FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.— The Cherokee Bluff boys put together a strong second half and rolled to the Region 8-3A tournament championship with a 63-40 win over East Hall at the Cherokee Bluff gym on Friday.
“As a coach, I think you just feel good when your team plays good,” Cherokee Bluff coach Josh Travis said. “It just happens to be a region championship (night) that we played well on. Right now, I feel pretty dang good. It’s more about how we played as a team and how tough we were. When we got out ahead, we did not hand it back to them like we have other times.”
The Bears outscored the Vikings 44-23 in the second half to win the region title. Jamarcus Harris scored early in the third quarter to give the Vikings a 25-24, but the Bears responded with Boston Kersh’s 3-pointer, which started a 13-2 run.
“Coach always tells us to work on our composure,” Bears senior Cooper Glover said. “Basketball is a game of runs. After their run, we had to get our run. So, we kept our composure and came back.”
Andy Quirarte hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, which led to a 16-9 run, which put the game away for Cherokee Bluff.
Glover scored 25 points to lead the Bears (24-4). Kersh scored 18 and Tyler Underwood 11.
“Cooper made threes, he made shots mid-range, and he made shots at the rim,” Travis said. “Cooper was big time tonight. In the first half neither team could score, Cooper was probably the catalyst in the second half.”
As region finalists, East Hall (22-5) and Cherokee Bull will host Class 3A state tournament first-round games next week. The GHSA Postseason Rankings will determine their opponents. Tournament pairings will be announced on Sunday.
“I’ve grown up my whole life watching basketball in Hall County,” Glover said. “It’s my first year making the state tournament. And winning the region is pretty special.”
The Bears took a quick 7-2 lead, and then the teams settled into a tight first half. Glover, Underwood, and Kersh combined for 15 points as Cherokee Bluff led 19-17. Harrison, Bray Langston, and Cooper Barton scored four points each, and Barton’s late basket brought the Vikings to within two points at the half.
Harrison finished with 13 points to lead East Hall.
It was the fourth meeting between the county rivals. Cherokee Bluff won the first two meetings, including the Lanierland Tournament final. The Vikings won the final regular season meeting to claim the region regular season championship.
Now, they both turn their attention to the state tournament.
