In the first round of elimination play for Region 3-7A, Cobb Schools had four teams in the four back-to-back games played at Hillgrove. North Cobb's girls and boys teams played, as well as Walton's girls and Harrison's boys. All four teams were eliminated from further postseason play with tough losses.
The North Cobb ladies were the first to play at 4:00PM. Facing the Marietta Blue Devils for the third time this season, the Lady Warriors knew what they were up against and played accordingly. Having lost to Marietta the previous two times taught North Cobb a thing or two, and they played a very tight game. Coming down to the wire and needing late foul shots to close the gap didn't play out like they hoped and the Lady Warriors lost their final game of the season by three points, 41-38. They closed their season 11-14 overall, and 2-9 in region play.
The North Cobb boys played next, also facing the Blue Devils. The teams had split the two regular season matches, with Marietta winning the first one in mid-January at North Cobb and the Warriors winning the late January game in Marietta by a single point. The Blue Devils took a 5-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and stretched it to seven points by halftime. Marietta's disruptive 6'8" forward, and Region 3-7A Player of the Year, Izaiyah Nelson, was creating difficulties for the Warriors on both ends of the court. Playing with renewed intensity in the third quarter brought North Cobb within 5 points (35-30), but they couldn't keep the momentum heading into the final quarter. Marietta ended the Warriors' season with a final score of 54-41, and an overall record of 8-17 (4-6 in region).
The Walton Raider ladies took the court next, facing the North Paulding Wolfpack. Having lost the previous two games by double-digit margins, the Raiders knew they were in for a challenge. Scoring only 4 points in the first quarter and 8 in the second got Walton well behind by halftime, 29-12. The Wolfpack owned the inside lane and the Raiders couldn't get any outside shots to drop all game. Frustrations began to show in the final quarter as the second half continued to go North Paulding's way. The Raider ladies ended their season with an overall record 5-21, and 0-10 in the region.
The final game of the evening was a showdown between the North Paulding Wolfpack and the Harrison Hoya boys. After beating them twice in the regular season, the Hoyas were the favorites heading into the game. The Wolfpack played the first half with a tough intensity, and refused to allow Harrison to keep a comfortable lead. The Hoyas were up by as much as 10 points at one point, but North Paulding kept battling back, thanks in part to three-point shooting from senior Trey Harris and strong defense inside. North Paulding regained the lead at the end of the third quarter, 41-40. A back-and-forth final period accented by vocal support from the Hoya student section did not bounce Harrison's way though, and the Wolfpack pulled off the upset of the night, ending the Hoya's season, 60-55. Harrison finished 10-16 overall, and 5-5 in region games.
The 3-7A tournament continues at Hillgrove on Thursday. The Hillgrove girls will face North Paulding at 4PM, and the top-seed Harrison girls will face Marietta at 7PM. The boys' games will be Walton and North Paulding at 5:30PM, and top-seed Hillgrove against Marietta at 8:30PM.
