 Starr's Mill's Justin Jones boxes out McIntosh's Chris Longoria. The battle of Peachtree City always fills the stands, but when McIntosh traveled south to take on the Starr's Mill Panthers Tuesday night, a lot more than city bragging rights were on the line.
Both the Chiefs and the Panthers came in with 5-4 region records -- meaning the outcome would likely decide which team gets the better region tournament draw. And that draw could be the difference between a state playoff run and an early end to the season.
"We saw this as a swing game," said McIntosh head coach Jason Eisele. "We knew coming in that this would have a big impact on seeding in the region tournament and in this league, that is a big deal."
The Panther Pit was as crowded as its ever been Tuesday night. Starr's Mill students wore black shirts in their half of the stands. The McIntosh faithful wore white.
The dueling student sections exchanged roars for the first two quarters, but in the third, the teens in the white t-shirts drowned out the students wearing black.
The Chiefs exited the locker room after halftime with a sense of urgency that the home team could not match. Led by the aggressive quartet of Preston Hodge, Josh Ball, Chris Longoria and Jay Manning, McIntosh outscored Starr's Mill 23-8 in the third frame and that proved to be the
difference in the 59-52 McIntosh win.
"In the first half, we let them control the tempo," Eisele explained. "They slowed us down and it worked. In the second half, we came out and played McIntosh basketball. We controlled the pace, created turnovers and made them try to adjust to our style."
The rivals battled to a 23-23 tie through two quarters, with Starr's Mill's Hadyn Barnes and Justin Jones getting into the paint for scores.
Coach Brandon Hutchins' squad kept the Chiefs in a half court set, limiting their athletes chances to attack the hoop.
But Eisele dialed up the press in the third and his lighting-quick combo guards took over the game.
"Preston Hodge played really well and came up with a lot of key steals," Eisele remarked. "Really, all of our guys came together and disrupted their game plan. Our guards were getting rebounds over thier bigs."
With the Panthers reeling, Longoria nailed a 15-footer at the third quarter buzzer to cap the Chiefs' furious rally.
Justin Smith's layup and one re-energized the Panther faithful at the start of the fourth, but McIntosh quickly answered.
Hodge drove into the lane and dished to a cutting Manning for a quick two. Manning's layup made it 48-36 and the Chiefs' relentless press kept Starr's Mill off balance the rest of the way.
The Panthers tried to mount a comeback, but Ball drained a three with five minutes to go, giving the Chiefs a 53-46 lead.
The senior, who is scheduled to sign a soccer scholarship with Mercer Friday, raised his arms to pump up the already frantic McIntosh cheering section.
The Chiefs maintained a double digit lead until the final minute. Starr's Mill's Nick Padlo hit the last shot, but time had long since run out on the Panthers.
Of the two teams, Starr's Mill faces the toughest road heading into the region tournament. The Panthers travel to rival Whitewater (1-9 in region 5-AAAA) Friday and then turn around and visit fourth place Sandy Creek (7-2) Saturday night. Coach Rashad Muyhee's Patriots have won four straight since a Jan. 19 home loss to third-place Mays.
The Chiefs close their pre-tournament slate with a pair of games against 5-AAAA's bottom feeders: Northgate (2-7) and Alexander (2-6).
Eisele's squad needs to take care of business and root for their Peachtree City rivals. The Chiefs hold a head to head tie-breaker over Sandy Creek and still have a shot at the fourth seed...
Before the boys took the court, the McIntosh Lady Chiefs put on basketball clinic in the opener, overwhelming the Lady Panthers by a final of 61-27.
Freshman sensation Gaby Seiler again led the way for the Lady Chiefs, running the offense from the point guard position. Under Seiler’s direction, the McIntosh jumped out to a big early lead and never looked back. It was the second time in three games that Coach David Dowse’s squad cracked the 60 point barrier.
At 6-4 in Region 5-AAAA, the Lady Chiefs are currently in fifth place with two games remaining before the tournament. Fayette and Mays remain undefeated in region play, Douglas County has only one loss and the 6-4 Lithia Springs Lady Lions hold a head to head tiebreaker over McIntosh in for fourth place.
Starr's Mill is still looking for its first region win of the season. |
