Northside’s shooting cools, Coffee takes playoff spot to finish Region 2-5A Play-In

WARNER ROBINS — Northside’s (13-13) games against Coffee (17-9) have only gone one of two ways this season: A close, hard-fought victory or a blowout.

While Tuesday’s 78-68 loss doesn’t necessarily fall into either category, it was a blowout in spirit after the Trojans took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles only scored one point through the first six minutes of the third, and that was essentially the nail in the coffin. They didn’t score an actual basket until 60 seconds were left.

“A couple times on a free throw blockout, we didn’t get the possession. We didn’t get the rebound, and then they scored,” Northside head coach Buck Harris said of the run. “I think it hits them, like, ‘Oh here we go again.’ We’re not mature enough to handle it and bounce back. That just comes with strong leadership from your seniors.”

“God bless those guys, everybody pretty much was in unfamiliar territory,” He continued. “Those guys were asked to lead and have never been in a position where they had to do that, so they did the best they could do this year.”

Coffee was a tough draw for anyone in the play-in tournament, where your season hangs in the balance.

They have perimeter shooting, size and rebounding that can make it difficult for you on both ends.

Xavien Littleton, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound freshman, was actually the least of the Eagles’ worries for much of the game.

Elijah Patmon’s first touch on the first play drew a foul on Littleton. Mekei Spencer drew a charge on Littleton early in the second for his second, and his third came on Jaydin Howell’s layup attempt with 6:23 left in the second quarter. He didn’t play for the remainder of the first half.

His impact wasn’t truly felt until the fourth quarter, where he scored nine of his 19 points. Free of foul trouble given there was only a few minutes left in what could’ve been Coffee’s season, he wreaked havoc on the glass.

“Second chance points. He gave them opportunities to get second chance points,” Harris said. “When they missed a shot he come up with the rebound…He gets an offensive rebound put back or he goes coast to coast, and we won’t make the sacrifice.”

“For a little bit of pain, if you take that charge and you get him out of the game, then you feel a whole lot better when you ain’t got to worry about guarding him no more,” He continued. “He gives them an inside presence. He gives them some toughness, and to be a freshman, he’s pretty freaking good.”

One positive that may be hard to see after the end of their season is the effort of freshman Kingston Allen.

Allen only had two points in the entire first half. He scored 17 of his 19 in the third and fourth quarters, and drew 14 free throw attempts. Ultimately he didn’t shoot very well, only 8-of-14, but his aggressiveness was welcome in their final minutes.

Caden Lowe, another freshman standout, was in foul trouble for much of the game. There is room for improvement not just with these two, but all the returners according to Harris.

“They got to get better, all of them. From freshmen to sophomores, we got to get stronger,” Harris said. “Kingston Allen, he did everything possible to help us get back in this game. To be a freshman he was way more poised than a a lot of the guys that I’ve had…The future’s bright over here, but if you don’t put the work in it won’t make no difference.”

UP NEXT

Northside’s season is over with an even 13-13 record.

Coffee will play Lee County at home on Feb. 12 for the semifinals.