Cross Creek Boys’ basketball team dominated Westside 66-34 to claim solo first in their region on Saturday, Jan. 11.
This marked the Razorbacks 11th straight win, and they now move to 15-1 on the season.
“The biggest thing was the guys executed the gameplan from start to finish on both ends of the floor,” said Cross Creek Head Coach Ezzard Horn. “Westside has a good team, but I felt like my guys came out and did what were supposed to do and took care of the defensive of the basketball as well as offensively.”
This regional matchup is the first time these two teams have played as Westside moved to 3A this season after winning three consecutive 2A state titles. The Razorbacks won the back-to-back 3A state title in 2021 and 2022.
Westside was held to only 34 points, the fewest points the Patriots have scored in a regular season game since 2010.
“It feels good to be No. 1 in the region, but we know it is a long season,” said Horn. “We are going to enjoy this win tonight, but come Monday we are going to put some work in prior the Monday game against Aquinas and get ready for the week.”
Cross Creek fed off the home crowd and began on a 7-2 run. Ty’Jai Heard led the Razorbacks with a 7-point second quarter and pushed them ahead 24-15 at the half.
Frashad Tisby helped extend the Cross Creek lead, scoring 11 points in the third quarter and extending their lead to 49-28. The Razorbacks outscored the Patriots 25-12 in the quarter.
Cross Creek’s strong defense held Westside to six points in the fourth quarter, leading the Razorbacks to their 15th win on the season.
Tisby led Cross Creek with 19 points in the game on their home floor.
“It was a great atmosphere, not only for it be our home crowd, but just for basketball in the area,” said Horn. “You don’t see many gyms packed out the way it was in this area just for that varsity game, it was huge.”
After the Westside loss, Coach Jerry Hunter said the team will learn from this game and be ready for the next one.
“It was a good lesson for us,” Hunter said.” “We got through the Baldwin game, that is probably one we should have loss as well, but the guys kind of got full of themselves a little bit. With this now be a “rivalry game,” we kind of got a way of who we are.”
Cross Creek next will host Aquinas at home on Monday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Westside will travel to play West Laurens on Tuesday, Jan 14 at 7 p.m.
Christopher Rickerson, an Augusta University graduate, has covered area sports for Augusta University, The Augusta Press and Augusta Good News. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News newsletter here.
