JEFFERSON, Ga. — East Hall had one simple goal coming into its crucial Region 8-3A showdown with Jefferson Friday night at The Arena: make Friday’s season finale irrelevant.
Mission accomplished, as the Class 3A fourth-ranked Vikings rallied in the second half to hold off No. 9 Jefferson, 72-64, to clinch the Region 8-3A regular season title and grab the No. 1 seed in next week’s region tournament.
Jefferson and Cherokee Bluff will close out the regular season on Friday in Flowery Branch, and both were hoping for a shot at the No. 1 seed. Neither will get that chance.
“That was the goal,” East Hall coach Joe Dix said. “We wanted to try to win this one to be outright first so we didn’t have to worry about Friday. We did that.
“I’m proud of these guys and how they were able to find a way. We made plays in the second half.”
The key stretch came in the third quarter and into the fourth. Jefferson led 41-35 with just over 4 minutes left in the third after erasing a slim 29-28 East Hall lead in the second quarter with a 13-6 run into the third.
And it didn’t look to be getting any better for the Vikings (20-4, 8-1 Region 8-3A) when Chasen Jones and Jamarcus Harrison each picked up their third fouls on consecutive possessions.
But Jordan Richerson completed the rare four-point play moments later to spark what grew into a 13-4 run. Richerson added another trey, and Jones converted a tip-in basket to close out the period for a 48-45 East Hall lead.
The East Hall defense also got going at the same time, holding Jefferson (16-6, 7-2 Region 8-3A) to just 11 points over a 9 1/2 minute stretch while building a 61-52 advantage with just 2:40 left in the game.
“I thought we guarded pretty well, and then we made some shots and kind of got going a little bit,” Dix said.
The Vikings were able to maintain their lead the rest of the way, hitting 9-of-13 free throws in the final period, including seven in a row at one point.
Dix said he expects nothing less when the region tournament begins next week at Cherokee Bluff.
“It's been a battle every game in this region. This was a battle again tonight,” he said. “And I think the region tournament's going to be a battle. But I feel we’re ready (for the playoffs).”
The first half resembled the defensive slugfest of the two teams’ first meeting last month. Both teams had moments of getting into an offensive rhythm, but both defenses also were able to force 8 turnovers apiece in the first half.
Jefferson used a 7-0 run to take an early 9-4 lead on a stickback basket from Darren Pinkard. But East Hall responded with an 8-2 run, capped by a three-point play from Jones, to retake the lead 12-11. The Dragons led 15-12 to end the opening period, which featured five lead changes and three ties.
The second quarter was more of the same as Jefferson continued its 10-2 run for a 21-14 lead, the biggest of the half. But the Vikings answered back, exploding for a 15-7 run in a little over 5 minutes, with a basket from Koen Bryant off an offensive rebound for a 29-28 lead.
But the Dragons again finished strong, closing out the half on a 7-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Colton Grant and Clay Owen to take a 35-29 advantage into the break.
Harrison finished with 22 points to pace East Hall, 19 coming in the second half, including going 11-of-12 from the line in the second half as well. Jones added 18 points, with Richerson and Langston scoring 13 points each for the Vikings.
Josiah Morris led Jefferson with 15 points. Dashaun Keith had 12 and Grant 11, including three 3-pointers, but he was held scoreless in the second half.
Darren Pinkard finished with 8 points for the Dragons.
JEFFERSON GIRLS 69,
EAST HALL 53
The Jefferson girls used their region-best defense to smother the Lady Vikings en route to a win at The Arena.
The victory clinched the Region 8-3A regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming region tournament for the Lady Dragons.
The second-ranked Lady Dragons (19-4, 9-0 Region 8-3A) turned 25 Lady Vikings (12-11, 3-6 Region 8-3A) into 23 points and used a pair of first-half runs to take control. They came in, allowing just 33.0 points/game but allowed more than 41 in the region for just the second time this season.
Jefferson coach Greg Brown said despite winning 8 of their first 9 region games by lopsided double-digit outcomes, his group is ready for the playoffs.
“I think we’re tested. I feel like we have one of the toughest regions in Class 3A,” he said afterward. “Our non-region schedule was really good. Really proud of our seniors. We’ve leaned on them for a while.”
But it was East Hall that jumped out quickly, taking a 5-2 lead early on a 3-pointer from Amari Burce and a steal and layup from Kaylana Curry. But it was almost all Jefferson the rest of the way.
On the strength of forcing 9 turnovers in the opening period, the Lady Dragons used a 10-0 run to take control and then followed that with a 13-2 spurt into the second quarter to blow it open for a 27-10 advantage. They forced 15 first-half turnovers for 17 points in the first half.
Delaney Dewitt’s steal and layup capped a 7-0 run to open the second, and a 3-pointer from Abbie Kinlaw in the final minute pushed Jefferson’s lead to 42-19 by halftime.
After Jefferson extended its lead to 49-26 midway through the third, East Hall used a 7-0 run, fueled by five straight points from Curry, to get within 49-33. The Lady Vikings kept chipping away and closed to 55-48 midway through the fourth, highlighted by a three-point play from Terriah Watkins and a 3-pointer from Burce for a 22-6 run.
But that was as close as East Hall could get. Jefferson closed out the final three-plus minutes with a 14-5 run to put it out of reach.
Once again, Jefferson scored balanced on the offensive end. Dewitt and Skyler Brady both finished with 11 points. Michel Robbins and Emeri Billings each had 10 points for the Lady Dragons.
Curry had a monster game for the Lady Vikings, pouring in a game-high 28 points. Burce added 14 for East Hall.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/2/1284680/basketball-east-hall-at-jefferson-2-4-25