DOUGLASVILLE, Ga — A slow start in the first quarter was the deciding factor for the Eastside Eagles as they traveled to Douglas County to take on the Chapel Hill Panthers in the first round of Class AAAAA playoffs.
The Eagles were defeated by the Panthers 48-44.
Eastside did not score a single point in the first quarter and were trailing 12-0 heading into the second frame.
In the ensuing quarter, they were able to outscore the Panthers 17-6. The scoring run was started by sophomore point guard Josiah Johnson.
The Eagles took a brief lead in the third quarter after making consecutive stops coming out of the half.
But ultimately, the Eagles season would come to an end after a critical turnover with under two minutes remaining in the ball game.
The work that the Eagles accomplished did not go unnoticed by head coach Dorian Randolph.
“When I go in the locker room, I’m going to tell my guys there’s nothing to hang your head about,” Randolph said. “My guys fought to the very end and I’m proud that my guys continued to fight.”
The Eagles finished the season with a record of 12-15 while claiming the No. 3 seed in Region 8-AAAAA. In region play, Eastside finished with a 4-8 record.
This is the second consecutive playoff appearance under Randolph and third in his four seasons as the Eagles’ head coach.
Randolph believes that the real work starts in the offseason as Eastside looks ahead for the next basketball season.
“Although the season is over with, the real work for next season starts now,” Randolph said. “At Eastside, we don’t have a ton of size and length, so we are going have to be a tough and resilient team year-in and year-out.”
The Eagles will lose six seniors and they played a significant role in leading their teammates to playoffs.
Guard Trebor Edwards led the team with 307 total points and 13.8 points per game.
Ashton Washington led the team with the highest three-point field goal percentage at 38 percent.
“The seniors didn’t give up and they fought through adversity all year long and I want to tell each of them, ‘Thank you for helping build the culture of Eastside Basketball,’” Randolph said.
