CFCA takes control of region with clutch 64-54 win over Brentwood

The Central Fellowship Lancers got sweet revenge on their home court Tuesday night, defeating the Brentwood Eagles 64-54 to make up for a loss at the buzzer earlier this season and take control of their region in clutch fashion on a chilly January night in south Macon.

The 10-point margin when the final buzzer sounded did little to indicate the intensity of the showdown between GIAA Class 2A Region 2 rivals, as the Eagles and Lancers traded the lead four times in the second half with two additional ties. 

It was a familiar feeling for both squads, as Brentwood won their last meeting Jan. 6 on a buzzer-beater in Sandersville.

“Our season’s been up and down a bit, we’ve had some good games, some bad games, some okay games. This one’s a true test of, ‘Hey, this comes down to the No. 1 seed (in the region), you gotta win by more than two,’” Central Fellowship head coach Jacob Kline said. “To prove that we can win, that just generates a lot of momentum going into our last three games and going into the region and state tournament. 

“I think the way the guys played, it proves that we’re built for this moment.”

The victory gives the Lancers the top spot in Region 2 with a point differential tiebreaker over Brentwood. Should they win their final three region games against Trinity Christian, Gatewood and Windsor, the No. 1 seed will belong to them — even though Brentwood is set to host the region tournament.

While the entire Central Fellowship team played well, it was a clutch fourth quarter from Judson Walls that pushed the Lancers over the top. 

Walls scored all nine of his points in the final period, including two 3-pointers that got the home crowd on their feet. He also stole the ball on a crucial Brentwood possession with less than a minute to play, more or less icing the win as the Eagles’ attempts to extend the game with fouls were all for naught.

“Judson’s been battling that jump shot for a while. To see him hit big threes in big moments in the fourth quarter and get that monkey off its back, I know that’s a relief to him and a relief to us. Judson stepped up in big ways in that fourth quarter for us,” Kline said.

The best player on the floor, though, was eighth grader Josh Sanders. Towering above his peers at a gangly 6 feet, 8 inches, Sanders snatched rebounds with ease and shook the entire gym with four dunks on the night. He finished with 17 points for the Lancers.

“It’s nice when you have 6’8”, 6’9” down low. He just draws so much attention. Whether it’s a touch down low, whether it’s to score or not to score, you know that double team’s coming so it’s gonna open somebody else up. So yeah, I guess we consider Josh our little cheat code,” Kline said.

Shaheem Barbosa also played well for the Lancers, scoring 13. Sirron Chambers followed with 12.

The Lancers started off hot with a 6-0 run highlighted by a dunk from Sanders, who had two other slams and a menagerie of blocks throughout the opening half. Central Fellowship got hot shooting early to keep the momentum going, with solid efforts from Barbosa and Abram Austin leading to an 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

But then Brentwood’s Tristan Robinson flipped the game on its head almost single-handedly. The sophomore guard hit bucket after bucket in the second quarter, often looking at the Lancers’ bench or some hecklers in the crowd after each impressive make. He ended the first half with a whopping 19 points, more scoring in two periods than any Central Fellowship player could tally all night.

Kline and the Lancers took heed, though — Robinson only scored two points in the second half, which made all the difference for Central Fellowship.

“It was just to take his airspace away — do the best we can to make sure he doesn’t get the ball. You saw whenever we didn’t, he can elevate over anybody,” Kline said of the halftime adjustment. “Tristan’s an incredible athlete. For us to contain him to two points and really hone in on making sure he’s not in rhythm, that was huge for the guys in the second half.”

Robinson’s efforts gave Brentwood a 29-28 lead at halftime, and things stayed close in the third quarter. Baylor Cobb and Jaelen Johnson picked up the slack with six points apiece for the Eagles in the third, but a measly nine points combined for the entire team opened the door for the Lancers to run away with it thanks to Walls’ clutch shooting.

“This was a team effort, all the way. I think everybody made good plays,” Kline said. “Even the guys on the bench, the energy was there. For me, from top to bottom, whether they got in the game or not, that was a total team win.”

Central Fellowship is set to host Trinity Christian in another region matchup Friday before a non-region showdown with Heritage on Saturday. Brentwood will host Gatewood in a region clash Friday in Sandersville.