Five Takeaways: Sequoyah vs. South Cobb
A lot has changed in Region 6-AAAAAA over the course of a month. Once-ranked South Cobb (10-9, 6-6) was flying high while Sequoyah (12-6, 8-3) struggled to start the season at 2-5. The Eagles beat Sequoyah 51-47 on December 6,…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingA lot has changed in Region 6-AAAAAA over the course of a month. Once-ranked South Cobb (10-9, 6-6) was flying high while Sequoyah (12-6, 8-3) struggled to start the season at 2-5. The Eagles beat Sequoyah 51-47 on December 6, but it was a different outcome on Tuesday as the Lady Chiefs blitzed South Cobb in an 82-53 rout. Sequoyah got 33 points off the bench and used a 17-2 run in the second quarter to seize control. Here are five takeaways from Sequoyah’s explosive performance.
Hitting their stride
With the win over South Cobb, Sequoyah has now won 10 of their last 11 games and is half a game out of second place in the region. Out of their six losses, four came against ranked opponents and the number increases to five if you count South Cobb who spent a brief period in the poll. Sequoyah dealt with injuries as well, with freshman phenom Elle Blatchford and junior Deja Rakestraw both missing a chunk of games. The Chiefs are extremely young, starting three sophomores, a freshman and a junior under first-year Head Coach Chris Yarbrough who led Northview to consecutive Final Four appearances. Yarbrough shuffled up the lineup on Tuesday and it paid dividends as seniors Macy Williams and Tatum Dondanville scored 13 apiece off the bench. 5-foot-7 sophomore A’ryn Jackson had a break out game for the Chiefs with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 steals. She is a physically strong athlete that can get after it inside. Jackson plays bigger than her size and could be a defensive stopper in due time.
Shooters Shoot
Sequoyah knocked down nine three-pointers led by Tatum Dondanville and Kayli Hamby‘s three apiece. Hamby, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, has the green light to pull from deep. She reminds me of former sharpshooter Peyton Satterfield ‘18 but has a little more size and mobility. The Chiefs can keep defenses off balance with their amount of deep ball threats as four different players cashed in. The Chiefs like to press and play fast which works well with an unselfish group that tries to find shooters on the perimeter. They tallied 20 assists as a team.
Jodi MullinsAvailability is the most important ability
It’s a bad time in the season to have to deal with injuries but that’s exactly what Coach Lasonia White is going through. 5-foot-11 senior Taylor Gibbs is out with her foot in a boot. She dumped in 27 points in their win against Sequoyah back in December and is averaging 15.8 points per game. The game-changing post presence last played against Dalton on January 7. With her out, all the scoring responsibility lies on Kennesaw State-signee Jodi Mullins. The 5-foot-7 shooting guard averages 23.2 points per game. She hit her average on Tuesday with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. 5-foot-7 senior Deri Barnes was South Cobb’s second-leading scorer at 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. The Eagles have lost three of their last four games since Gibbs got hurt against Dalton and could slide even more as Creekview, No. 8 Harrison and second-place River Ridge loom in Region 6 play. South Cobb has Class 7A No. 8 Pebblebrook and No. 9 Langston Hughes also on the schedule. If Gibbs can get healthy for the region tournament, the Eagles will be a tough lower-seed to contend with.
Elle Blatchford
The much-ballyhooed freshman struggled with foul problems but still put forth a strong effort. The 5-foot-8 point guard averages a team-best 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals and is likely the next D-I prospect coming out of Cherokee County. She had 7 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in limited time. Blatchford has great instincts and a mature feel for the game. She is extremely long and should have a few more inches in her. She is a true point guard that thrives when pushing the ball. She has advanced court vision and delivers some great passes. Blatchford makes everyone around her better and is the engine for the Chiefs. When she isn’t looking to set up teammates, she is crafty getting to the basket and has good body control when finishing in traffic.
Depth Perception
Sequoyah’s bench outscored South Cobb 33-4. Macy Williams and Tatum Dondanville flourished in their roles. Williams, a 5-foot-5 point guard that is second on the team in scoring at 9.3 points, posted 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal while Dondanville stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.