HOSCHTON — South Forsyth was too cold for too long on Wednesday, as the War Eagles’ season came to an end in the quarterfinals of the Region 7-AAAAA tournament.
South (10-17) managed only 13 points in the first half, and by the time the scoring started coming, Collins Hill got even hotter in the second half of a 61-43 result at Mill Creek.
“We got exactly what we wanted in terms of looks [in the first half], and just couldn’t knock them down,” South coach David Sokol said, adding that the early struggles from the field seemed to make his team hesitant with the ball as the game wore on.
Collins Hill wasn’t lighting things up itself in the first half, and halftime arrived with just a 22-13 lead for the Suwanee Eagles.
By the end of the third quarter, though, things stood firmly in favor of Collins Hill. South was outscored 22-11 in the third, to give Collins Hill a comfortable 44-24 advantage heading into the final period.
With a decided size advantage on the inside and a great second half from speedy guard Saah Nimley (game-high 20 points), Collins Hill was able to take control. The third quarter ended with Herdie Lawrence (14 points) draining a three-pointer at the buzzer to build the lead to 20.
“We just looked a little flat-footed on defense,” Sokol said in describing the second half.
“They’ve got extra quick guards who were able to penetrate, get in the lane and then dish it to the post.
“I think that’s a very good team. They’re going to do extraordinarily well the rest of the region tournament, and advance in the state playoffs.”
Six-foot-10 Jeremy Olsen was Collins Hill’s third-leading scorer, with 13 points.
Jonathan Sauls led South with 13.
Sokol said he hopes that the experience of a losing season can be an educational one for the War Eagles, noting that winning can mask deeper problems with a team.
“I think you learn more from losing than winning,” the coach said.
“I’m not saying I like to lose, but you learn what kind of character you have, how to handle adversity, and hopefully they can learn from this.”
E-mail BJ Corbitt at bjcorbitt@forsythnews.com.
South (10-17) managed only 13 points in the first half, and by the time the scoring started coming, Collins Hill got even hotter in the second half of a 61-43 result at Mill Creek.
“We got exactly what we wanted in terms of looks [in the first half], and just couldn’t knock them down,” South coach David Sokol said, adding that the early struggles from the field seemed to make his team hesitant with the ball as the game wore on.
Collins Hill wasn’t lighting things up itself in the first half, and halftime arrived with just a 22-13 lead for the Suwanee Eagles.
By the end of the third quarter, though, things stood firmly in favor of Collins Hill. South was outscored 22-11 in the third, to give Collins Hill a comfortable 44-24 advantage heading into the final period.
With a decided size advantage on the inside and a great second half from speedy guard Saah Nimley (game-high 20 points), Collins Hill was able to take control. The third quarter ended with Herdie Lawrence (14 points) draining a three-pointer at the buzzer to build the lead to 20.
“We just looked a little flat-footed on defense,” Sokol said in describing the second half.
“They’ve got extra quick guards who were able to penetrate, get in the lane and then dish it to the post.
“I think that’s a very good team. They’re going to do extraordinarily well the rest of the region tournament, and advance in the state playoffs.”
Six-foot-10 Jeremy Olsen was Collins Hill’s third-leading scorer, with 13 points.
Jonathan Sauls led South with 13.
Sokol said he hopes that the experience of a losing season can be an educational one for the War Eagles, noting that winning can mask deeper problems with a team.
“I think you learn more from losing than winning,” the coach said.
“I’m not saying I like to lose, but you learn what kind of character you have, how to handle adversity, and hopefully they can learn from this.”
E-mail BJ Corbitt at bjcorbitt@forsythnews.com.