Lanierland boys: East Hall-Cherokee Bluff to battle for title

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LANIERLAND  SCHEDULE, Saturday, Dec. 21 at Gainesville High School 

SEVENTH PLACE
(9) West Hall vs. (6) Flowery Branch (girls), 9 a.m.
(8) West Hall vs. (7) Chestatee (boys), 10:30 a.m.

FIFTH PLACE
(4) Gainesville vs. (2) North Hall (girls), noon
(4) Flowery Branch vs. (3) North Hall (boys), 1:30 p.m.

THIRD PLACE 
(7) East Hall vs. (1) Lakeview (girls), 3 p.m.
(5) Lakeview vs. (2) Gainesville (boys), 4:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIPS
(5) Cherokee Bluff vs. (3) Chestatee (girls), 6 p.m. (AM 550/FM 102.9 WDUN)
(6) East Hall vs. (1) Cherokee Bluff (boys), 7:30 p.m. (AM 550/FM 102.9 WDUN)

CHEROKEE BLUFF BEARS
-- COACH, YEARS AT SCHOOL: Josh Travis, 4th season 
-- REGION: 8-3A 
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 10-1  FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 1
-- KEY PLAYERS: Sr. F Boston Kersh (22.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Sr. G Tyler Underwood (7 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.7 rpg), Jr. G Cooper Glover (15.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg. 4.9 apg), Jr. G Alex Blurton (10.2 ppg, 9 apg), Jr. G Connor Robinson (9.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg,)
-- SEASON RECAP: The Class 3A third-ranked (GHSA Postseason Rankings) Bears reeled off six straight wins before losing to Class 6A ninth-ranked Lambert in a 78-67 fight on Dec. 7. Since then, they've won three straight, including an impressive win over Class 5A's No. 10-ranked Seckinger, to finish the first half of the season 9-1. The Bears average 76.2 points per game while giving up just 57.5 ppg. They enter Lanierland as the tournament's highest-scoring team and lead Region 8-3A. They'll open Lanierland with an 8:30 p.m. battle against West Hall at North Hall.
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: Cherokee Bluff rolled into the semifinals with a 73-41 win over West Hall in the first round on Thursday. Tyler Underwood led the Bears with 16 points. Conner Robinson scored 15, and Boston Kersh and Glover scored 11. Alex Burton added 10. 
The Bears hit 11 3-pointers to kick-start their offense and led 35-24 at halftime. Ethan Clifford led West Hall with 16 points. 
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: Cherokee Bluff jumped out quickly on Lakeview and never looked back in a 73-53 win to advance to the Lanierland championship on Saturday. Bluff opened with a 10-2 run, fueled by back-to-back 3-pointers from Cooper Glover, and would eventually push the lead to 26-12 by the end of the first quarter on a trey by Alex Burton. Lakeview battled back to cut the lead, 36-26, at halftime. However, after holding off a Lakeview run that cut the lead to 53-41 in the third quarter, the Bears, behind Tyler Underwood and Boston Kersh, extended the lead to 67-45 late in the final quarter. Kersh led the Bears with 24 points. Cooper Glover added 19, and Underwood had 16. Ware Led Lakeview with 19 points. Jude Ellis and Eli Mayfield added 11 each for the Lions. Bluff will play East Hall for the Lanierland Championship on Saturday at Gainesville. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Lakeview will battle Gainesville for third place. Tip-off is 4:30 p.m.

CHESTATEE WAR EAGLES
-- COACH, YEARS AT SCHOOL: Alan Griffin, 2nd season 
-- REGION: 6-3A
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 1-10 FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 7
-- KEY PLAYERS: Sr. C Ethan Dunn (11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg), So. F Sebastian Spinelli (12.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
-- SEASON RECAP: The young War Eagles are still getting used to life without Josh Bull and Colton Wilbanks, as they've started the season with only one win, a 56-49 victory over Elite Scholars Academy. Since that win, they've lost six in a row, two of which came against top-10-ranked GAC and Pickens. The War Eagles, averaging 42.2 ppg, will open the tournament against No. 2 seed Gainesville with an 8:30 p.m. tip-off at North Hall.  
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: Gainesville was in control from the tip en route to the 74-33 win over Chestatee in the first round on Thursday. Gainesville exploded for a big 23-10 first quarter behind and took a 44-20 lead into the break. But the defense was the story in the second half. The Red Elephants held Chestatee to just 3 points in the third quarter while building a 63-23 advantage. KJ White led Big Red with 14 points. Brandon Nelson had 12, Jason Jones 11, and Luke Nordholz and Charlie Gersmehl each had 10 points for the Red Elephants. Quintin Manfield added 7 for Gainesville. Chestatee was led by Cody Couch with 10 points.
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: The Trojans held the War Eagles to just 14 points in the second and third quarters to erase an early deficit and advance to the fifth-place game on Friday against Flowery Branch. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at Gainesville. Chestatee led 20-19 after the opening period, paced by 9 points from Sebastian Spinelli. But North Hall used a 23-6 second quarter to grab the lead and got a 19-8 run in the third quarter to blow it open for a 61-34 lead. Cole Hulsey led the way for the Trojans, pouring in 23 points, including passing the 1,000-point mark for his career. Cooper Payton added 15 and Micah Jimerson 13 for North Hall. Spinelli finished with a game-high 24 points to pace Chestatee. Ethan Dunn had 12 for the War Eagles. Chestatee will play West Hall for seventh place. Game time is 10:30 a.m.

EAST HALL VIKINGS
-- COACH/YEARS AT SCHOOL: Joe Dix, 3rd season
-- REGION: 8-3A
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 8-1 FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 6
-- KEY PLAYERS: Jr. G/F Chasen Jones (18 ppg, 8 rpg), Jr. G/P Jamarcus Harrison (8 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg), So. F Braydon Langston (17 ppg, 7 RPG, 4 bpg), Jr. G Jordan Richerson (12 ppg, 3 apg, 38 % from 3-point range) 
-- SEASON RECAP: East Hall, ranked fifth in Class 3A PSR, won five straight to start the season, including a win over Class A Division 1 fourth-ranked Rabun County on Dec. 3. The Vikings' only defeat of the season is a 56-48 loss to North Oconee, ranked third in Class 4A. East Hall finished the first half of the season with a 76-65 win over New Faith Christian Academy. The Vikings enter the tournament with the second-best scoring offense among the tournament field and will battle North Hall, a team they've already beaten earlier this season, to open the tournament at North Hall. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: The Vikings were able to hold off North Hall in an 82-71 win in the first round at North Hall on Thursday. The two teams traded the lead four times with five ties in the opening quarter before the Vikings went on an 8-2 run to take an 18-16. The Vikings extended their lead to 34-26 late in the second, but North Hall's Cole Hulsey scored five straight points to pull the Trojans within six by halftime. In the second half, the Vikings opened on a 7-0 run and extended the lead to 59-43 at one point. The Trojans battled back but couldn't get any closer than 75-69. Hulsey led the Trojans with a game-high 30 points. Chasen Jones led the Vikings with 25 points. Jamarcus Harrison and Bray Langston added 15 each. Cooper Payton had 14, and Gunner Spain finished with 13 for the Trojans. 
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: East Hall's Jamarcus Harrison's floater went through the basket as time expired in regulation to send a heated battle against Gainesville to overtime. In OT, the Vikings were able to hold off Big Red, thanks to Chasen Jones scoring six of the Vikings' 10 points to knock off the Red Elephants 68-65 on Friday at home. Jones led the Vikings with 18 points, Harrison added 16, and Bray Langston chipped in 13. KJ White led Gainesville with 19 points. Brandon Nelson, Jaxon Jones, and Xavier Griffin had 13 each. East Hall will play defending Lanierland champion Cherokee Bluff at Gainesville on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Gainesville will play Lakeview for third place at 4:30 p.m.

FLOWERY BRANCH FALCONS
-- COACH/YEARS AT SCHOOL: David Hawkins, 2nd season 
-- REGION: 8-4A
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 6-8 FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 4
-- KEY PLAYERS: Sr. SG Landon Mealor (10 ppg), Jr. G Jack Huey (11 ppg, 3 apg), So. P Brayden Lee (10 ppg, 5 rpg), So. G/P John Osorio (9 ppg, 5 rpg)
-- SEASON RECAP: The Falcon won four of five games to start the season, then dropped five in a row, losing to TL Hanna, Apalachee, Jackson County, Madison County, and Eastside. The Falcons did pick up a region win over Walnut Grove on Dec. 10 but lost to third-ranked region foe North Oconee on Dec. 13, 81-35. The Falcons enter the tournament averaging 56.16 ppg, sixth best among the tournament field. They'll open the tournament against No. 5 seed Lakeview Academy at East Hall. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: Flowery Branch almost pulled off the upset over Lakeview, falling 57-55, in the final seconds of the first round on Thursday. The Lions led 56-51 with 1:55 left, but like they had all night, the Falcons kept fighting. Brayden Lee and Jack Huey scored to cut the lead to 1 point with 1:28 to play. After Tayden Ware’s free made the lead 57-55, the Lions had possession with 1:06 left. Ware led the Lions with 17 points, and Jude Ellis had 15. Nathan Corcoran and John Osorio scored nine each for Flowery Branch.
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: The Falcons held off West Hall down the stretch to get a win in the consolation round. Brayden Lee hit two free throws with 4.9 seconds left to push the Falcons' lead to 3-points and secure the win. West Hall had two possessions in the final minute with a chance to take the lead but could not convert. Led Flowery Branch with 16 points. Jack Huey and Landon Mealor scored 11 points each. Troy Smith led the Spartans with 20 points, and Landon Bennett scored 11. Flowery Branch will battle North Hall for fifth place on Saturday at Gainesville. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. West Hall will play Chestatee for seventh place. Game time is set for 10:30 a.m.

GAINESVILLE RED ELEPHANTS
-- COACH/YEARS AT SCHOOL: Charlemagne Gibbons, 2nd Season 
-- REGION: 7-5A
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 9-3 FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 2
-- KEY PLAYERS: Jaxson Jones (10 ppg, 5.9 rpg), Charlie Gersmehl (9.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Kevin White (9.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.8 apg), Xavier Griffin (5.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) Quintin Mansfield (5.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
-- SEASON RECAP: Big Red has played a brutal early season schedule, with top-10 ranked teams Wheeler, McEachern, Winder-Barrow, Pinson Valley High, Ala. and Sandy Creek. They've finished the first part of the season with an 8-3 record and are ranked seventh in Class 5A. Gainesville brings in one of the largest lineups in the tournament but is averaging just 59 ppg. They'll face No. 7 seed Chestatee in the first round at North Hall. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m.
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: Gainesville was in control from the tip en route to the 74-33 win over Chestatee in the first round on Thursday. Gainesville exploded for a big 23-10 first quarter behind and took a 44-20 lead into the break. But the defense was the story in the second half. The Red Elephants held Chestatee to just 3 points in the third quarter while building a 63-23 advantage. KJ White led Big Red with 14 points. Brandon Nelson had 12, Jason Jones 11, and Luke Nordholz and Charlie Gersmehl each had 10 points for the Red Elephants. Quintin Manfield added 7 for Gainesville. Chestatee was led by Cody Couch with 10 points.
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: East Hall's Jamarcus Harrison's floater went through the basket as time expired in regulation to send a heated battle against Gainesville to overtime. In OT, the Vikings were able to hold off Big Red, thanks to Chasen Jones scoring six of the Vikings' 10 points to knock off the Red Elephants 68-65 on Friday at home. Jones led the Vikings with 18 points, Harrison added 16 points, and Bray Langston chipped in 13. KJ White led Gainesville with 19 points. Brandon Nelson, Jaxon Jones, and Xavier Griffin had 13 each. East Hall will play defending Lanierland champion Cherokee Bluff at Gainesville on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Gainesville will play Lakeview for third place at 4:30 p.m.

LAKEVIEW ACADEMY LIONS
-- COACH/YEARS AT SCHOOL: Benjie Wood, 2nd season
-- REGION: GIAA 4A
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 7-3 FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 5
-- KEY PLAYERS: Sr. P Tayden Ware (13.5 ppg, 8 rpg), Sr. G/P Justyce Sadler (5 ppg, 4 rpg), Sr. JR Thompson (e ppg, 4 apg, 4 rpg), Sr. G Jude Ellis (9 ppg), Sr. G Brock Graham (8 ppg), Jr. G Eli Mayfield (9 ppg, 4 rpg), Jr. G Kyari Burch (7 ppg)
-- SEASON RECAP: Coming off a GIAA state championship, the Lions started the season 3-0 before falling to Class 6A Mill Creek on Nov. 30 and Class A Division 1 Rabun County on Dec. 2. Since then, the Lions finished the first half of the season winning three of the last four. They enter the tournament with one of the bigger lineups, averaging 63.5 ppg, the fourth-best among the tournament fields. The Lions will open against No. 4 seed Flowery Branch with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off at East Hall. 
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: Flowery Branch almost pulled off the upset over Lakeview, falling 57-55, in the final seconds of the first round on Thursday. The Lions led 56-51 with 1:55 left, but like they had all night, the Falcons kept fighting. Brayden Lee and Jack Huey scored to cut the lead to 1 point with 1:28 to play. After Tayden Ware’s free made the lead 57-55, the Lions had possession with 1:06 left. Ware led the Lions with 17 points, and Jude Ellis had 15. Nathan Corcoran and John Osorio scored nine each for Flowery Branch.
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: Cherokee Bluff jumped out quickly on Lakeview and never looked back in a 73-53 win to advance to the Lanierland championship on Saturday. Bluff opened with a 10-2 run, fueled by back-to-back 3-pointers from Cooper Glover, and would eventually push the lead to 26-12 by the end of the first quarter on a trey by Alex Burton. Lakeview battled back to cut the lead, 36-26, at halftime. However, after holding off a Lakeview run that cut the lead to 53-41 in the third quarter, the Bears, behind Tyler Underwood and Boston Kersh, extended the lead to 67-45 late in the final quarter. Kersh led the Bears with 24 points. Cooper Glover added 19, and Underwood had 16. Ware Led Lakeview with 19 points. Jude Ellis and Eli Mayfield added 11 each for the Lions. Bluff will play East Hall for the Lanierland Championship on Saturday at Gainesville. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Lakeview will battle Gainesville for third place. Tip-off is 4:30 p.m.

NORTH HALL TROJANS
-- COACH, YEARS AT SCHOOL: Jarvis Davenport, 2nd season
-- REGION: 6-3A
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 6-4 FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 3
-- KEY PLAYERS: Sr. F Cole Hulsey (24.5 ppg, 14 rpg, 4 apg), Sr. G Micah Jimmerson (15 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg), Sr. G Rolan Imai (4 apg)
-- SEASON RECAP: North Hall dropped back-to-back games to Forsyth Central and East Hall, but since then, they've won the last four of five games, including four in a row, before falling to Region 6-3A foe and fourth-ranked (PSR) Pickens on Dec. 13. The Trojans are averaging 72.5 ppg, third best among the tournament field, will get a rematch with East Hall to open the tournament at home on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. 
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: -- FIRST ROUND RECAP: The Vikings were able to hold off North Hall in an 82-71 win in the first round at North Hall on Thursday. The two teams traded the lead four times with five ties in the opening quarter before the Vikings went on an 8-2 run to take an 18-16. The Vikings extended their lead to 34-26 late in the second, but North Hall's Cole Hulsey scored five straight points to pull the Trojans within six by halftime. In the second half, the Vikings opened on a 7-0 run and extended the lead to 59-43 at one point. The Trojans battled back but couldn't get any closer than 75-69. Hulsey led the Trojans with a game-high 30 points. Chasen Jones led the Vikings with 25 points. Jamarcus Harrison and Bray Langston added 15 each. Cooper Payton had 14, and Gunner Spain finished with 13 for the Trojans. 
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: The Trojans held the War Eagles to just 14 points in the second and third quarters to erase an early deficit and advance to the fifth-place game on Friday against Flowery Branch. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at Gainesville. Chestatee led 20-19 after the opening period, paced by 9 points from Sebastian Spinelli. But North Hall used a 23-6 second quarter to grab the lead and got a 19-8 run in the third quarter to blow it open for a 61-34 lead. Cole Hulsey led the way for the Trojans, pouring in 23 points, including passing the 1,000-point mark for his career. Cooper Payton added 15 and Micah Jimerson 13 for North Hall. Spinelli finished with a game-high 24 points to pace Chestatee. Ethan Dunn had 12 for the War Eagles. Chestatee will play West Hall for seventh place. Game time is 10:30 a.m.

WEST HALL SPARTANS
-- COACH, YEARS AT SCHOOL:  Chuck Graham, 2nd season
-- REGION: 8-3A
-- CURRENT 2024-25 RECORD: 5-6 FULL SCHEDULE HERE
-- LANIERLAND SEEDING: No. 8
-- KEY PLAYERS: Jr. G Troy Smith (15.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2 apg), Sr. G Xavier Felix (10.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5 apg), G Landon Bennett (11.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg), Sr. P Ethan Clifford (7.9 ppg) 
-- SEASON RECAP: The Spartans were dealt a major blow to start the season with an injury to big man Teryk Tilley, which forced West Hall to rethink their attack. There have been growing pains, but the Spartans have finished the first half of the season .500, with wins over Walnut Grove, Johnson, Commerce and Stephens County. One of the wins over Johnson was in the play-in game on Nov. 22 to make the tournament field. The Spartans enter the tournament averaging 51.4 ppg, seventh best among the tournament field. They'll get top-seeded Cherokee Bluff in the first round at North Hall. Tip-off is 8:30 p.m.
-- FIRST ROUND RECAP: Cherokee Bluff rolled into the semifinals with a 73-41 win over West Hall in the first round on Thursday. Tyler Underwood led the Bears with 16 points. Conner Robinson scored 15, and Boston Kersh and Glover scored 11. Alex Burton added 10. The Bears hit 11 3-pointers to kick-start their offense and led 35-24 at halftime. Ethan Clifford led West Hall with 16 points. 
-- SECOND ROUND RECAP: The Falcons held off West Hall down the stretch to get a win in the consolation round. Brayden Lee hit two free throws with 4.9 seconds left to push the Falcons' lead to 3-points and secure the win. West Hall had two possessions in the final minute with a chance to take the lead but could not convert. Led Flowery Branch with 16 points. Jack Huey and Landon Mealor scored 11 points each. Troy Smith led the Spartans with 20 points, and Landon Bennett scored 11. Flowery Branch will battle North Hall for fifth place on Saturday at Gainesville. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. West Hall will play Chestatee for seventh place. Game time is set for 10:30 a.m.