After a rough end to the regular season, the Cherokee Bluff boys’ basketball team won the 8-3A region title in dominant fashion, avenging three of their four losses. The Bears entered the final six games of the regular season with only one loss, having won 12 straight games. However, the team lost three of their final six games, falling from first place in the region to third and needing a win just to make the state playoffs.
The Bears started the tournament off right. In a must-win game, the team got a 61-46 victory over county rival West Hall. In their second game of the tournament, they faced off with the team they just couldn’t seem to beat in the regular season: the Jefferson Dragons. The Dragons handed the Bears half of their losses, winning 86-85 in January and 66-58 in the final game of the regular season. Cherokee Bluff got revenge in a big way, beating the Dragons by 19 in a 77-58 contest. In the championship round, the Bears faced off against East Hall.
The Vikings had been just as dominant as the Bears this season, losing only four games in the regular season and just one in region play, to the Bears in January. While they split their region games, Cherokee Bluff earned another win over East Hall in the annual Lanierland Tournament. In their last matchup on January 30, the Vikings defended home court, beating the Bears 80-73 and locking up the top seed in the region tournament, along with the guaranteed playoff spot that came with it.
The region title game started out close, with the Bears going into the half up only 19-17. The start of the second half was very similar, with the Vikings taking a 25-24 lead early in the period. However, immediately following the lead change, the Bears went on a 13-2 run. Overall, the Bears dominated the second half, outscoring the Vikings 44-23 en route to a 63-40 victory.
The Bears enter the state tournament as the number two overall seed, behind only Sandy Creek. They will face off with 31 seeded Peach County on Wednesday. The Trojans are 10-15 on the season but finished strong, winning five of their final eight games, and will be a team the Bears cannot overlook.
Around the Class Boys – Sandy Creek continued its dominant run this season, extending its winning streak to nine games with region tournament wins over LaGrange and Upson-Lee. … Cedar Grove extended its winning streak to 15 with a 61-43 region tournament win over rival Douglass. … Harlem Baseball’s offense hasn’t missed a beat, scoring 22 runs in its first two games and starting 2-0. … LaGrange Baseball has gotten off to a good start, going 2-1 and splitting the series with top-ranked A-3A private school Prince Avenue. … 3A top-ranked boys’ soccer team Johnson-Gainesville earned a big win over crosstown rival West Hall 3-1.
Around the Class Girls – The Pickens girls’ team had an overtime victory over White County in the region title game to secure the number one overall seed. … Fayette County won an overtime thriller over Sandy Creek, 72-67, to secure the number four overall seed. … Cherokee Bluff soccer rebounded from their opening loss to Buford with a 3-1 win over Habersham Central. … Lumpkin County prepares for its first game of the season against East Forsyth on Tuesday.
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