3 takeaways from Cross Creek girls basketball's big region win at Thomson

Cross Creek #23 Erin Martin dribbles the ball down the court during their game against Josey high school at T.W. Josey High School in Augusta on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.
Cross Creek #23 Erin Martin dribbles the ball down the court during their game against Josey high school at T.W. Josey High School in Augusta on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.

The Cross Creek girls basketball team faced another tough opponent in another hostile environment with another big target on its back, and despite all that, came away with another win Friday night.

Similarly to last Saturday’s win at Burke County, the Razorbacks turned a close, nail biter of a game into a 61-40 rout over Thomson that helped cement its place atop the Region 4-AAA standings.

Here are three major takeaways from Cross Creek’s victory.

A true team win

When you look at the box score, you’ll see four Razorbacks in double figures, led by sophomore Michaela Bogans’ 16 points. Tahjae Harris added 15 to the cause while Erin Martin and Bryala Harris each chipped in 13 points. It’s the kind of collective effort Bogans says she’s come to expect from this squad.

“We just play team ball," Bogans said. “We get everybody involved. We try to elevate everybody’s game. It’s really the biggest difference between last year’s team and this year’s. We just really play well together.”

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Anyone who’s watched this team, particularly in its last couple of games, will attest to Bogans’ observation. The double digit win not only raises Cross Creek’s record to 16-1 overall and 7-0 in Region 4-AAA. It also caps off a monster month of January where coach Kim Schlein's team has literally dominated everyone its played since a 43-32 loss to Valdosta in a tournament before Christmas.

In fact, since that setback, Cross Creek’s eight straight wins have been by an average margin of victory of 29.7 points. It’s great momentum to carry into the final month of the regular season and the Region 4-AAA tournament.

All gas, no breaks

When Thomson coach Sierra Williams called timeout at about the five minute mark of the fourth quarter, Schlein saw a perfect opportunity.

“I felt like they were tired, so I told our girls that this was the time to really push it,” Schlein said.

After that timeout, Cross Creek’s transition game went into overdrive and the Razorbacks produced an 11-2 run. That run was part of a 26-point fourth quarter that essentially sealed the deal.

It’s the way Cross Creek prefers to play, especially with a strong backcourt and a post player in Martin who still has ample ball skills from playing on the wing her first three seasons with Schlein.

A dynasty in the making?

The striking thing about this team is that when you look at its roster you don’t see a lot of seniors. Erin Martin is the chief playmaker and the team's emotional leader, but most of the rest of the roster is filled with sophomores and juniors who are putting this team in position to win the school’s second straight state crown.

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If that happens, and barring any major transfers or devastating injuries, don’t be surprised if people start penciling in Cross Creek for a three-peat next season. But first thing’s first. The Razorbacks have five more games left on the regular season schedule, and they all aren’t gimmies, starting with Hephzibah Tuesday, Morgan County Friday and a rematch with Thomson at home on Saturday.

Cross Creek will host Burke County (12-4, 5-2) on Saturday Feb. 12 to close out the regular season Saturday Feb. 12. So while it’s tempting to look ahead to a possible repeat and the potential that rests in next season, there’s still a ton of basketball left to be played during this current campaign.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: High school basketball: Cross Creek girls take down Thomson