COVINGTON, Ga. – In the latest chapter between heated rivals Eastside and Cedar Shoals, it was the Jaguars who ultimately came out on top.

It took over two hours to play 32 minutes in the girls’ contest. But after a game marred by injuries and near-fights, the Lady Jaguars pulled out a 44-40 victory over the Lady Eagles. 

That same intensity didn’t waver in the boys contest, as the Eagles also dropped their region matchup in a 49-55 loss.

Cedar Shoals outlasts Eastside in two-hour marathon

Tuesday’s game tipped off at approximately 6:27 p.m. and didn’t have a conclusion until 8:43 p.m. Throughout the majority of the contest, there was no love lost between these two bitter rivals.

The first quarter was on the sloppier side for both squads. Specifically, the Lady Eagles couldn’t figure out how to beat the shot clock early, committing two shot clock violations.

The Lady Jaguars didn’t fare much better offensively, only nabbing a 10-6 lead to end the first quarter.

Eastside’s shooting efforts fared much better in the second quarter, as Donee Morain, Nyla Smith and Kam Davis knocked down several crucial shots. But the Lady Jaguars’ Kayla Harris and Ty Thompson proved to be efficient in keeping Cedar Shoals ahead to end the half.

Harris kept her momentum alive out of the halftime break, knocking down a quick three-pointer to give the Lady Jaguars an eight-point lead. Eastside then turned the tables, closing the gap to just three points 

But just as the game began to pick up steam, disaster struck.

After attempting to grab an offensive rebound, Harris fell hard on the floor, striking her head. The game was stopped for nearly 30 minutes, as Harris was stretchered out of the gym and airlifted to a hospital. 

The Covington News has learned that Harris was released from Grady Hospital late Tuesday night and is recovering.

Following the unfortunate injury, play resumed with 1:30 to go. Immediately, Jarilix Rivera-Villarini nabbed a steal and converted a layup to bring the game within three points. A free throw by Smith and a jumpshot from the Lady Jaguars’ Riley Freeman gave Cedar Shoals a 33-29 lead to end the third quarter.

After a back-and-forth game for three quarters, the Lady Eagles finally found their groove in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, tying up the game at 36 apiece. 

A second scary moment happened with 3:41 left in the game, as Thompson and Ari Carter collided, sending both girls into the Cedar Shoals bench area. Thompson was able to get up under her own power but would not return for the remainder of the game.

Following two free throws from Cedar Shoals, Morain carved through the lane with 1:35 remaining to tie things up once more. Twenty seconds later, Jasiah Wymbs knocked down a shot of her own, securing a three-point play with an Eastside foul.

After each team traded possessions, the already contentious environment turned physical, as Morain and Wymbs had to be separated. Cedar Shoals would ultimately be assessed a technical foul, leading to Davis knocking down both free throws to bring the game within one point.

Morain would later foul out 10 seconds later, leading to two unsuccessful free-throw attempts by Freeman. However, Freeman was able to grab her own rebound, leading to another foul and subsequent free-throw attempts.

Eastside would have one more chance to extend the game longer than the two-hour marathon. But Davis’ layup attempt was unsuccessful, giving the ball back to Cedar Shoals. The Lady Jaguars’ Kariah Butler added one more layup for good measure, giving the Lady Jaguars the win.

Morain finished with 11 points, while Davis added 10 points. Harris led all scorers with 15 points before going down with her injury.

Boys team loses close battle

Similar to the girls team, the Eagles struggled to get things going from the jump. On the flip side, the Jaguars were efficient, taking a 15-7 lead to end the first quarter.

Jaguars senior Deston Foote continued to carve through the Eagles defense in the second quarter, hitting the 10-point mark at halftime. But the trio of Jevon Sullivan, Josiah Johnson and Christian Gatewood kept the game manageable with a halftime score of 18-29.

The 10-minute halftime break proved to be the juice that the Eagles needed, as they produced a 10-0 run to bring the game to 28-29. 

Just as Eastside seemed to be putting it together, the Jaguars’ offensive attack carved through the Eagles defense. The Jaguars would go on a 14-0 run to close out the quarter to give the visitors a 42-28 lead.

Down by 14, the Eagles were going to need to dig deep in order to pull off the come-from-behind victory. Johnson and Iverson Freeman got two scores early to bring the game within two. Those scores were almost immediately negated by the Jaguars’ Tybias Lay.

With the clock running down, the Eagles needed an x-factor to change the trajectory of the game. Enter Roman Sullivan.

The sophomore guard scored nine points — including two three-point plays — to keep the Eagles in the game in the closing minutes. 

But no matter what the Eagles did, the Jaguars always seemed to have an answer. Despite a valiant comeback attempt, the Jaguars were able to avenge their loss from earlier in this season and pick up a significant victory over the Eagles.

Gatewood led the team with 11 points, while Jevon Sullivan and Johnson added 10 points. Foote led the Jaguars with 19 points, while Lay scored 15 points.

What’s next

Both losses on Tuesday night had significant implications on the region tournament standings.

The Lady Eagles will enter the region tournament as the fourth seed at 6-6 in Region 4-AAAA and 12-12 overall. According to Sandy's Spiel, Eastside will play East Forsyth at home on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. Should they win that game, they will play No. 1 seeded North Oconee at Cedar Shoals on Thursday, Feb, 19 at 6 p.m.

As for the boys team — who finished 18-7 overall —  their loss against Cedar Shoals tied the pair as the second seed in Region 4-AAAA. Both teams were swept by North Oconee, are 1-1 in head-to-head matchups and possess a 9-3 region record.

A coin flip did not go in favor of Eastside, who was awarded the No. 3 seed, according to Sandy's Spiel. The Eagles will begin the region tourney quest on Monday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. against No. 6 seeded Madison County at home. The winner of that game will play the winner of Walnut Grove/Cedar Shoals at Cedar Shoals on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m.