By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Eastside boys fall in region championship game to North Oconee
Girls team overcomes Cedar Shoals in consolation game
gatewood
Christian Gatewood (4) dunks the ball in a game against Walnut Grove earlier this season. File Photo.

ATHENS, Ga. – The third try wasn’t the charm for the Eastside boys basketball team.

On Friday, the Eagles fell in the region 8-AAAA championship against the North Oconee Titans in a 64-75 result. The loss marked Eastside’s third against North Oconee this season and eighth overall on the year.

The Eagles came into Friday’s contest on a wave of momentum after defeating Madison County on Tuesday and Cedar Shoals on Thursday. But the reigning back-to-back region champs have long been positioned as the team to beat in all of 4A basketball.

In the pair’s two previous matchups, Eastside has managed to keep the game competitive. This was no different on Friday, as the Eagles only trailed by eight points at the end of the half.

Junior forward Christian Gatewood continued his MVP-caliber season with a 15-point performance against a much taller North Oconee team. 

Gatewood’s standout performance was matched by an equally solid effort from Eastside’s guard room. Jevon Sullivan, who scored 14 points, managed to cut the lead to single digits on multiple occasions. 

But the Titans’ overpowered the Eagles in the fourth quarter and never looked back.

With the win, North Oconee has now won three consecutive region championships. The Titans are led by Rick Rasmussen, the former longtime head coach at Newton High School.

Now that the region tournament is officially in the books, Eastside will move onto the state playoffs. The Eagles (20-8) will host Warner Robins (14-13) in the Round of 32 on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

While the boys squad couldn’t secure the victory on Friday, the third try was in fact the charm for the Lady Eagles.

In the third-place consolation game in region 8-AAAA, Eastside defeated Cedar Shoals 38-34. The win served as an avengement of the Lady Eagles’ previous two losses against the Lady Jaguars this season.

Friday’s win elevated the Eastside girls to a 14-13 record for 2025-26. With the third place seeding, Lady Eagles clinched a state playoff berth in year No. 1 of the Rod Baker era.

The Lady Eagles’ next test came on Tuesday nearly four hours away in Jesup against the Wayne County Yellow Jackets. Those results were not available as of press time.