Model boys, girls sweep Rockmart for region wins
♦ Devils pull away with dominant third quarter; Lady Devils build big lead, coast to victory
Region wins are extremely important this time of year as teams are looking to climb the ladder in the standings and give themselves the best possible seeding to make a run in the upcoming region tournament.
The Model faithful got to witness a pair of them on Friday night as both the Devils and Lady Devils took care of business with convincing victories over visiting Rockmart at Woodard Gymnasium.
Here are the details on each contest:
Model boys 62, Rockmart 34
After battling to a halftime lead following a physical first half, the Devils pulled away with a dominant third quarter thanks to solid work at the free throw line and suffocating defense to earn a lopsided 7-AA win.
Model (12-3, 5-1 7-AA) led 28-16 at the half but completely controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 24-6 in the period to pull away for good.
The home team went 11-of-14 from the free throw line and limited Rockmart to just two made field goals in the period.
“I think what we did tonight was defend a lot better than we have in a long time,” said Model head coach Jacob Travis. “(Rockmart) is an athletic team and shoot it well. We did a good job of sticking with their shooters and pressuring the ball. We got some good minutes off the bench tonight from several guys too.
“We lost our momentum a little bit in the second quarter, but I thought we did a good job of coming out in the third, guarding better and moving the ball and put the game away.”
After leading 52-22 at the end of the third quarter, the fourth was shortened to six minutes due to mercy rule. With many of the reserves playing for both teams, the closest Rockmart (8-8, 3-3) got was the final deficit of 28 points.
Model took an 18-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, and Rockmart was able to stay within striking distance in the second quarter. The Devils’ big man Jeremias Heard was forced to the bench in
the second quarter after picking up his second foul and scored only two points in the first half as a whole, but he made up for it with an impressive third quarter in which he scored nine and went 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Heard was the top scorer in the game with 13 points. Chase Allen added 12 for Devils off the bench as he played some important minutes in the first half due to his teammates’ foul trouble, scoring 10 of his total in the first two quarters.
Jakenes Heard was the third Model player in double figures with 11 points. Jayden Hames added seven, and Steve Dallas scored six.
Dennis Sims was the lone Rockmart
player in double figures with 10 points, nine coming in the first half. No other Jacket scored more than four.
“This is a really big win...this is the last game on our first run through the region so we are starting over with Murray County on Tuesday who beat us the first time around,” said Travis. “We know we are in a really good region so every region win is important. But the biggest thing we’ve got to do is keep going out and getting better. I think we got better tonight especially defensively.”
The Devils are back home on Tuesday to host Murray County at 7:30 p.m. in a matchup of the top two teams in the 7-AA standings. Murray County won the first meeting between the teams 52-49 on Dec. 9 in Chatsworth.
Model girls 57, Rockmart 32
The Lady Devils built a doubledigit lead in the first half and were
never really in trouble over the final two quarters despite some struggles as they earned a convincing region victory on their home court.
Model (9-5, 4-2 7-AA) outscored Rockmart 20-9 in the opening period with Rachel Burkhalter connecting on three 3-pointers to lead the way and continued to push the lead by outscoring the Lady Jackets 14-6 in the second to grab a 34-15 halftime lead.
The Lady Devils struggled somewhat with turnovers in the third quarter but were still able keep Rockmart (3-13, 1-5) at arm’s length as the lowest the lead got was 13 points at 35-22 and 37-24.
“I’m glad we were able to get off to a good start tonight because we needed it,” said Model head coach Sally Echols. “Consistency is important, and we didn’t play with that very much in the second half.
But that’s part of growing, maturing and understanding the game. We try to work on those skills in practice, but the best teacher and experience is when the lights are shining the brightest in the game.”
Model finished the third quarter with a 5-0 run to push its lead back to 46-25 going to the fourth and played well down the stretch, scoring the game’s final nine points to go from a 16-point advantage to the final margin of 25.
Burkhalter led the scoring for the Lady Devils with a game-high 17 points, including her three firstquarter 3s. Sadie Raughton was also in double figures with 10 points, all coming in the first half. Briley Sims added eight, and Julia Shinholster scored seven. Nine different Model players reached the scoring column.
“I do think we are unique because our starters have changed several
times, and we have so many players that can do so many different things,” said Echols. “Our bench comes in and gives us offense, defense and energy. That’s definitely something we use to our advantage. I’m proud of the contributions from everyone. When everyone is contributing like that, it is good for the team. But this team has great chemistry on and off the court already.”
Sky Myers was the lone Rockmart player in double figures with 13 points. Zori Williams added seven, and Kaylee Huckaby Scored six.
Model is back at home on Tuesday to host Murray County at 6 p.m. for another region contest.
“This was a huge win tonight, and every region win is a huge win,” said Echols. “It’s building for what is to come at the region tournament so every one of them is important.”