THOMASTON &8212; At the end of the girls&8217; game, the Eagles&8217; Nest &8212; the gym at A.L. Johnson High School &8212; was at capacity. Spectators filled the bleachers, lined the walls and waited in below freezing temperatures outside in hopes someone would leave, allowing them inside, to watch the rivalry game between the hosting Eagles and the visiting R.C. Hatch Bobcats.

For Bobcats fans making the trip, the crowds were worth it. For Eagle supporters, the game wasn&8217;t as pretty. But everyone got their money&8217;s worth before they left, as Auburn University-bound senior Frankie Sullivan Jr. and the rest of his R.C. Hatch teammates put on a show as they coasted to a 98-55 victory.

Mose&8217;s group came into the game fired up to defend their home territory against an invading horde of Bobcat fans. And for most of the first quarter they did just that. At the end of the first six minutes of play the No. 2 ranked 2A Bobcats led by only two points.

But the final two minutes of the half signaled what was to come. The Bobcats quickly expanded their lead and by the end of the first quarter had a 27-13 cushion. The run continued into the second half as the Bobcats put up 28 more to carry a 55-31 lead to the half.

The Eagles came back out in the second half with tenacity and actually outscored the Bobcats in the third period, 17-14, to cut the lead to 69-48. But the final period was a showcase of R.C. Hatch dominance as the group again put up almost 30 points, while holding A.L. Johnson to seven points, ending the game 98-55.

The Bobcats had five players hit double digits in the game: Sullivan lead with 30 points (including five three pointers and a perfect 5-of-5 from the line), eight assists and 11 rebounds; Rodney Scott had 21 points, two assists, five rebounds and two steals; Nicholas Johnson had 13 points; Demarcus Porter had 11 points; and Brandon Battle had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Robert Etheridge led scoring for the Eagles with 16 points, followed by Kerry Boykin with 13.