Mount de Sales beats Stratford to advance in region tournament, plus other updates

The Mount de Sales Cavaliers rolled to a region tournament win over the Stratford Eagles on Tuesday, riding a second-quarter scoring surge and a stingy defense to the 64-53 victory at Tattnall to advance to the second round of the GIAA 4A/3A District 6 tournament.

The Cavaliers, who were 5-5 in region play during the regular season but 13-8 overall, will play top-seeded Tattnall on Thursday in the semifinals. They were 10th in the GIAA Class 4A rankings entering the tournament, virtually securing them a spot in the tournament.

“I thought we played really well in the first half, really aggressive. It started on the defensive end holding them to 13 points when they have skilled guys that can score,” Mount de Sales head coach Deion Taylor said. “That really helped us kinda deal with the second half setbacks that were going on for us.”

An 18-2 point differential in the second quarter was the difference-maker for Mount de Sales. Jackson Rowley and Evan Talton both scored 6 points in the period. Rowley finished with 16 points, tying for the game-high. Elijah Battle also had a great night for the Cavaliers, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the second half to help stave off a Stratford comeback attempt.

“It was just keying in on certain guys, knowing our personnel and who we were guarding,” Taylor said of the defensive gameplan. “It was also ending each possession making sure they only got one, making sure they didn’t get offensive rebounds inside.”

Head coach Jarvis Smith and the Eagles felt the disadvantage on the glass.

“Coach Deion does a great job with those kids. They fought and they killed us on the glass. They fought and got those opportunities, those second and third chances, and then they got and-1s. When they turn it into 3 points, it was just back-breaking,” Smith said.

Stratford’s Waldron Hiley Jr. tied with Rowley for the game-high with 16, all of which came in the second half as the Eagles tried to pull off the shocker after going down by as many as 24 points. Loads of free throws gave them an opportunity — the two teams combined for an incredible 54 fouls on the night as several players fouled out — but Stratford’s young squad could not get closer than 9 points.

“We knew coming into the season what we were, as far as inexperienced. We had kids that were in the program, but they played JV. That varsity experience, there’s nothing like it,” Smith said. “We looked good sometimes for a half, but it was hard to put 32 minutes together.”

Thus the 2-point second quarter, which frustrated Smith and his staff.

The loss ends the season for the Eagles, as they are currently No. 15 in the GIAA 4A rankings. Stratford will only lose two seniors, though, making next year a source for some optimism after a tough loss.

“I just told ‘em in the locker room, we  have everyone coming back from two guys, plus we had two guys injured this year,” Smith said. “We fought and showed what we could do if we can be more consistent. That’s what it is, building consistency — that’s what the offseason is for.”

Both teams struggled a bit offensively early, but Mount de Sales ultimately shot the ball with more precision and managed to draw more fouls. Stratford’s guards moved with quickness but simply could not find a way to get into the lane and drive to the baseline, making any offensive rhythm difficult to come by.

The Eagles’ defense kept them within reach through the first quarter to hold the Cavaliers to a 15-11 lead, but Mount de Sales found its groove midway through the second period. Combined with Stratford’s measly 2 points in the entire quarter and some timely and-1s, the Cavaliers were able to open up a stifling 33-13 lead at intermission.

Landon Gates scored the 2 points for the Eagles, part of his six for the game before fouling out. Despite the uneven performance Tuesday night, the senior earned a postgame shoutout from his coach following his final outing in the silver-and-blue.

“Landon is my first four-year player. He was here as a freshman when I came in as the coach. He played all four years, and it’s been great to see him grow,” Smith said.

Stratford outscored Mount de Sales by one in the third before really turning it on in the fourth to come within 9 points. Some fouls and rebounds on missed free throws helped, as did some subpar Cavalier shooting over a couple stretches, but it wasn’t enough. Rowley and his cohorts did a good job staying composed and making buckets to keep the Eagles at bay.

“You always like to see how your team responds to adversity, whether it’s foul calls, the run the other team’s run they’re making or your own turnovers,” Taylor said. “I think all those things were part of the kind of comeback in the second half, but we were able to stay consistent as far as our scoring. I think the foul calls slowed things down, which worked in their favor, but our guys did a good job finishing.”

The Cavaliers take on Tattnall, which defeated Mount de Sales 41-37 and 71-46 in their two meetings this season, at 8 p.m. Thursday at Tattnall.

Other Macon teams were in action Tuesday night as well. The Tattnall girls were eliminated from the region tournament by John Milledge in a 59-54 loss. 

The FPD girls advanced to the semifinals with a dominant 76-33 win over Piedmont. The Lady Vikings will face the Mount de Sales girls at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.