Sequoyah Moves Foward in 7-AAAA Tournament

Johns Creek jumped on the state’s second-ranked early in the first quarter on Wednesday during the quarterfinal-round of the Region 7-AAAA basketball tournament, forcing turnovers and making it difficult for the Chiefs to score. But the Chiefs stabilized and found a way to overcome adversity, beating the Gladiators 48-46.

“We had a tough night shooting,” said Sequoyah head coach Jeremy Adams. “There was a lot of pressure on this team. They're 25-0, but one game and everything is over. We just wanted to get through and get to Friday and it would take a lot of pressure of everyone's shoulders.”

After a lackluster first quarter, Sequoyah stepped up the tempo and began to use a full-court press to fluster Johns Creek. The Chiefs, who already seemed quicker and more aggressive than the Gladiators, were rewarded with turnover after turnover as Johns Creek could not handle the pressure.

“Our press was good to us,” said Adams. “They (John's Creek) did a better job in the second half with spacing and made it harder for us to press them. That run in the second quarter probably is what won us the game. It put the tempo in our favor. When we got into a half-court game it was tough. That's what happened in the second half.”

That’s exactly what happened to the Chiefs in the second half. When Johns Creek broke the Sequoyah press and slowed the Chiefs down on offense, good things happened for the Gladiators. When Sequoyah was allowed to get into transition, they were able to score at will, at least until the final minutes of the game.

Sequoyah entered the fourth quarter with a six-point lead, which was cut to two points with 3:45 to play. Johns Creek had six opportunities to tie the score on different trips down the court, but could never get a basket to fall to even the game.

It wasn’t the prettiest game Sequoyah has ever played, and even though Johns Creek is what Adams calls a “tough nine seed” they would have liked to win with a little more of a cushion. When asked to describe his Sequoyah team with one word or phrase, Adams shied away from “smart” or “quick” and went with words that not only were absolutely accurate on Wednesday, but all season.

“Refuse to lose,” said Adams quickly, giving his motto for the Chiefs. “Even on a tough night like that where we shot 26, or 27 percent, we found a way to win. That's the way we've been all year.”

Sean Tate led the way for the Chiefs scoring 20 points and provided a much-needed spark when his team needed it time after time. Cullen Roberts added 10 points in the win and played much bigger than his given size against a much taller Johns Creek team.

Not only does the win push Sequoyah through to the state tournament that begins next week, but it creates a semifinal matchup against a heated rival. The Chiefs will play Creekview on Friday, a team they have beaten twice this season already.

“It'll be fun just because all the pressure is off,” said Adams, looking forward to the game against Creekview. “We played well up here and beat them really good, and at our place they probably played their best game of the year and we still found a way to win.”

Tip-off for Sequoyah’s game on Friday is at 8:30 p.m.