The boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams played Friday night as the McEachern Indians took on the Newnan Cougars in a region matchup.
The girls kicked off the doubleheader.
The Lady Indians went on an offensive onslaught as they tallied 34 points in the first quarter. McEachern could not do anything wrong offensively as they scored 24 points unanswered to start the game. Newnan finally got on the board midway through the first quarter. Unfortunately, those were the only points Newnan was able to muster and found themselves down big at the end of the first quarter, 34-2.
The Indians continued to score at will in the second quarter as the Cougars had no answers for how to stop them. The Indians were hitting shots from all over the court. The Cougars struggled on both sides of the ball as they couldn’t score or get a stop on defense. The Cougars dug themselves into a hole as they trailed 47-8 at the end of the first half.
Newnan could not overcome McEachern’s hot hand. Indian point guard Caelen Ellis scored 18 points and helped the Indians top the Cougars in a blowout win, 77-22. McEachern’s next game will be at home against Pebblebrook on Tuesday (2/2). Newnan has a quick turnaround as they will face Campbell on Saturday (1/30).
The boy’s game concluded the Friday night doubleheader. Newnan looked to get revenge on McEachern after they suffered a 56-54 loss in the previous matchup on January 12.
Newnan shot two free throws to start the game as McEachern got a technical foul for dunking during warmups. After the free throws, McEachern controlled the first quarter, scoring most of their points in the paint. Newnan had a hard time with the length of McEachern. The Cougars struggled to take care of the ball and get open shots. The Indians were in control of the game at the end of the first quarter, 27-8.
McEachern stole the show in the second quarter with highlight dunks in transition. The Indians took advantage of the Cougar’s carelessness with the ball and turned it into easy fast break points. The Indians went into halftime with a 32-point lead, 53-21.
McEachern’s first half success carried over into the second half. Newnan failed to stop the Indian offense. McEachern pulled away in the second half as the offense was clicking on all cylinders.
After only winning by two points in their first matchup, the Indians cruised by the Cougars in the rematch, winning big with a final of 87-46. The 24-point game by Newnan guard Zion Brown was not enough to take down the balanced attack of McEachern’s backcourt.
The Indians will need all the momentum they can get as they take on region-leader Pebblebrook on Tuesday at home. Their first meeting yielded a 6-point loss for McEachern. The rematch holds significant importance for the postseason as well as District bragging rights. Don’t miss it!