advantage of the miscues using a 12-4 run to pull away for a 39-28 lead that eventually grew to 41-28, the biggest lead of the game, after a Jamison Henley basket moments into the fourth quarter.
The Falcons (7-5, 4-1 Region 7-4A) finally got going when Morgan Aguilar drained a 3-pointer for their first field goal in nearly five minutes to pull within 41-31. A Bella Brick trey and a Aguilar free throw trimmed the lead to 43-35 with 4:31 left.
An Ashlee Locke basket got them within 43-37 a minute later but the War Eagles ran off a minute playing keep away that culminated with a Henley layup to push the lead back to six. It stayed that way until a Brick 3-pointer and another Aguilar free throw in the final 10 seconds produced the final score.
The War Eagles held leading scorer Locke to just 7 points on three field goals and 3 rebounds while packing down their zone defense. The Falcons did go 8-of-14 from 3-point range but they managed to hit just 6 shots inside the arc.
Brick paced Flowery Branch with 14 points on four 3-pointers. Shaina Kriews added 11 points for the Falcons.
“Teams are going to pack down on Ashlee and we have to be able to execute our offense and improve on getting her more looks,” Gonzalez said. “I was pleased with how we came back late but we need to learn how to think and play at the same time.”
Both offenses were able to find seams against zone defenses in the early going.
The Falcons shot over the Marist zone with Alana Veiga, Kriews, and Brick all draining 3-pointers in the first quarter. The War Eagles used a power inside game with six baskets inside to take a 12-11 lead.
Veiga’s trey to open the game gave Flowery Branch an early 3-0 lead but Marist answered with a 10-2 run. The Falcons’ next lead did not come until Aguilar’s layup to start the second quarter. A Locke layup capped a 10-2 run for Branch for a 15-12 lead.
Marist again answered with an 11-2 run, highlighted by a pair of Riley Donahue 3-pointers for a 23-17 advantage and never trailed again. The Falcons closed the gap to 27-24 by halftime with a second Kriews 3-pointer and two Locke free throws.
Maist used a 9-5 rebounding edge in the first half and was 12-of-23 from the field in the first 16 minutes with just two turnovers. The Branch was 8-of-16 shooting but 5 turnovers resulted in 4 War Eagles’ points.
Henley finished with 14 points to lead Marist. Riley Donahue had 11 points for the War Eagles.
MARIST BOYS 53,
FLOWERY BRANCH 43
The Falcons (0-13, 0-5 Region 7-4A) hung close with the War Eagles (8-2, 3-1) but could not overcome a sluggish third quarter.
The two teams traded a half-dozen leads in the first half with Marist taking a 20-16 lead into halftime. The War Eagles used a 14-7 third quarter to open up what would eventually be a 44-31 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
But the Falcons shot themselves back into the game as Andrew Armstrong and Trevor Gurske hit 3-pointers as part of an 8-0 run to get within 44-39 with 1:53 left. But they could get no closer as the War Eagles hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to hold off the late charge.
Judson Burney paced Flowery Branch with 21 points before fouling out. Armstrong finished with 9 points and Gurske and Trey Shaw had 7 points each for the Falcons.
Cody Gaynes led Marist with 15 points. Luke Benson added 10 for the War Eagles.
