Five Takeaways: No. 1 South Cobb vs. No. 5 Sequoyah
A combined 26-game winning streak was on the line Tuesday night at The War Lodge as No. 5 Sequoyah (15-4, 9-2) welcomed newly minted No. 1 South Cobb (18-2, 11-1). The Chiefs had lost their previous eight meetings to the…
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Continue ReadingA combined 26-game winning streak was on the line Tuesday night at The War Lodge as No. 5 Sequoyah (15-4, 9-2) welcomed newly minted No. 1 South Cobb (18-2, 11-1). The Chiefs had lost their previous eight meetings to the Eagles and fell 78-68 back on December 6 at South Cobb, trailing the entire game. This time, it was Sequoyah who was the aggressor and who would put an end to South Cobb’s 17-game win streak by using a key 13-0 run in the second quarter to take control of the game and never trail in the second half. Here are five takeaways from Sequoyah’s 67-56 statement win.
Defense Wins Championships
In years past and even in spots this season, the Chiefs have struggled to get key stops when needed. Sequoyah has played an aggressive defense that flies around but could sometimes get caught out of place and lead to easy buckets, a product of their sometimes helter-skelter pace. On Tuesday, the Chiefs were as solid as I’ve ever seen them defensively and put together their best game of the season. Other than allowing Zocko Littleton Jr. a wide open three off an inbound when he first checked in, the Chiefs were locked in. They were on a string defensively and their rotations saved them any time South Cobb tried to penetrate. As a team, they gang rebounded and out-rebounded the bigger more athletic Eagles 30-23. Dashaun Robinson was the X-factor as the last line of defense swatting four shots. If the Chiefs can keep this focus on the defensive side of the ball and get helpful contributions offensively from their role players, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be in the discussion as a legitimate state title contender.
Illinois State robbery
6-foot-7 Illinois State-signee Emon Washington is an absolute stud. Currently sitting in ninth-place in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Red Birds have a building block coming in Washington. The lefty is an explosive athlete with a soft touch and good motor. Sequoyah had no real answers for him especially early in the game when he scored nine of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter. Washington got the Chiefs in foul trouble and relentlessly attacked the rim. In the second quarter the Eagles strayed away from getting him the ball and this is when the Chiefs capitalized with a 13-0 run to take control. Washington scored nine points in the fourth quarter but didn’t get enough help from his teammates as time ran out. Washington did a lot of his damage from the high post, turning to face and attack the rack. He had some good footwork on the low block as well and cashed in from the foul line when he was hacked, going 8-11. Washington finished with 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks.
4Q; 5:37
No. 5 @sequoyahBball 53
No. 1 @SouthCobbBball 48@emon_washington is starting to assert himself inside. He finishes this And-1. pic.twitter.com/UYpoGRuAob— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) January 15, 2020
The Hero: Deshaun Robinson
Showered with MVP chants late in the fourth quarter, 6-foot-5 senior Deshaun Robinson played the game of his life to power the Chiefs to one of their biggest wins in the school history. The long-armed goggled role player entered averaging 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. Robinson has come a long way over four years and last season he began becoming a valuable piece inside. Robinson’s length and energy can make him an X-Factor on some nights and on Tuesday, the night was his. Robinson posted a career-high 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter while going 6-6 from the foul line. Robinson was everywhere on both sides on the floor. He scored on put-backs and defended the rim, his finest stretch coming with under 90 seconds remaining blocking a dunk attempt and then seconds later forcing a South Cobb turnover with his length. In big games, its not always about the star matchup. This time it was about the role players for each roster and Robinson stole the show. Robinson has yet to scratch the surface of his potential and is the definition of a late bloomer. He is having a strong senior campaign and for small schools looking for a forward to mold, Robinson could be worth a look.
Stock UP!
2020 6-5 PF @DjayRobin11 takes over in the fourth quarter to stun No. 1 South Cobb.
19 points
10 rebounds
2 assists
4 blocks pic.twitter.com/8vdjk3zOTX— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) January 15, 2020
The Perfect Storm
From all accounts, South Cobb played the worst they have all season long last night. Give credit to Sequoyah, but the Eagles just didn’t look sharp after leading 17-15 following the first quarter. Emon Washington (24.2 ppg) and Zocko Littleton (18 ppg) do the heavy lifting offensively while the rest of the lineup chips in a few points here and there. Da’Quan Riggins (7.3 ppg) and Travis Burrus (6.8 ppg) are the third and fourth leading scorers. It looked like Sequoyah was focused on slowing down Littleton and making Washington and the rest of the crew beat them. Taking away one of South Cobb’s big scorers puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the role players to create offense which they couldn’t muster enough of. Littleton was held to 11 points – 0 in the fourth quarter. While Washington did his part with 23 points, there just wasn’t enough shot making elsewhere. Riggins scored 6 points along with Raymond Baka, but that was about it. South Cobb’s size advantage was rendered useless other than a few offensive rebounds. It’s not often that Littleton will be held under wraps like he was on Tuesday, but it did show that the Eagles can be beat if one of their star players has an off night and none of the supporting cast can provide a lift scoring the ball.
Who wins Region 6-AAAAAA?
South Cobb still holds a narrow lead in the standings with their toughest game on paper remaining to be Allatoona. Sequoyah has won 10-straight games and has a rematch looming with River Ridge, their low point of the year when they lost 71-68 at home. Dalton and Allatoona both sit at 7-4, putting them too far back to make up enough ground. Allatoona’s 21-point loss to Harrison all but ruined their chances of sneaking into the top two unless there are some major upsets. With that being said, I still lean towards South Cobb both winning the regular season title and the region championship. I think they will learn from Tuesday night’s comeuppance and be better for it. Sequoyah obviously can knock them off again but it will be harder at a neutral site and if they didn’t already, have South Cobb’s full attention after snapping their eight-game winning streak against the Chiefs.