Morrow, GA (December 28, 2019) — The Cardinals of Jonesboro High School (Jonesboro, GA) matched up well with the Panthers of Chapel Hill High School (Douglasville, GA) in the fourth game of the South Atlanta Invitational. The Panthers made a late run to defeat the Cardinals in overtime, 77-72.
Jonesboro started on a 7-0 run but Chapel Hill’s defense allowed for their offense to tie the game at 7 apiece with under four minutes to play in the first quarter. With 1:53 on the clock, freshman Micah Bell went to the line for Chapel Hills’ chance to take their first lead of the night, 13-10. Jonesboro showed the depth of their bench in the first quarter as they made many substitutions at various positions throughout the quarter. Jonesboro ended the first quarter with a 17-16 lead.
The two teams matched up well creating a game worth watching as both teams had size and length and sound defense. After five minutes into the second quarter, neither team had had control of the game. Chapel Hill’s defense was active which gave them fast break opportunities that put them at a 22-17 lead. A technical foul was called on Chapel Hill which allowed Jonesboro the opportunity to chip away at the Chapel Hill lead. Free throws were the difference-maker in the first half, as Jonesboro went into the half with a one-point lead, 26-25.
Chapter Hill began gnawing at Jonesboro with their ability to beat Jonesboro in transition with their ball movement. Yet, Jonesboro’s athleticism helped on their end against a good Chapel Hill defense putting them up 37-33 with five minutes left in the third quarter. J23 drew the and-one which put the Cardinals up 44-36. With under a minute Chapel Hill pulled within two, but Jonesboro guards were aggressive driving the lane before. Junior KJ Doucet drew the and-one at the buzzer which sent Chapel Hill into the fourth quarter down two points, 49-47.
The Panthers took over in the fourth quarter, ultimately sending the game into overtime. Chapel Hill gained momentum after a steal and score that pulled them within one point of the Cardinals. With 3:00 remaining on the clock, Chapel Hill took a five-point lead that left Jonesboro scrambling to regain their lead. Jonesboro eventually chipped away at the Chapel Hill lead, but senior Ju’Quan Williams sent the game into overtime by draining a three-pointer for Chapel Hill to tie the game at 62 points.
In overtime, Chapel Hill was the first to score with Williams’ dish to Bell that ultimately sealed the deal for the Panthers. Jonesboro seemed to lose their confidence, until stellar freshman Kelvin Hunter fouled out for Chapel Hill with 3:09 remaining. Jonesboro capitalized on Hunter being sent to the bench, but Chapel Hill had all the momentum and after pivotal free throws they came back to defeat Jonesboro 77-72.
Coach’s Comments:
On tonight’s performance…
“We started out slow. Twenty-five points at halftime is not like us. Our goal is to always score 70, so we finished with 77. We made a few halftime adjustments by getting to the free-throw line. We shot one free-throw in the first half, and in the second half we ended up shooting at least 10 plus. We closed the game out defensively. We got a lot of young guys, and my young guys did step up. Good environment, and it was a good team win.”
On Micah Bell’s performance…
“Micah Bell is a junior, and I still have to get on him. He played a good game, it’s just finishing games from start to finish, but he’s going to be a special player. I’m glad he’s on my side.”
On tonight’s comeback…
“We put the ball in the basket. Again, we scored 25 points in the first half and that’s uncharacteristic for us, so we scored 50 points in the second half. Our magic number is 70, so we finished with 77. It was just pushing the ball in transition, a little adjustment on offense, and our man-to-man offense and it paid off by getting us to the basket. We were able to get to the line which in turn let us press.”
