The Buccaneers built double-digit leads in the second and third quarters, but a huge surge by South Cobb in the second half led to a 69-56 defeat for the homestanding Bucs.
Dylan Nsiah led Allatoona with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but the point guard struggled at handling the ball in the fourth quarter when South Cobb cranked up the defensive pressure.
Allatoona committed 21 turnovers, which helped turn a 39-29 third-quarter lead into a 51-43 deficit from which they never recovered.
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"Wee actually weren't holding back on defense," said South Cobb head coach Kris Watkins. "They were doing what I wanted them to. We weren't holding out, and we got into some things we wanted to defensively in the half court."
South Cobb's big third-quarter run started when Devocio Butler scored five consecutive points, including a breakaway dunk.
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"He had a good game," Watkins said. "He really got us going with that dunk."
Those five points were sandwiched by two 3-pointers from Melvin Weems. It was all part of a 23-4 South Cobb run that deflated the Buccaneers, who never mounted a serious threat after that.
The second half was the polar opposite of the first, as Allatoona took control of the game with its size advantage inside. Dimychael Ross scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, and he, Will Grant and Forrest Lane all played well on the defensive glass to limit South Cobb's second-chance opportunities.
The Buccaneers led 28-17 after a 3-pointer by Jason Gerrits with 5:30 left in the second quarter, and Allatoona held a 35-29 lead at halftime.
South Cobb had a late finish to its game on Friday night, which Watkins said could have contributed to his team's slow start.
"It might have, but we play so many guys that I'd like to think that would minimize any fatigue that we may have felt," he said.
It was the third loss in a row for the Buccaneers, who fell to 1-4 for the season. They return to action Friday when they host East Paulding at 7:30 p.m.
