All three contests presented intriguing matchups in a "win or go home" scenario. Here is a recap of the action:
Kennesaw Mountain vs. Harrison
These two teams are very big rivals of one another and both teams came out of the gate ready to compete. The refs set the tone in this game by allowing the kids to play and as a result the play was extremely physical throughout. The first half saw numerous lead changes and Harrison went to the locker room at halftime up 30-29. Harrison opened the 3rd quarter with an impressive spurt that turned a very tightly contested game into a double digit Hoya lead. Kennesaw Mountain was never really able to recover from this point and was flustered by Harrison's tough half court defense.
Harrison's Senior Guard Vince Martin (6' 1, CG, 2009) played extremely well. He took over the game in the key 3rd quarter Harrison run with a variety of strong drives to the hoop and mid range pull up jumpers. Fellow Senior Casey Belli (6' 2, SG, 2009) also played a key role for Harrison, as he exhibited his long range shooting prowess from beyond the 3 point line.
Marietta vs. Cherokee
Marietta's legendary Coach Charlie Hood announced last week that he would be retiring at the end of this season. With the season on the line for the Blue Devils, a loss would have meant the last game of Coach Hood's illustrious 37 year career. The stage was set for a dramatic evening. Marietta would come into the game riding a five game win streak and have the advantage of playing on their home floor. Cherokee was the region's #2 seed, as Coach Roger Kvam's squad compiled a very impressive 16-2 record in region play.
Right from the tip it was very evident that Marietta was going to do all they could to pull the upset and get Coach Hood in the State playoffs for his final season. The Blue Devils forced several turnovers and used their quickness advantage to take an early lead in the game's opening 2 minutes. This would pretty much be the story throughout the entire evening as Marietta cruised to a surprising double digit victory that was never really in question. Marietta played with tremendous passion and intensity on the defensive end, forcing turnover after turnover. Cherokee had no answer for Blue Devil Point Guard Chris Tanzy (5' 10, PG, 2009). Tanzy put on an absolute show as he sliced and diced Cherokee's defense with 20 points and 6 assists. He had numerous highlight reel dribble moves in transition, where he then finished with a bucket or dished off a pretty assist. 6' 9 Forward Chad Lang (6' 9, F, 2010) had one of his most impressive performances of the season, as he scored inside and did an excellent job in neutralizing Cherokee's Shawn Kemp Jr. (Alabama Signee). Kemp had a quiet 14 points, with the majority of them coming off offensive stickbacks. Marietta Senior guards Steven Hunter (6' 2, SG, 2009) and Kenny Sprague (6' 2, 2009) were also big contributors. Hunter played excellent defense on Cherokee's standout Junior guard Michael Kvam (6' 3, SG, 2010), limiting his touches as well as forcing numerous turnovers within the overall team defensive scheme. Sprague scored 12 points, including two big three-point field goals early on.
Marietta advances to play Harrison this Friday evening at 5:30 p.m.
Additional Observations / Notes:
- North Cobb pulled out a hard fought 61-47 victory over South Cobb in the early game of the evening. Terry Gorsuch's squad utlized a very well played second half to secure the win and the state tournament birth. Markel Gregoire (6' 1, PG, 2009) was the big performer this evening as he led the Warriors with 22 points. Senior Wing Colin Murray (Murray State signee) chipped in with 11 points. North Cobb will play #1 seeded McEachern Friday night at 8:30 p.m.
- Harrison has a very good (and underated) backcourt in Seniors Vince Martin and Basey Belli. Martin is without doubt one of the best Unsigned Senior guards in the state. Belli is one of the city's top outside shooters.
- Harrison's Robert Churchwell has done a very impressive job during his first year as head coach at Harrison. The former Georgetown University star led the Hoyas into the State tournament during what most people thought would be a rebuilding year. The future is bright for Harrison with Churchwell at the helm and some good young talent in the pipeline.
- Chris Tanzy is going to play football at the college level. However, he also would have made an excellent pickup for a D1college basketball hoops program. Tanzy electrified the Marietta Garden crowd with his play this evening.
- This evening may have been the coming out party for Marietta's 6' 9 Chad Lang. He finished inside, blocked and contested numerous shots, snatched rebounds, and on a whole matched up well with Shawn Kemp Jr.
- North Cobb's Markell Gregiore is an Unsigned Senior deserving of attention. The explosive guard really played well in the North Cobb victory.
- Friday's evenings Region 5-AAAAA semifinal games will also be held at the Marietta Garden.
8 comments:
Do u think North Cobb can beat Mceachern?
I like Marietta over Harrison on Friday. They are playing with a ton of emotion and they will have home court advantage.
No, North Cobb is not very good. McEachern will drill them.
Mceachern is certainly a heavy favorite; however you can never count out a North Cobb team coached by Terry Gorsuch. Gorsuch is one of the top coaches in the state.
Whats your take on Colin SLotter the Murray State signee? He seems to be putting up some big numbers.
Colin Slotter is a good looking prospect. He has had an impressive senior campaign at North Cobb. As he continues to develop his skills and and his understanding of the game matures, he has a shot to be a strong contributor at Murray State.
Where was Slotter last night? He wasn't at the game.
Slotter is a headcase, you can never count on him. There was a reason he would just sit on the bench at Sprayberry some games and never play, there's also a reason he shows up at North Cobb this season.
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