Sports

Alpharetta Falls to West Forsyth in Regional Basketball Playoffs

Raiders take first lead with 2:06 left in game, but lose to Wolverines, 63-59, in first round.

The Alpharetta High Raiders boys basketball team ended its season with a 63-59 loss to rival West Forsyth on Feb. 16. The Region 6-AAAAA playoffs are being held at Milton High School.

The Alpharetta Raiders took most of the game to come back from an early deficit before briefly taking a two-point lead with 2:06 left in the game. But West Forsyth managed to continue its stifling defense to pull out the mild upset, winning 63-59.

The game started out poorly for Alpharetta, with the Wolverines pulling to a 23-9 lead after the first quarter. The Raiders' passes seemed slow and poorly timed, as West Forsyth used repeated steals to break away. When Alpharetta closed in on the basket, too often they couldn't control the rebound.

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West Forsyth didn't relinquish the lead until the fourth quarter, and then only briefly. Once the Wolverines had the lead back, Alpharetta seemed to be shooting when no Raider was close to the basket for a rebound. As the shots again began to falter and the minutes dwindled, Alpharetta was forced to foul, putting West Forsyth on the line. Too often for the Raiders the Wolverines players sank their shots.

At the 1:45 mark in the fourth quarter, West Forsyth took the lead back, 55-54.

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The game stayed close, with the Raiders joining the Wolverines on the foul line often. And with 12 seconds left, Alpharetta was down only two points, 61-59. But sending West Forsyth back to the line didn't work this time, as both baskets fell, bringing the score to 63-54. The Raiders were unable to score and lost the ball to the Wolverines as time ran out.

West Forsyth plays Centennial Friday night in semifinal action in the Region 6-AAAAA tournament.


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