By Marley Rashad
Despite many skeptics who believe that the loss of a key player this year would cripple the team, the boys’ basketball team opened the season strong with a record of 4-1.
On Tuesday, December 2nd, the guys played at Dunwoody, a neighborhood rivalry for nearly every sport. After being down by seven points at halftime, the Chamblee boys rallied and were able to beat Dunwoody 71-59.
“We had a lot of defensive lapses against Dunwoody,” said center Marcus Cowan. “But we played with a lot of intensity. It was a rivalry game and we all really wanted to win.”
Although this come-from-behind win in Dunwoody’s own gym might have come as a surprise to some people, head coach Caesar Burgess is not one of them.
“We came into the game knowing that we could win,” said head coach Caesar Burgess. “This is a smart, determined team– a wonderful group. They really want to do well.”
Burgess knows that the key to a strong team is the leadership that comes from senior players, and the team this year has plenty of that. The roster is deep with six seniors, including Marcus “Shaq” Cowan, who helped to lead the team to success at the season’s first tournament, the “Turkey Shootout”, held over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Having a lot of seniors brings a lot of leadership to the team,” said Cowan. “They can guide the younger players.”
The strength of the team was evident during their three games at the South Forsyth Turkey Shootout, where they beat Central Forsyth and Stone Mountain to advance to the championship game. The Bulldogs drew close to victory but ultimately lost the tight game to the second-ranked Hill Grove High School, 42-40.
Burgess believes that the high level of play during this early-season tournament serves as a great preview for a season that is just getting started. This year, Chamblee is playing in Region 6A-AAAA, putting them in a group of many other talented schools, including Marist, whose team is ranked in the top 10 for our region.
“It will definitely be a challenging season,” said junior David Mason. “We’ll be playing a lot of tough local schools. Miller Grove is probably our biggest competition.”
“We want to win a State Championship,” said Mason.
State may seem like a long way off yet, but the road to the championship starts now. Chamblee’s first region game was Friday, December 5 against Lakeside.
“The goal for the Lakeside game is to focus on defense and to stop them from getting out on the break,” said Cowan shortly before the game.
That focus led to a 65-59 victory, starting the team off with an undefeated regional record the first step toward the State Tournament.
“When Chris Greer left, everyone said we wouldn’t win anything,” said Mason. “But we’re 4-1 so far, and we’re going to prove those people wrong.”