BOGART, Ga, — Both Eastside squads suited up last night for their semi-final matches of the Region 8-AAAA tournaments. Despite very different outcomes, both teams have tournament matches left to play.
The boys earned a hard fought 46-33 victory over Cedar Shoals, while the Lady Eagles did their best to come back from down over 30, with a final score of 70-44 against the hosting Lady Titans of North Oconee.
Christian Gatewood led in scoring for the boys with 19 points and eight made field goals in the win.
Seven different Eagles managed to get the ball in the bottom of the net, but the real story of the boys game was defense.
Tied at 7-7 after the first quarter of play, both teams were very high energy and the nervous excitement of the playoffs could be felt throughout the building.
Ultimately, the boys proved they were better conditioned than Cedar Shoals and took a three-point lead into the half and expanded on it in the second half by creating opportunities and getting stops constantly.
Eastside head coach Dorian Randolph had his team prepared, and despite a lower scoring game, did not disappoint at all.
The Eastside boys were not afraid to dive and get on the floor for any loose ball, and their reward for that is a chance to win a region title.
It will be a rematch with North Oconee and it is slated for Saturday, Feb. 15. The Eagles are 0-2 this season against North Oconee, but lost by only eight points in the second meeting.\
The girls game was a different story, as the Lady Eagles got off to a slow start and North Oconee punished them for it as the Lady Titans went full throttle most of the night.
North Oconee started off with a 13-2 run and finished the first quarter up 18-7. Despite their best efforts, the Lady Eagles could not stop North Oconee in the second quarter, heading into the half down 44-16.
The lead scorer for the Eastside girls was Kylee Lawrence with 11 points and she was followed closely by Ari Carter and Morgan Sandema who both scored nine points.
The final score of the semi-final matchup was 70-44 with North Oconee grabbing the win. Although the result was not the one the girls team had hoped for, the Lady Eagles will still have a third place match before the Class AAAA playoffs begin.
