DEMOREST, Ga. — It may not be the last time we see Rabun County and Commerce face each other in 2025. But they are sure to be the face of Region 8-A Division 1 for the next several years.
But no matter what happens in the Class A D1 state tournament, which gets under way next week, the two young teams’ contentious 68-56 Rabun County win at Cave Arena at Piedmont University could serve as a springboard for both.
“Yeah, all three of our games now have been pretty intense,” Rabun County coach David Adcock said. “Those are the kinds of games you want to have this time of the year if you want to make it to the Final Four. You want to have close games down the stretch and be able to find ways to win them.”
Rabun County built what looked to be an insurmountable 17-point, 48-31 lead late in the third quarter following a 16-3 explosion. Chase Alonso (7 points) and Huey Blalock (6 points) fueled the run, along with a long 3-pointer from Michael Bone.
But Commerce stormed back in the fourth, using a 21-9 run of its own to get within 57-52 with 3:42 left in the game. Ty Sorrells poured in 7 points during the run, starting it off with a steal and layup. Evan Peters had 6 points in the run, including a driving layup to make 60-54 with 1:33 left.
Rabun County, however, would withstand the Tigers’ barrage.
Blalock hit 4-of-4 free throws and Reed Burrell hit a pair from the line in the final 47 seconds to thwart any comeback attempt. They also forced a huge Commerce turnover in the final minute.
“We’re about 75 percent from the line so we feel good when we can get there,” Adcock said. “I'm proud of the way our guys battled. We hit free throws when we needed them and got stops when we needed.”
It was a fast-paced opening period as both teams exchanged early runs with Rabun County leading 20-16. The Wildcats were able to extend their lead in the second, holding the Tigers to just 6 points for a 32-22 advantage.
Haynes Free and Blalock each had 20 points to pace Rabun County. Bone finished with 14, including four 3-pointers, for the Wildcats.
Peters finished with 16 points, 14 in the second half, for Commerce. Sorrells had 15 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, and Maki Mitchell had 9 points on three 3-pointers for the Tigers.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/2/1286544/region-8-a-d1-boys-wildcats-hold-off-commerce-for-1st-region-title-since-22