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North Cobb Christian Headed to Elite Eight

Flawless first half propels Eagles to win.

In a basketball coach's fantasy world, their team would play four perfect quarters every game. But sometimes, a team only needs two good ones to win. was a perfect example of that Wednesday.

With a state quarterfinal berth at stake, the Eagles came out of the gate and shot 64 percent in the first half and jumped out to a 50-32 lead. North Cobb Christian then held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by Hancock Central to earn an 82-75 win and the state quarterfinal berth that comes with it.

"We were passing the ball, then making the extra pass to the open guy," North Cobb Christian coach Greg Matta said after the game. "And then of course, we were hitting our shots."

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Hancock Central coach Anthony Webb agreed with Matta on the shot hitting part. "They shot lights out," Webb said after the game. "They're one of the best shooting teams that we faced all year. I told my guys I couldn't get upset, we were contesting the shots and they would still make it."

The Eagles' 64 percent first half shooting performance included a 6-of-9 showing from 3-point land; Corey Harris, Blake Ralling and Stephon Jelk each hit two treys a piece. Michael Matta – the coach's son – was also on fire in the first half. Matta hit four buckets and nailed 4-of-5 free throws for 12 total points.

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Matta, Ralling and Harris each scored over 18 points in the game. "When those three are cooking, we're very tough to beat," the elder Matta said of his senior trio. "They're as good as anyone in the state."

North Cobb Christian's 18-point halftime lead ballooned out to 27 points midway through the third quarter. Matta wasn't thrilled that his team let Hancock Central creep back into the game.

"I'm very happy that we're going to the Elite Eight, but in the second half, we got selfish. We got out of team basketball."

Hancock Central outscored the Eagles 12-4 in the game's final 40 seconds to make the final score look slightly closer than it actually was.

The game's leading scorer was North Cobb Christian's Corey Harris who finished the night with 24 points. He was followed by Ralling, who added 21 and Matta who chipped in 18.

Dontavious Lowe and Marcus Walker, who each scored 16 points, led Hancock County.

North Cobb Christian will be back in action on Saturday when they play Whitefield Academy with a berth to the Class A Final Four on the line. That game is slated to tip off at 8:30 pm from Marietta High School. 

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