Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 2 Allatoona says Ahoy! to undefeated regular season

No. 2 Allatoona 75, New Manchester 57

No. 2 Allatoona (25-0, 18-0) wrapped up its fifth straight season going undefeated in region play, advancing its streak to 77 in-a-row on Thursday night after using an 18-0 run spanning over five minutes from the end of the third quarter into the fourth to clinch a 75-57 win over New Manchester and stay perfect on the year.

Having lost 58-47 on Dec. 12 at home to the Buccaneers, New Manchester (17-6, 13-4) felt prepared to take the next step into becoming a statewide threat if they could defeat the juggernaut that Allatoona has become.

The Bucs jumped out to a 12-7 lead midway through the first quarter before Clinton Bentley connected on a four-point play in the right corner. The corner proved to be a headache for both coaches, as three players were fouled while taking a three during the course of the game. Bentley’s bucket gave the Jaguars a 13-12 lead before Allatoona pushed ahead. Known for the defensive prowess of Ephraim Tshimanga and Trey Doomes, inside it was sophomore Rolan Wooden off the bench that gave up his body. Wooden would take three charges in the first quarter alone and finish with four drawn on the night.

Allatoona only took a 21-19 lead into the second quarter after Tabashi Thomas came away with a steal and assist Momodou Singhateh as time expired.

For the Buccaneers, the 40-point quarter and high pace were not to their typical liking, allowing the Jaguars to play their tempo and find baskets in transition. In the second quarter with the game teetering back and forth, sophomore Chima Ogboi stepped in and provided a spark for Coach Markus Hood’s Bucs.

First Ogboi found Wooden for a layup.

Then it was Michael Johnson the beneficiary of an Ogboi dime, hitting a three in the corner. Ogboi capped the spurt with a drive to the basket for a hoop of his own making it 33-25, the 6-foot-3 forward accounting for seven straight points.

New Manchester fought back to stay in striking distance and cut the lead to 35-30 with 53.3 seconds left. The Jaguars would enter the break trailing 39-32, Bentley almost hitting a three at the buzzer after a steal.

Uncharacteristic sloppy play haunted the Bucs in the first half. Coach Hood, Coach Craig Gaskins and Coach Nicholas Estes went to the drawing board at halftime and got back to basics, but it wasn’t before the Jaguars made one last push at the undefeated Buccaneers.

Bentley connected with Titus Cook in the left corner for a three-ball, making it 45-43 with 4:41 left in the third quarter, Coach James Bailey’s bunch only down two.

Then Allatoona tightened the screws.

In the flip of a switch the Buccaneers stopped toying with New Manchester and tamed the Jags with their relentless defense keyed up top by Doomes and Tshimanga.

Allatoona closed the quarter on a 10-0 run taking a 55-43 lead into the fourth quarter, putting New Manchester on the ropes after Michael Johnson sparked the run with five points. At the 6:53 mark of the fourth quarter, Allatoona delivered its knockout punch, an 18-0 run ballooning the lead to 63-43. New Manchester was held scoreless for over five minutes until Bentley got a hoop and harm with 6:42 left. From there on out it was academic, Allatoona committing zero second half turnovers and all 12 players scoring helping the Bucs cruise to an 18-point win in Davey Jones’ Locker.

My Take: Shots might not fall but defense doesn’t slump. Allatoona decided to run-and-gun with New Manchester in the first half, but when games are won and lost in the final 16 minutes, they decided to get back to Buccaneer Basketball. The fan base, understanding of the team’s strength, got behind the Bucs as they began to grind away at the Jaguars. The Bucs Basketball Moms brought the D-Fence with them in the crowd and were great all night. On the court the usual suspects had their hands in New Manchester’s cookie jar all game long. Ephraim Tshimanga and Trey Doomes continued to terrorize opposing guards. The duo came away with eight steals to pace Allatoona’s 16. Kevin Perry played a nice game with six points in both the first and fourth quarters to finish with 12. Three unsung heroes stood out to me in Rolan Wooden, Chima Ogboi and Michael Johnson. Wooden scored five points, but it was his willingness to sacrifice his body which did not go unnoticed. He drew four charges and has been taking ones for the team all season long. Ogboi accounted for a quick seven points during his stretch in the second quarter. The Mt. Paran transfer shows a lot of potential as being a great glue guy that can do a little bit of everything in the years to come. Johnson scored eight points. It was his three-pointer that ignited the 18-0 run to put away New Manchester.

The Jaguars played hard and have some good athletes led by Tabashi Thomas, the quarterback of the football team. He skied for a couple rebounds and threw down a dunk. Clinton Bentley didn’t play his best game, but he is a good junior guard that should produce big numbers his senior season. The Jaguars will lose Thomas, Randall Quarles, Momodou Singhateh and Aaron Reddick to graduation as key seniors, but Coach James Bailey’s team shouldn’t completely fall off next year.

Top Performers

Allatoona
Trey Doomes – 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block
Ephraim Tshimanga – 13 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals
Kevin Perry – 12 points, 1 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Dylon Ramsey – 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Michael Johnson – 8 points
Chima Ogboi – 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Rolan Wooden – 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 4 charges

New Manchester
Tabashi Thomas – 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
Clinton Bentley – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Titus Cook – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Momodou Singhateh – 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block