Bulloch Academy faced off with their rival Pinewood Christian Academy on Tuesday, February 11th with a spot in the region tournament on the line. The gym was packed with Bulloch and Pinewood fans. The Gators performed in the playoff intensity to win 71-49.
The Gators entered the 4th quarter with an 18-point lead after a dominant 3rd quarter. The Pinewood Patriots roared back in the game with a 9-0 run to cut the lead down the 9. The Gators would then hit another gear to put the game away. The defense forced turnover after turnover which led to easy basket after easy basket. Keonte Maynor put the finishing touches on a 17-4 run with a smooth step-through layup.
Bulloch Academy and Pinewood had faced each other twice before Tuesday's game. The Gators dominated the season series with a 2-0 sweep while averaging a win margin of 25 points. The game on Tuesday was a lot closer before the closing stretch.
BA head coach Zachary Brackett gave his thoughts on why their opponents hung in the game this time around. "We kind of beat ourselves with all of the complaining about the fouls and that kept them in the game in the 1st half," Brackett said. Both Jackson Sheppard and AK Watkins had to sit for an extended time in the first half due to foul trouble.
The Gators came into the game with a plan to take Pinewood's Banks Hearns out of the game offensively. Hearns led the region is scoring during the regular season and he has the ability to win a game by himself. BA switched to a box and 1 to wear down Hearns. Several players stepped up to the challenge of defending him. Coach Brackett was really proud of his players' ability to adjust on the fly. Pinewood's Jordan Kinlaw picked up his play and tried his best to take advantage of the Gators' attention being elsewhere.
Ike Hubbard stepped up big time when the other starters had to sit due to foul trouble. Hubbard led the Gators in scoring with 16 points. Keonte Maynor scored 13 points including 10 points in the second half. AK Watkins poured in 11 points of his own. Other contributors were JB Roach, Jackson Sheppard, William Polk, and Nick Eason.
Banks Hearns led the Patriots in scoring with 21 points. Jordan Kinlaw scored 19. Mattox Elrod and Sam Wasson were the other scorers for Pinewood.
Up Next:
The Gators will be back in action on Thursday at 8pm when they take on St. Andrews. The region tournament is hosted by Bulloch Academy.
