FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Class 3A fourth-ranked East Hall boys basketball team earned a hard-fought 80-73 Region 8-3A win over No. 1 Cherokee Bluff Friday night and moved into first place in the region.
“It’s a region game and they are all important,” East Hall coach Joe Dix said. “The one in Jefferson will be just as important on Tuesday. You can’t get overly emotional about one win. We are happy we won because it puts us in the driver’s seat in our region.”
The Vikings (19-3, 7-1) are in a battle with the Bears (20-3, 6-2) and No. 7 Jefferson (6-1 in the region). Jefferson’s lone region loss came to East Hall earlier in the month. The teams meet on Tuesday in Jefferson.
The third meeting of the year between the Vikings and the Bears was as close as the first two. Cherokee Bluff beat East Hall 73-65 in the Lanierland Tournament championship game and took a 76-72 win over the Vikings on Jan. 9 in region play. The Vikings turned the tables in Game 3.
“All our games have been like that,” Dix said. "Close with someone making a couple of plays.”
Both teams traded the lead throughout the game. The Bears took a 66-58 lead on Alex Blurton’s basket and foul shot early in the fourth quarter.
Chasen Jones, who scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half, helped bring the Vikings back. Bray Langston's 3-pointer put the Vikings ahead 73-72 late and they never gave up the lead.
Jordan Richerson scored 20 points to lead East Hall. He scored 15 in the second half, including three 3-pointers. Langston scored 17 points and Jamarcus Harrison added 15 points.
Boston Kersh led Cherokee Bluff with 25 points. His play in the second and third quarters kept the Bears, who were battling foul trouble, in the game. Cooper Glover scored 20 points and Tyler Underwood 11.
The Vikings step out of region play to face Holy Innocents on Saturday night at Lakeview Academy as part of the North Georgia Showcase. Holy Innocents is the top-ranked private school in the state, led by North Carolina commit Caleb Wilson.
CHEROKEE BLUFF GIRLS 62,
EAST HALL 57
The fifth-ranked Cherokee Bluff girls (17-6, 6-2) rallied in the fourth quarter to beat East Hall (12-9, 3-4).
Claire Carlson scored 21 points to lead the Lady Bears and took control of the game with her play at point guard. Audrey Graham and Brooklyn Phillips scored 13 each. Phillips scored 10 second-half points to spark the Lady Bears.
“That’s Claire,” Cherokee Bluff Coach Kassie Scott said. “She’s the one who kept us together and made big shots in big moments. Audrey does not get a lot of the credit that she deserves for doing a lot of the dirty work for us and she makes key shots in the right moments.I’m just proud of her. (Brooklyn) comes in big when I need her.”
Cherokee Bluff played without two starters. Emery Jones, who is injured, and Bristol Kersh, who is playing for the national soccer team in Arizona, were both out of the lineup. That did not keep the Lady Bears from playing well early.
“We are down two of our main players so we are having to have girls step up into roles that they don’t typically see in big moments and they are doing that,” Scott said.
Cherokee Bluff led 42-25 late in the first half before the Lady Vikings scored the final five points of the half.
East Hall carried that momentum into the second half and eventually took a 44-42 lead on Kaylana Curry’s basket in the third quarter.
The game was tied at 54-54 entering the fourth quarter and stayed tight until Graham, Carlson, and Phillips scored to give the Lady Bears the lead for good.
Terriah Watkins scored 17 points to lead East Hall. Amari Burce scored 14 points and Curry 13.
