COVINGTON, Ga. – An instant classic between the Eastside Eagles and the Union Grove Wolverines ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Eagles.
The Wolverines defeated the Eagles 50-47 to secure the upset in the first round of the AAAA playoffs on Wednesday. With the loss, it’s the second consecutive year that the Eagles have been knocked out of the postseason in the first round.
The first quarter foreshadowed the intensity that would occur throughout the contest.
Despite Eastside striking first with a Marion Eubanks three-pointer, the Wolverines matched Eastside’s intensity on both ends of the floor. This proved to be especially true in the closing minutes of the first frame, with Union Grove going on a 8-0 run to end the first quarter with a 13-8 lead.
Both teams then continued to go bucket for bucket, with Eubanks and fellow senior Damien Davey leading the way. But the efforts from 6-foot-5 wing Caleb Peele kept the Wolverines afloat, giving the visiting team a 25-21 lead to end the half.
The back-and-forth scoring continued for both teams well into the third frame, with the Wolverines maintaining lead throughout the quarter. This was until rising big man Christian Gatewood began to heat up, scoring seven points in the third frame and giving Eastside its first lead for the first time since the first quarter.
The third frame ended with a key shot from the Wolverines’ Braylon Miller to tie the game up at 36-36.
Much of the same alternating scoring continued for the first 4:00 of the final frame, until a critical pair of three-pointer’s from Eubanks and Davey gave the Eagles the 46-42 lead with 3:40 to go.
The Wolverines, however, would not be deterred, as points from Dylan Fox and Temar Colley tied the game once again at 46 a-piece.
When the game was on the line, Union Grove turned to Peele once again, nailing two critical shots – including one with 11 seconds to go – to give the Wolverines a 50-47 lead.
With five seconds remaining, Eubanks converted a successful inbound pass to Javian Perry. Perry had a solid look at the basket, but narrowly missed the potential game-tying shot.
The Eagles were unable to rebound the shot attempt and the clock expired, securing Eastside’s early playoff exit.
In his final high school game, Eubanks led all Eastside scorers with 15 points, while Peele led all contest scorers with 16 for the Wolverines.
Head coach Dorrian Randolph said the outcome of the game came down to allowing one too many possessions to the opposing team.
“We gave them a couple of extra possessions that kind of killed us,” Randolph said. “It’s on us. That’s what sealed the game: extra possessions, missed layups.”
With Eastside’s loss on Wednesday, the Eagles have officially finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 16-12 and 8-4 in region play. Both are vast improvements from the 2023-24 season.
As of press time, the Newton Rams’ boys and girls teams are the only teams remaining in postseason play for Newton County, with Eastside, Alcovy and Social Circle all eliminated.
