In the midst of an eight-game losing streak, Cherokee had to work overtime against visiting Lassiter on Friday, but came away victorious, as Chris Boyd knocked down a jumper from the top of the key as time expired in the extra period to lift the Warriors to a 62-60 victory.
“It was such a big win because we’ve been working so hard and getting better,” Warriors’ Head Coach Roger Kvam said. “But at some point we needed to have a win.”
Down by three with 1:47 remaining in the fourth, Adam Dowell buried a three to even the count. Cherokee then went ahead on a drive and lay-in by Jeremiah Gill, who scored nine of his team-high 20 in the fourth, but Lassiter’s Niles Clark answered with a pair of free throws to tie the game by the end of regulation.
After exchanging leads in overtime and the scored tied 60-all, the Trojans maintained control and looked to hold for the last shot. Warriors sophomore Ja’Davin Keith, who already had a three and two free throws in the extra frame, had other plans, deflected a pass that was stolen by Boyd, leading to a Cherokee timeout with 7 seconds to play.
Out of the time out, Gill drove the length of the court and dished to Boyd at the top of the key, where the senior post buried an 18-foot jumper to give Cherokee the win.
Complementing his 20 points, Gill also had six assists, five rebounds and three steals. Keith knocked down four threes on his way to an 18-point night, and Boyd finished with 10 points and three blocks.
The Warriors’ victory came on the heels of a hard-fought 62-56 loss to Marietta (16-5, 8-1) Jan. 24, in Canton.
Gill led the Warriors, who went 10-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Keith added nine points and nine boards, Will Shubert scored eight points, and Blake Jones and Boyd pitched in seven points apiece.
• • •
Grizzlies battle past SFHS
Despite shooting just 33 percent from the field, including 2-of-17 from three point range, the Creekview Grizzlies knocked down 11-of-14 free throw attempts and pulled 15 offensive boards to just three by South Forsyth, holding off a second-half Eagles’ rally for a 51-42 victory on Jan. 24.
Junior Brandon Pressley led the way for the Grizzlies with 10 points and seven rebounds. Duncan Jones added seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals, Griffin Ghesquire had eight points and four steals, and Zach Kent registered five points and six rebounds, including equaling Pressley with a team-high five offense boards.
Creekview (15-8, 11-2 Region 7AAAA) went on to close out the week by edging homestanding Lambert, 58-57, on Jan. 26.
• • •
Early struggles cost Eagles
Trailing by at least eight at halftime in each of their three contests last week, the Etowah Eagles suffered region losses to
Lassiter, 76-69, and Marietta, 54-42, before dropping a non-region bout to Marist, 43-34, on Saturday.
Damola Awe-Olaleye (22 points, six rebounds) and Destin Porche (18 points) led the Eagles at Lassiter. Derrico Peck, meanwhile, turned in a trio of all-around performances, going
for 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against the Trojans, 12 points, six boards and three assists at Marietta, and 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists at Marist.
Adding to Etowah’s efforts, Harrison McLeod scored eight points and Awe-Olaleye pulled eight rebounds on Friday.
• • •
Knights clipped twice in OT
Nick Masterson buried eight threes on his way to a 30-point, 15-rebound, six-assist night, but it was not enough, as River Ridge was edged in overtime by homestanding Armuchee, 67-64, Jan. 24, in Rome.
Complementing Masterson, Steven Spears finished with 12 points, five assists, five rebounds and six steals for the Knights, who trailed by six heading into the fourth. Jon Karlin and James Smith added 10 and eight points, respectively.
It was the first of two overtime losses for the week for River Ridge, which went on the road on Saturday and lost a 63-56 decision against Kell.
Spears turned in a team-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Masterson had 16 points, 10 rebounds and three steals; E.J. Ellis had eight points, four rebounds and a pair of steals; Smith pulled eight boards; and Ty Suwalski finished with four assists and two steals.
• • •
Wolverines drop a pair
Struggling to get back on track, the Woodstock Wolverines lost a pair of contests last week, dropping a 68-51 decision to Region 5AAAAA rival Walton on Jan. 24, before being edged by McEachern, 51-45, Saturday night in Woodstock.
Tyler Morgan paced the Wolverines (7-14, 2-6 region), losers of five-straight, in both contests, scoring 12 against Walton and 13 versus McEachern. Connor Bennett and Troy Kizer added 11 and seven, respectively against Walton, while Trey Alexander scored nine and Keith Reid had eight on Saturday.
