Tigers pick up two region wins; focus shifts to finishing games

If the Tigers can win their last two games against Pinecrest Academy and Towns County, they will put themselves right behind first-place Lakeview Academy in the sub-region. However, Commerce will have to learn to play hard for four quarters to make it a sure thing, their coach points out.

Coach Rob Brown said the key for the Tigers’ success down the stretch will be playing hard from tip-off to buzzer.

“The biggest thing that we need to work on is just finishing games,” said Brown. “Even in the games we’ve lost, we’ve been in contention, we just haven’t closed out.”

In fact, the 8-7 Tigers have only lost two games by more than five points. Five of their losses came down to the final minutes of the game, and with a stretch of region games closing out the schedule, finishing strong has never been more important.

“Our next six games are all going to be difficult,” said Brown. “We definitely have a tough stretch the next few weeks.”

The Tigers fell to Athens Christian 64-36 on Tuesday.

Commerce will travel to Athens Academy on Friday, Jan. 18, to take on the Spartans at 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 11, the Tigers traveled to Pinecrest Academy and eked out a 52-49 win over the Paladins.

Thomas McMillan had 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Jonathan Book and Robert Hayes added 10 points apiece.

Friday, the Tigers hosted Prince Avenue Christian. Superb shooting at the free throw line (12 of 16) helped the Tigers secure a 46-35 victory over the Wolverines.

Book led the scoring with 16 points, while McMillan and Tyre Treadwell posted 13 each.

Saturday, the Tigers fell to Providence Christian, 46-41.

Brown called it a “frustrating game,” noting that he felt like the team “played tired” due to having played two other games that week.

McMillan led the Tigers with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Book had 10 points.