Eastside girls basketball plans to build off playoff appearance

COVINGTON, Ga. — The Woman Eagles’ 2023-24 marketing campaign got here to an finish within the first spherical of the Class AAAAA playoffs on Tuesday. Eastside fell to the visiting Creekside Woman Seminoles 52-39.

In the long run, Creekside’s offensive output and rebounding proved to be the decider within the contest.

Within the opening body, the Woman Seminoles jumped on Eastside early.

Creekside outscored the Woman Eagles 20-14 within the first quarter, and the three-ball performed an enormous half in it.

Although the Woman Seminoles misplaced contact of the three-pointer later within the sport, their early pictures from the perimeter constructed the muse for the lead that lasted till the tip.

After the sport, Woman Eagles head coach Gladys King mentioned the areas the place she felt her crew fell brief.

“There have been some issues we might have executed higher — free throws for one,” King mentioned. “Simply the basics, layups and a little bit bit extra hustle. Alternatives the place you may cease a play, it’s important to hustle to have the ability to get again and do these issues.”

After starting the sport with a 14-point first quarter, Eastside struggled within the remaining frames to recapture the offensive manufacturing.

The Woman Eagles tried to match the success from the perimeter, however couldn’t join on the pictures that will have introduced them nearer.

Within the remaining quarters, the Woman Eagles scored not more than 9 factors in every body.

Within the last seconds of the primary half, the Woman Seminoles grabbed an offensive rebound earlier than placing it again up for the buzzer beater. The last-second basket gave Eastside a 36-22 drawback going into the second half.

The dearth of constant scoring — mixed with Creekside’s capability to search out open shooters, allowed the Woman Seminoles to come back away with the victory regardless of scoring 16 factors within the third and fourth quarters mixed.

Although they outscored Creekside within the last two frames, the Woman Eagles finally fell 52-39.

Junior Jailyn Williams led Eastside with 13 factors within the contest, whereas sophomore Donee Morian adopted with seven factors.

The loss ends Eastside’s season with a 16-11 file total. In Area 8-AAAAA play, the Woman Eagles went 8-4 and had been area runners up. 

Eastside’s 16 wins is essentially the most the crew has had throughout King’s tenure.

Together with the season’s win whole, Tuesday’s sport was the primary playoff sport for King as head coach of the Woman Eagles. 

With eight of the 13 gamers on the roster nonetheless underclassmen, King desires to see that group be taught from Tuesday’s sport.

“They know what to anticipate now. I simply need them to know what issues will get them there and what issues will maintain you again from getting there,” King mentioned. “You must convey it each night time, as a result of there are numerous nights the place you may’t be the shooter or the scorer — it’s important to play protection. These are the important thing issues that I would like them to know.”

With all of the youth on the roster, King didn’t neglect to say her lone senior, Kaliel Kracht.

Kracht’s management for the crew and presence within the paint is one thing that King feels the crew will miss essentially the most.

“Kaliel has meant loads [to this program],” King mentioned. “She began in this system the yr we had covid, we needed to quarantine. We had ladies that had by no means performed earlier than that had been on the market. It wasn’t a successful yr however she caught with it. We’re going to miss that management and her presence coming on the market and rebounding for us, making performs and reducing balls off on our press breaks.”

Having a roster with just one senior, King hopes that this yr is a constructing block for extra playoff appearances.

“I’ve been right here 9 years and we have now lastly made it by the door of creating it to state,” King mentioned. “We’re not even large in dimension. We’re younger. I’ve one senior. They’ve been doing the basics all yr, making an attempt to get it executed. I hope they arrive again subsequent yr and are able to go and hopefully we are able to go a little bit bit additional.”