The Boys Basketball team clinched a spot in the 2015 State Playoffs with Wednesday's 62-60 victory over Sprayberry in the Region 7-AAAAA Tournament.
The Raiders, seeded #1 in the Region Tournament, faced Sprayberry on Wednesday afternoon February 11 in the quarterfinal round. It was the third time this season for the Yellow Jackets and Raiders to play. In December, playing at Sprayberry, the Raiders won 65-57. In January, playing at home, the Raiders soundly defeated the Yellow Jackets 86-62.
Knowing that the Yellow Jackets were much improved since those earlier regular season contests, the Raiders also knew that the region tournament atmosphere would add to the excitement of the re-match. The first quarter started slowly for each team; the Raiders held a three point lead at the end (12-9). Trading shot for shot in the second, the Raiders went into the locker room at halftime with a 24-20 edge. Each team found their offensive rhythm in the third quarter and the Yellow Jackets built a two point advantage (47-45). The final quarter was extremely tense and, again, evenly matched. The Raiders held steady to claim a two point victory, 62-60.
Junior Kohl Roberts led the Raider scoring with 23 points, Senior Jordan Renfro added 19, and Junior Pryce Watkins contributed 11. Defensively, Roberts had 16 rebounds and 6 blocked shots; Senior Marcus Rosser grabbed 8 rebounds; Watkins had 7.
The win guarantees a State Playoff berth; seeding will depend on how the Raiders finish the Region Tournament. Next up for the Raiders are the North Atlanta Warriors on Friday, February 13, 2015. In the regular season, the Raiders split their series with the Warriors -- winning at home 64-61 and losing on the road 51-42.
Friday's tip off vs. North Atlanta is 5:30pm at Creekview High School. The final day of the Region Tournament is Saturday, February 14. The Raiders will play at either 4:30 or 8:30pm vs. TBA. Region 7-AAAAA 2015 Tournament Brackets .pdf
