SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — Local rivals Social Circle and Eastside split their head-to-head series on Saturday. The Lady Eagles were victorious in a 56-49 showing, but the Redskins got revenge soon after in a 52-50 thriller in the boys matchup.
The Lady Eagles dug a hole too deep for the Lady Redskins to climb out of, despite a 13-point fourth quarter from Social Circle senior Jada Hyman. They defeated their rivals 56-49 to nab their second straight win and third on the season.
Seniors Morgan Sandema and Jailyn Williams each had double-digit showings, with both of them extending the lead to 15 with seven points scored each in the third quarter.
Despite being down with just eight minutes to play, the Lady Redskins did not give up. Hyman scored from deep to cut into a commanding Eastside lead, coming as close as two possessions before a dagger from just outside the paint from Williams closed the door on a potential Social Circle comeback.
A large part of the Lady Eagles’ offense came from the foul line, as 10 of Eastside’s 19 first half points came from the free throw line, but many of the Lady Eagles foul shots were off the mark, much to the dismay of head coach Gladys King.
“The game should not have even been that close,” King said. “We missed 25 free throws. We gave away 25 points. I’m happy with the win. I’m happy of course that we won, but I’m not happy with the performance.”
Later that evening, the Redskins’ boys team won their home opener against Eastside 52-50, after a potential game-tying layup for the Eagles was negated as time expired.
Down by four at the end of the third, Eastside scored on two consecutive possessions to tie the game 40-40 with seven minutes remaining. Social Circle didn’t hold the tie for long though, as Derrick White hit a jumper and the Redskins exploded to break the tie and go up by seven.
The Eagles did not give up however, as a three by Damien Davey and a quick strike from Iverson Freeman brought Eastside to within one point in the final minute of the game.
Le’son Nelson sank a foul shot to make the score 52-50 with less than five seconds remaining. Josiah Johnson raced the ball down the court for a tying layup, but the play was whistled dead with an offensive foul on Johnson as the buzzer sounded, notching the Redskins first win.
Head Coach Norman Jones said that a win over a county rival will help to build confidence in a team he believes can achieve greatness.
“Just changing the culture,” Jones said. “Making them believe that little old Social Circle can be bigger than what they are. Believing in one another, that’s what happens.”
The Lady Redskins (1-2) and the Social Circle boys (1-1) will both travel to Apalachee for a Tuesday night matchup on Dec. 3. Both Eastside teams (Girls 2-3, Boys 3-3) will take a road trip to Cedar Shoals, also on Dec. 3.
