COVINGTON, Ga. — The Eastside trustworthy watched on Tuesday evening because the Eagles accomplished the sweep over Cedar Shoals in a Area 8-AAAA matchup.
Head coach Gladys King and the Woman Eagles fought off a scrappy Woman Jaguars staff 49-39 earlier than the Eastside boys gained in a extremely contested recreation 57-51.
Woman Eagles draw back late to seize fourth consecutive win
Eastside’s women staff stayed of their successful methods Tuesday with a 49-39 win over Cedar Shoals.
The primary assembly between these two groups in December was additionally shut, with Eastside incomes a 36-32 win.
Within the first half, each groups traded factors back-and-forth.
Taking pictures was the story for the Woman Jaguars early as Cedar Shoals transformed on a number of three-pointers. Cedar Shoals’ Kameron Brown shot a trio of threes within the first half on her technique to main the staff in factors.
A number of Woman Eagles contributed within the first half, nevertheless it was the efficiency of Ari Carter that had King raving following the sport.
King credited Carter for her efforts on either side of the ball because the sophomore has confirmed so as to add a bodily presence within the Woman Eagle lineup.
The groups entered halftime neck-and-neck with Eastside holding a slim 26-24 benefit.
When it got here time for changes, protection was the main target, in keeping with King.
“I advised them at halftime that if the protection didn’t decide up, I used to be going to need to make adjustments to the lineup and I did that for the primary six minutes of the [second half],” King mentioned. “I put in two younger gamers that I do know get after it at follow and so they acquired after it out right here tonight.”
Whereas King acquired sturdy defensive efforts from a few of her youthful gamers, senior Morgan Sandema produced a powerful offensive second half.
Sandema’s 10 factors within the ultimate two quarters led the Woman Eagles as they lastly discovered the separation they had been in search of all recreation.
– photograph by Garrett Pitts
Turning sturdy protection into extra offensive alternatives is precisely what King hoped to see popping out of the break.
“We picked up our protection,” King mentioned. “Simply making stops, not buying and selling baskets. [We] began to make free throws and a few of our layups. We haven’t gotten good, however we’re getting there.”
Senior Jaylin Williams led the staff in scoring with 15. Sandema and Carter adopted with 12 and 11 factors, respectively.
The Woman Eagles closed out their 49-39 win to maneuver to 11-6 on the season and 5-2 in Area 8-AAAA. At present, Eastside sits in third place within the area standings.
Subsequent up, the Woman Eagles will tackle the Flowery Department Woman Falcons on the street Friday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.
Elite fourth quarter efficiency pushes Eastside previous Cedar Shoals
The boys recreation between Eastside and Cedar Shoals was shut all through, however a powerful fourth quarter gave life to the Eagles and their followers on their technique to a 57-51 victory over the 12-win Jaguars.
The groups entered the ultimate quarter with Eastside holding a 35-34 lead courtesy of a final second slam dunk by junior Kendall Bryant.
With most of Cedar Shoals’ fourth quarter factors coming by means of free throws, Eastside was in want of a powerful offensive effort to maintain tempo and seize the lead.
It acquired simply that within the type of senior Marion Eubanks Jr., who appeared to make the best performs in any respect the best instances.
After falling into foul hassle within the first half, Eubanks’ efficiency within the second half is precisely what head coach Dorrian Randolph wished out of the senior.
“He’s a really intense participant. At halftime I needed to get on him,” Randolph mentioned “‘Hey we rely on you, we want you. You’ll be able to’t have the silly fouls, it’s important to be disciplined. I want you to be the participant I do know you could be, and I want you to have that perspective that you’ve on the soccer discipline the place no person can cease me.’ He was in a position to do this. He settled down.”
After buying and selling the lead back-and-forth, Eubanks gave Eastside room with an uncontested three to guide 43-39 — a lead that the Eagles by no means relinquished.
– photograph by Garrett Pitts
With beneath two minutes to go and with a four-point lead, Eubanks made what Randolph thought-about to be the play of the sport. Because the Jaguars tried to go inside for a rating to chop the lead, Eubanks drew a charging foul to provide the possession proper again to the Eagles with the lead.
“That cost, out of every part, was the largest factor that he did,” Randolph mentioned. “Taking that cost after they had been making a comeback was the largest play he made all evening.”
Heads up defensive performs within the ultimate minute allowed for Eastside to earn the 57-51 win after a wild ultimate body.
“The fourth quarter was a recreation changer,” Randolph mentioned. “Defensively, we’ve a objective of 12 factors 1 / 4. 48 complete and so they scored 51, most of it on free throws. We now have to work on being extra disciplined nevertheless it was a recreation changer. The vitality from the fellows turned up the defensive depth, we had been capable of execute on steals.”
The sport was tight from the very begin.
The 2 groups had been inside 4 factors of one another on the finish of every quarter moreover the ultimate one.
With protection being the story, Randolph expressed how his staff leans into that and thrives off it. Actually, Randolph and the teaching workers maintain a sheet the place they tally small defensive performs that may make a distinction within the recreation.
“We pleasure ourselves on deflections and steals,” Randolph mentioned. “We now have a number of guys that had six or seven [deflections or steals]. That’s what our protection is about, it isn’t about man or zone. Give Cedar credit score, they had been getting downhill once we had been in man. Coach [I] needed to swallow his pleasure and go to zone, however our man rules nonetheless utilized. We nonetheless wanted the vitality, the trouble, transfer on the ball, energetic palms and as you may see the sheet displays that.
“The toughness, the deflections, the steals, the diving on the ground — that’s who we’re.”
One other constructive for Eastside on Tuesday was the return of junior Josiah Johnson, who missed the previous two video games as a result of harm.
Johnson was all around the courtroom in his first recreation again because the junior moved the ball round properly and ended up second on the staff in scoring.
Following the sport, Randolph spoke about what the junior brings to his lineup.
– photograph by Garrett Pitts
“He’s a pacesetter,” Randolph mentioned. “He will get downhill. He will get into the fellows when he has to. He’s a real chief as an eleventh grader. The statistics say that when he would not play, we lose. It was nice to have him again as a result of we gained.”
Eubanks led the Eagles with 18 factors within the win whereas Johnson adopted with 10.
The win is a welcomed sight for the Eagles, who misplaced 5 of their previous six video games.
Now at 10-9 and 4-3 in Area 8-AAAA play, Easistdie sits at fourth place within the standings.
Randolph and the Eagles will go on the street to tackle the Flowery Department Falcons Friday, Jan. 17 at 8:30 p.m.
