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Jadon Yeh gets off a desperation shot from half court at the end of regulation durning the 7-AAA championship game.
In the middle of the third quarter of the 7-AAA championship game Tuesday night at Cherokee Bluff, it looked like the White County Warriors might be on their way to the program's first-ever region championship.
But North Hall used some long-range shooting and some clutch plays in the fourth quarter and overtime period to rally for an 82-81 win, and break the hearts of the Warriors' players, coaches, and fans.
“There's a lot of self doubt,” WCHS head coach Robbie Bailey said. “You think about a million things you might could have done differently. The kids are crushed, but we can't let disappointment turn into discouragement. Some of them think this is the end of the world, but we are still playing, we've just got to find a way to get over this and get ready for the next game. I expect them to come in Thursday ready to roll. That's just the type of kids they are.”
The Warriors still have a lot to play for as the Class AAA tournament opens next Wednesday. The good news is that the Warriors will still host a first round playoff game. The Warriors are looking to post their second straight home playoff win after getting the program's first last year when the Warriors made it to the Sweet 16. The Warriors will host the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAA. The region includes three teams who have been state-ranked all year in regular season champion Sandy Creek, Salem and Greater Atlanta Christian.
“The kids have to understand we're still playing, and we (the coaches) have to find a way to get them ready to play,” Bailey said. “Whoever we play, they are going to be really good, so we have to get ready for that.”
On Tuesday, the Warriors had a 53-39 lead midway through the third quarter when North Hall staged a run to get back in the game.
Korbyn Sosebee keyed the run with a pair of 3-pointers, and Sam Gailey added another long-range shot to fuel a run that cut the deficit to 54-50 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Trojans continued the surge into the fourth quarter, but the Warriors regained the lead. Silas Mulligan canned a pair of free throws to make it 61-56 with five minutes left in the game.
With 3:30 left in the regulation, Sosebee canned another 3-pointer to cut the lead to 61-59. Seconds later, Mulligan fouled out, leaving the Warriors without one of their top players for the final stretch.
Sosebee hit a pair of free throws to tie things up at 61-61 with 2:57 left on the clock. North Hall took the lead on the next possession with Luke Sanders scoring on a slash to the basket. After a White County miss, Sam Gailey hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 65-61 with 2:10 to go.
Jadon Yeh answered with a pair of free throws, but Robert Terry scored off a put back to make 67-63. With Mulligan and fellow starter Noah Futch on the bench with five fouls, the Warriors were searching for points and Tavi Simmons answered the call, knocking down a 3-pointer from the left corner to cut the deficit to 67-66 with 59 seconds on the clock.
Gailey hit a free throw to make it 68-66, but Simmons came up big again, calmly sinking a pair of free throws to tie things up at 68-68 with 37.6 seconds in regulation.
Sanders had a chance to win it in regulation for the Trojans, but he missed a 3-pointer, and Yeh's desperation heave from half court rimmed out as the buzzed sounded, sending the game to overtime.
The Trojans hit 12 free throws in overtime, taking an 80-70 lead with 1:03 left in the game. The Warriors put together a frantic rally with Yeh scoring on a three-point play, and adding adding a deep 3-pointer to make it 80-76. Sanders and Matthew Ray each hit a free throw to make it an 82-76 lead with under 15 seconds to go. Dawson Oliver scored on the Warriors' next possession, and then a Trojans' turnover led to a Kenny Simpson 3-pointer in the final seconds, but the Warriors were out of timeouts and couldn't stop the clock.
“The heart and the fight was there, we just went cold (in the fourth quarter),” Bailey said. “There ain't no quit in these kids, it's not in their DNA. We got down nine and tied it up, and then got down 10 in overtime and scored nine points in the last minute.”
Yeh had 30 points. He scored 21 in the first half, and finished with five 3-pointers. Mulligan had 20 points, with 3-pointers, Simpson added 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and Futch had 10 points. Simmons scored five points and Oliver added two.
Gailey had 10 points for North Hall, while Sanders had 19, Terry added 17, and Sosebee had 12, all coming in the second half.
“Hats off to North Hall,” Bailey said. “Miles had them ready to play, and they had some kids play really well. Sanders, Sosebee, and Gailey all made some big plays. They just kept fighting back.”
Semifinals
The Warriors put together a stellar effort in the semifinal round, blasting East Forsyth, 72-45.
The Warriors outscored the Broncos 35-12 over the final two quarters to run away with the win.
Yeh had 29 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, while Futch was instrumental in the win with a season-high 16 points and 12 rebounds. Mulligan added 15 points, Simpson had seven, and Dawson Bailey scored two points.