CUMMING — The Gainesville girls and boys basketball teams made the final regular-season games at Lambert interesting.
Lauren Teasley, who was scoreless in the first half, came alive in the second to lead the Lady Red Elephants past Lambert, 40-39. Teasley hit two foul shots with less than a second left to seal the come-from-behind win. Teasley finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
And in the boys game, the Red Elephants were able to hold off a fourth-quarter and a last-second 3-point heave from Lambert's Mason Barnes to sweep the season series, 64-62.
In the girls' game, Lambert opened on a 7-0 run and ended the opening quarter in control, 19-7. Gainesville's Sadie Roach led an 8-0 run hitting two 3-pointers and closing the gap,19-15. But the Lady Longhorns fired back with a 9-0 spurt to go ahead 28-15 at the half.
Gainesville, however, came out in the second half with a different attitude, outscoring Lambert 28-11. Roach scored 9 points and Keke Jones pulled 11 rebounds and scored 6 points.
The boys struggled against the Longhorns' zone defense in the first half and allowed Barns to drop 13 points, 10 in the first quarter while falling behind after the first eight minutes, 16-10.
In the second quarter, Eli Pitts and Dylan Bobga nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Longhorns' lead, 22-20 with 5:35 left. But Barnes and Lanquana pushed it back up, 27-22. Then Ced Nicely said move over. The senior big man scored Gainesville's final six points to end the half down one point, 29-28.
In the second half, Gainesville outpaced Lambert 9-2 in the first three minutes of the third period, Bobga, Robert Reisman and Pitts did the work, but it wasn't enough as Joao Moreria tied the game, 37-37, with 2:16 left, which began the boxing match for the rest of the game.
Robert Reisman, Charlie Reisman and Sahmir King pushed the Red Elephants lead to 46-42 by the end of the quarter. And in the fourth quarter, Gainesville took its biggest lead, 57-50, off a 3-point shot from Rober Reisman. Lambert stuck around, though, when Lanquana and Barnes scored a basket each to cut the lead 62-61 basket 1:56 to go.
Gainesville had four in double figures. Pitts led with 13 points, Charlie Reisman and Robert Reisman scored 12 each, and Bobga added 10.
The Gainesville boys' next game is Tuesday, Feb. 16 at home in the semifinals of the Region 6-7A tournament.
The Gainesville girls will play host to Lambert on Friday in the Region 6-7A play-in game. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
