Henry Daily Herald

Photo by Derrick Mahone Eagle’s Landing senior Makalah Joseph scored 23 points in her final high school game — good enough to help her team to a nine-point halftime lead, but not enough cushion to prevent Eastside from rallying for a 63-54 victory.

That they were up by nine at halftime Wednesday against the third-seeded team in the Region 4-AAA Tournament speaks to their potential. That the Eagle’s Landing girls watched all that they had worked for go up in smoke in a three-point third quarter speaks to the present frustrations of a young team fielding six freshmen in its rotation.

Eastside took advantage of that youth in the second half, double-teaming the ball in the backcourt and recovering for a 63-54 quarterfinal victory.

“It’s a learning experience,” Eagle’s Landing coach Lisa Horton said ruefully. “At the end, I said, ‘Foul immediately.’ Did you see anybody foul? Did you hear me? It was like I was talking to myself. But that’s part of the game.”

Playing in its own gym as the road team because of its lower seeding (sixth), Eagle’s Landing led 33-24 at halftime as its lone senior, Makalah Joseph, scored 19 points, raining five 3-pointers on step-late Eastside defenders.

But Joseph scored only four more points, all on free throws, finishing with 23 as Eastside (16-10) limited her touches just by making sure that whoever tried to bring the ball up court could not. Eagle’s Landing ball-handlers paid so much attention to the basketball they seldom raised their heads to look for open teammates.

“My freshmen can’t handle that pressure right now,” Horton said. “We’ll be better next year.”

Meanwhile, Eastside senior power forward Alexia Somerset started taking over. She scored 22 of her game-high 32 points in the second half by pounding the ball inside — getting to the free-throw line on three-point plays and scoring on put-backs.

“I knew No. 34 was going to go to work because she always does,” Horton said.

Eastside also relied on the confidence it had stored up by beating Eagle’s Landing twice during the regular season.

As a result, Eagle’s Landing (5-17) scored only three points in the period — all on free throws — and went into the fourth quarter trailing 41-36.

“We lost the game in the third quarter,” Horton said.

Eagle’s Landing’s best hope of countering Somerset with any size — freshman center Alexis Gant — fouled out less than a minute into the fourth quarter and Eagle’s Landing fell behind by as many as 12 points.

Stymied offensively, Joseph contributed on defense by blocking six shots. Sophomore Taylor Mason provided some late signs of life by scoring five straight points in a 36-second span, cutting Eastside’s lead to six, but Eagle’s Landing got no closer.

Eastside advanced to Friday’s semifinals, when it will play the winner of Wednesday’s late Stockbridge-Sandy Creek game.

Freshman Jala Stewart was the only other Eagle’s Landing player in double figures with 11 points.