General 2/23/2024 10:45:00 PM Braden Mottor

Eagles Defeat Toccoa Falls to Enter the South Region Championship Game

Game Recap:
For the third time this season, the TFC Screaming Eagles and the PCC Eagles met on the hardwood. With TFC winning the first matchup on January 20^th and PCC winning the second matchup on February 8^th the teams met in the Region Semifinals to determine the winner. After a tightly contested first half that resulted in a tie, the Eagles were able to outscore TFC in the second half and punch their ticket into the Championship game with an 82-77 victory.

After Toccoa Falls jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, the Eagles were quickly in a scramble to keep the game close early. With Aaron Wagner scoring the first five points of the game for the Eagles, they clawed their way back in just 5 minutes into the half. As the half progressed the score went back and forth with 3 lead changes and 3 ties in the first half neither team could pull ahead by the end of the first half (39-39).

With two lead changes and two ties in the first 3 minutes of the second half, the teams knew this would come down to the wire. But after a made three-pointer by Liam Gerdts the Eagles gained a 46-45 lead with 16:58 left in the game. While the teams continued to battle, the Eagles were able to maintain the lead for the remainder of the game… with the lead growing as large as 10 and as narrow as 1 with 1:21 left in the game. After TFC hit a free throw to bring their deficit to 1, both teams had empty possession in the last minute. But with a clutch free throw by Aaron Wagner, the Eagle lead grew to 2 with 14 seconds left. But after a turnover from Toccoa, the Eagles regained possession and put the game out of reach with clutch free throws from sophomore Kaiden Pack and freshman Paul Stickles to ultimately win the South Region semifinal by a final score of 82-77.

Leading the Eagles offensively was once again sophomore Liam Gerdts who set his season high in scoring with 29 points on 11-16 FG shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds. Also in double-digits was Aaron Wagner with 16 points on 6-13 FG shooting and Brandtley Koske with 12 points on 4-7 3PT shooting. Beyond the clutch free throws, Kaiden Pack recorded a 10 assist and 4 steal performance in his 37 minutes played.

What's Next:
Tomorrow at 1:00 PM, the Eagles will face South Region rival Bob Jones University in the 2024 South Region Championship game! Come out and cheer on the Eagles as they look to win their first South Region title since the 2015-2016 season.

To follow the Eagles' post-season, follow @eaglespccmbb on Instagram. For complete coverage of all PCC Eagles teams, events, and schedules, follow @eaglespcc on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Players Mentioned

#50 Liam Gerdts: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#0 Brandtley Koske: G; 5' 11"; Junior

#25 Aaron Wagner: G; 6' 5"; Junior

#4 Paul Stickles: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#15 Kaiden Pack: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#50 Liam Gerdts
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#0 Brandtley Koske
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

#25 Aaron Wagner
: 6' 5"; Junior
: G

#4 Paul Stickles
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#15 Kaiden Pack
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G