RABBITTOWN, Ga. — Logan Holmes poured in a career-high 30 points for Cherokee Bluff Friday night. But it was Tyler Underwood's 6 points in the final 58 seconds of overtime that sparked the Bears to a wild and thrilling 86-84 win over East Hall at Valhalla in a huge Region 8-4A North showdown.
Underwood converted a three-point play that gave Bluff an 81-77 lead and then hit three free throws in the final 20 seconds to keep the Vikings at bay.
"We have a lot of leaders on this team. But Tyler is THE leader. He's the guy," Bluff coach Josh Travis said. "He plays with emotion. He knows what we need. To see him get that stick-back and hit those free throws doesn't surprise me.
"Logan hit some huge shots, and when nothing else was going for us, he put the ball in the hole. Just a great performance tonight from him."
However, it took Khalil Goss's 3-pointer bouncing off the rim for East Hall as time expired to seal the victory for the Bears (4-4, 2-1 Region 8-4A North).
The win moved the Bears into a tie atop the North standings with the Vikings (6-2, 2-1 Region 8-4A North).
Bluff looked in firm control at 54-30 midway through the third quarter following Bryce Horton's third consecutive 3-pointer. But the Vikings, who went ice cold during Bluff's 23-5 second-quarter run, finally began to get some momentum.
Jamarcus Harrison scored on back-to-back buckets, Chris Alford hit a running floater, and Yair Fajardo had a three-point play to pull East Hall within 56-41 by the end of the third quarter.
Alford hit a pair of 3-pointers to open the fourth, but Bluff maintained a 67-51 lead with 4:14 left. That's when East Hall began an improbable comeback.
The Vikings chipped away until Alford drained another trey with 5.8 seconds left to get them within 72-70. After one Underwood free throw, Alford's fifth 3-pointer of the period found the bottom of the net at the buzzer to send it to overtime.
"Very proud of how we came back," East Hall coach Joe Dix said. "But we can't have a second quarter like we did and expect to beat good teams like that. We had to play 32 minutes, and we played about 20 minutes well. That won't get it done against good teams."
The Vikings took their first lead since 15-12 on a Harrison stick-back basket in the first quarter to open the extra period. But the Bears went on an 8-2 run for an 81-77 lead and were able to hold on.
"We've lost a lot of close games this year, and we're still learning how to win the close games. Hopefully, being able to win this one will get us over that hump," Travis said.
The Vikings came out firing, getting a pair of baskets from Harrison and then a long 3-pointer from Alford to cap a 9-0 run in the opening 2:07.
But Holmes put the Bears on his back. The senior guard poured in 22 points, including four 3-pointers, over the final 14 minutes of the first half. His second trey of the first quarter pulled the Bears into a tie at 15 to end the period. His third 3-pointer capped a 10-1 run for a 22-16 lead.
Bluff kept the pressure on, running out to a 27-18 lead on a steal and layup from Underwood. Smith ended the run with a basket for East Hall, but the Bears closed out the first half on an 11-0 run, capped by Holmes' fourth 3-pointer for a 38-20 lead.
Underwood finished with 14 points, 12 in the second half, for Bluff. Boston Kersh added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Cooper Glover had 12 for the Bears.
Harrison had 24 points and Alford 22, including six 3-pointers, to lead East Hall. Jones had 16 points, Fajardo had 9 points, and Braydon Langston had 8 points for the Vikings.
CHEROKEE BLUFF GIRLS 71,
EAST HALL 32
The Lady Bears stayed perfect in Region 8-4A North play with an impressive road win on Friday.
They held the Lady Vikings to 9 points or less in three of the four quarters while scoring 15 or more in every period.
It looked like a complete game for the Lady Bears on both ends, but first-year head coach Kassie Scott said not so fast.
"It was, and it wasn't," she said. "We emphasize defense every day, and we did some good things out there, but we have some things we need to clean up as well. I was proud of the effort overall."
It was the Claire Carlson show early on as the sophomore guard hit her first four 3-point shots as the Lady Bears (7-1, 3-0 Region 8-4A North) used a 12-1 run to erase an early 5-3 deficit. The Bluff defense also did its part, forcing eight turnovers in the first quarter and holding the Lady Vikings to 3-of-13 shooting in the period.
In the second quarter, Bluff had a 15-5 run powered by Bristol Kersh. The freshman had a basket, two steals, and dished out three assists as the Lady Bears led by as man 19 before taking a 36-19 lead into halftime.
The Lady Bears did not let up in the third quarter, opening with a 14-2 run for a 50-21 lead. They held the Lady Vikings (1-7, 0-3 Region 8-4A) to just five fourth-quarter points.
Carlson finished with 20 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Cherokee Bluff. Emma Reynolds poured in 17 points, and Kersh added 12 for the Lady Bears.
Terriah Watkins paced East Hall with 11 points. Kaylana Curry added 8 for the Lady Vikings.
