LITHONIA — A tough season ended in a tough way Tuesday, as Forsyth Central’s boys fell in the first round of the Region 6-AAAA tournament at Miller Grove.
Taking on Southwest DeKalb, Central (2-22) had trouble scoring for long stretches and finally succumbed to a big fourth-quarter run by the Panthers, who won 71-45.
Down 31-17 at halftime, Central finally got into a bit of a scoring rhythm in the second half, but Southwest DeKalb picked up the pace as well.
Central got as close as nine points in the third quarter and opened up the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets from senior Jeremy Long (nine points) to cut the Panthers’ lead to 48-38. The Panthers turned up the heat on defense down the stretch, though, causing problems for the Bulldogs and opening up the final margin with a 23-6 run that put the game away.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well, and they were doing what they can do well, shooting layups and free throws, and we didn’t do a good job of defending that,” Central coach Steve Barnes said. Barnes said things “snowballed” as Southwest DeKalb gained momentum in the fourth quarter.
“I hate it for the six seniors that I’ve grown to love,” Barnes said of a season that brought few high points.
“I hate that we couldn’t do better for them. I hurt for them in that way. ... They’re going to have some struggles [in life], adversities, and they’re going to look back and maybe pull something from this experience that’s going to help them.”
Most of Central’s scoring contributions came from guys playing their last game in the Bulldog uniform. Senior Doug Scherer matched Long’s nine-point output, while Steven Davis ended his Central career with a game-high 25 points.
Robert McMullen (15 points) and Allen Stripling (12) led the way for Southwest DeKalb.
E-mail BJ Corbitt at bjcorbitt@forsythnews.com.
Taking on Southwest DeKalb, Central (2-22) had trouble scoring for long stretches and finally succumbed to a big fourth-quarter run by the Panthers, who won 71-45.
Down 31-17 at halftime, Central finally got into a bit of a scoring rhythm in the second half, but Southwest DeKalb picked up the pace as well.
Central got as close as nine points in the third quarter and opened up the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets from senior Jeremy Long (nine points) to cut the Panthers’ lead to 48-38. The Panthers turned up the heat on defense down the stretch, though, causing problems for the Bulldogs and opening up the final margin with a 23-6 run that put the game away.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well, and they were doing what they can do well, shooting layups and free throws, and we didn’t do a good job of defending that,” Central coach Steve Barnes said. Barnes said things “snowballed” as Southwest DeKalb gained momentum in the fourth quarter.
“I hate it for the six seniors that I’ve grown to love,” Barnes said of a season that brought few high points.
“I hate that we couldn’t do better for them. I hurt for them in that way. ... They’re going to have some struggles [in life], adversities, and they’re going to look back and maybe pull something from this experience that’s going to help them.”
Most of Central’s scoring contributions came from guys playing their last game in the Bulldog uniform. Senior Doug Scherer matched Long’s nine-point output, while Steven Davis ended his Central career with a game-high 25 points.
Robert McMullen (15 points) and Allen Stripling (12) led the way for Southwest DeKalb.
E-mail BJ Corbitt at bjcorbitt@forsythnews.com.