RABBITTOWN, Ga. — It’s not often high-pressure, key games live up to the hype. But twice now, East Hall and Cherokee Bluff have treated fans to a pair of contentious and thrilling showdowns.
The first was for the Lanierland title. Thursday night, the two teams battled in the first of two matchups that will probably decide the Region 8-3A title. And for the second time, the Class 3A top-ranked Bears used a fourth spurt to hold off the second-ranked Vikings, this time 76-72 at the Seth Vining gym.
(Rankings are from the GHSA Post-Season Rankings.)
And there could be more than that when it’s done.
“We know we’re going to see them again -- at least one more time, and maybe two or three more times,” Cherokee Bluff coach Josh Travis said. “But we still have to take things one game at a time if those others are to matter.”
The win for the Bears (17-1, 3-0 Region 8-3A) was their 11th straight and gives them a one-game lead over East Hall (13-3, 2-1 Region 8-3A), which snapped its 5-game losing streak at the same time.
The two teams will not meet again until Jan. 31 in Flowery Branch, but if both teams are able to hold serve until then, the third installment could be an even more intense showdown.
Thursday’s first half was as contentious as it gets -- and as entertaining, with Bluff’s Boston Kersh and East Hall’s Jamarcus Harrison practically staging a 1-on-1 battle. The teams exchanged 10 lead changes in the opening frame, with Bluff eventually taking a 20-17 lead with a 7-0 run to close out the first quarter.
Kersh poured in 11 points while Harrison had 10 points, with the pair exchanging baskets on six consecutive possessions.
“Both teams want to play fast, so it's kind of like what's going to win out, right?” Travis said. “They pressure us, and we like to push the ball on offense. So, you know, there's a lot of possessions in that game. We just did what we do.”
The second quarter saw the defenses turn up the pressure.
Kersh got his second foul just seconds into the second quarter, with Chasen Jones pulling the Vikings within 25-22 on a three-point play. But Jones picked up his third foul midway through the period.
Less than a minute later, Kersh got his third foul. The Vikings quickly took advantage, trimming a 30-23 Bluff lead to 30-28 on a Bray Langston steal and dunk with 2:31 left in the half.
But with Kersh on the bench, Tyler Underwood went to work just like he did in the Lanierland final. The senior guard scored 7 points and dished out an assist in the final two minutes as the Bears took a 39-33 lead into the half.
The Vikings rallied in the third quarter with a 15-5 spurt, capped by a Harrison driving basket for a 48-46 lead. But Bluff answered with a 16-5 run to eventually take a 62-55 lead into the fourth. They never trailed again.
In the final frame, it looked like the Vikings grabbed the momentum as both Kersh and Underwood picked up their fourth fouls early on. But Cole Brooks picked up the slack.
The sophomore hit five consecutive free throws and followed with a 3-pointer to push Bluff’s lead to 72-66 with 1:57 left after East Hall had trimmed it to 67-66 on a Langston three-point play.
“Cole’s been getting good minutes all along, and he would get more, but it’s hard to find spots with the lineup we have,” Travis said. “But he did a great job for us tonight.”
The Vikings were never able to force either Kersh or Underwood out of the game, with Kersh draining a pair of free throws with 6 seconds left to ice the win.
“That’s a no-win decision, so it's a roll of the dice,” Travis said of not taking out either Kersh or Underwood down the stretch with 4 fouls. “But for me, I'm doing it. These two guys have started for four years, so I wasn’t too worried.”
Kersh finished with a game-high 25 points to pace the Bears. Underwood and Brooks both had 12 points.
Harrison had 22 points and Langston 21, but it wasn’t enough for East Hall. Jordan Richerson added 13 points, and Jones scored 9 points, including going 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
