Rodney EnglishRINGGOLD, Ga. - East Hamilton basketball coach Rodney English said his team's record is 1-0.
It's actually 16-4 after the Hurricanes won 50-36 Tuesday night at Ringgold.
But English has broken up the season into three parts: pre-Christmas, holiday season and after New Year's Day.
"We're starting over," he said. "We're 1-0 and we're off to a good start, and this is a nice way to shake off the rust from three days off and a couple of not-so-good practices."
Vandrele Wilson led the Hurricanes with 15 points, Noah Fager added 11 and Sergio Panadero contributed 10. The Tigers (6-7) were led by 10 points each from Nathan Camp and Mac Brower.
The Tigers controlled the first half of this over-the-border rivalry between two communities just a short distance from each other. Then the Hurricanes rallied after halftime and held the Tigers scoreless in the third quarter.
"We went out with a whole different mindset and played at our pace," Wilson said. "If you play defense, the offense will come. It did."
English and Ringgold coach Greg Elkins met before the game and discussed the possibility of keeping this series alive next season, maybe even with an early-season matchup and another game around this time of year to prepare both teams for district competition.
"I think this is something that should continue," English said. "We're so close, and players know each other, and there was a good crowd tonight, so why not keep playing?"
Elkins is in favor, too, even though his young team squandered an eight-point halftime lead Tuesday.
"It's a good geographical rivalry," Elkins said. "It's a fun game to play in."
The Tigers controlled the pace in the first half and stretched a two-point lead into a 24-16 advantage going into the break. Then the Hurricanes mounted their rally with intense full-court pressure that led to a few easy layups, including one by Justin Dozier that tied the game at 24 with 3:24 to go in the third quarter.
By the time the quarter ended, the Hurricanes led 33-24, and they continued pressuring Ringgold into turnovers they turned into more easy baskets.
"In the first half we played super," Elkins said. "Then in the second half it all fell apart."
Ringgold shot 14-of-38 from the field, including 1-of-14 from behind the 3-point line. The Tigers had just five turnovers in the first half but 12 after intermission.
"They stepped it up defensively and some of our kids didn't take it too well," Elkins said. "We have to slow down, take our time and get better shots."
They'll likely get another shot at the Hurricanes next year.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.