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Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 1 Langston Hughes holds off No. 4 Douglas County after losing Landers Nolley to ejection

Contributed by Rob Grubbs   (@RCGJr226070)

Sponsored by:   @sportalspace

No. 1 Langston Hughes 78, No. 4 Douglas County 67

On occasion, a big loss can do more good for a team than harm. Such was the case back on November 28, 2017 when the defending Class AAAAAA state champion Langston Hughes Panthers took the Douglas County Tigers to the woodshed in a 78-43 win on their home court in Fairburn. Since then, Douglas County has reeled of 10 consecutive wins, including the championship of the Tucker Christmas Shootout. Tiger Head Coach Hollis Bethea watched his team grow over the past month and the rematch with the Panthers on their court would be a good barometer of how far the No. 4 ranked team in AAAAAA had come.

Panther Head Coach Rory Welsh knows how to prepare his team for a championship run and has the hardware to prove it from last year’s championship. His team has only lost once since that late November blowout win over the Tigers. The fact the contest was a Region 5 game made it an even juicer matchup. In an evening that would see the Panthers (12-3) best player, Virginia Tech-signee Landers Nolley get ejected for bumping an official, Douglas County (11-3) seized the moment to tie the game only to see the Panthers steady themselves for a late 9-0 run that sealed the 78-67 win. It gave the Panthers a two-game lead over the Tigers in the region standings.

Langston Hughes opened the night in a tight man-to-man, in your face defense, but the Tigers would respond quickly. Guard Rickey Clark hit a jumper for the opening basket and forward Ernest Randle had a big blocked shot to jump out to an 8-5 lead. However, the one-time, brief UGA-commit Nolley scored his first points on a deep NBA distance three-pointer for the tie and then took over, hitting three more threes before the end of the first with the Panthers up 19-14.  Nolley also had a crowd shaking dunk in the first quarter when he stole an inbound pass on a full court press. Coach Welsh utilizes Nolley in the front of the press, his wingspan creates challenges for the offensive team and he got several steals as the game progressed.

Not to be outdone, Tiger Jeremiah Smith got a steal himself and created excitement for the home crowd with a dunk on the other end to start the second quarter. Midway through the second, the Tigers were down by five but Langston Hughes slowly began to expand their lead. With the Tiger defense focusing on Nolley, Tyrel Morgan and Josh Butts contributed to a 17-8 Panther run to close out the half with them up 40-26.

At this point, Coach Bethea began to see answers to how much his team had grown. Down 14, the Tigers could have cashed this one in, but they came back scrappy. Malik Battle hit a three to serve notice this was not the same team that lost by 35.  The game changed suddenly at the 4-minute mark. The Panthers had their largest lead at 15 when Ernest Randle hit a three for Douglas County. After a foul, there were words exchanged between Nolley and a game official which seemed to irritate Nolley, who attempted to walk away but slightly bumped the official as he passed. He was immediately ejected and in the aftermath, Douglas County was awarded six free throws. In a cruel twist of fate, all the free shots were missed, each one to the delight of the visiting Langston Hughes crowd, which were making themselves heard.

After a star player exits, both sides need to recalibrate their game. For Douglas County, the Panther press was not as intimidating without Nolley in the front, so maneuvering the inbound pass was less difficult and that created easier scoring opportunities.  The Tigers jumped at the opportunity and went on to outscore the Panthers 23-11 in the next eight minutes to tie the game up at 62.  A moment that stood out in the Tiger resurgence was a real-man offensive rebound by Clark and the put- back, he seemed to just will himself to the rebound and score.

For the Panthers, the opposite was in effect, their offense revolved around Nolley scoring or distributing from a double team and Coach Welsh suddenly needed someone to step up.  It was almost as if the tie game issued Langston Hughes a wakeup call as Papa Samba led the Panthers on a 11-0 run that would put the game away. Clark finally broke the run for the Tigers with an offensive rebound and put-back, but the damage had been done.  Panther Armani Bolston would hit five consecutive free throws down the stretch for the final 78-67 margin.

Afterwards Coach Welsh was proud of the way his team responded to adversity. “We needed someone to step up and we have a bench full of selfless guys, the ejection caught us off guard, but I am proud of how we responded and how we put them away at the end. This team is full of players who sat and watched last year’s championship run and now they are getting their chance. They are taking advantage of it.” When asked where this year’s team is compared to last year’s team in early January, he said, “we are a better defensive team this year, these guys have been waiting a long time to prove themselves, and now they are.”

The Panthers will have to regroup quickly as they will be without Nolley for the next two games based on GHSA rules. It will provide them more opportunity to jell as a team and development supplemental scoring opportunities. In the long run, it may make them better, which should be a scary proposition for the teams in AAAAAA. Douglas County has improved from earlier in the year and the results prove that. Coach Bethea has stated that he believes they still haven’t played their best basketball yet. While winning the regular season region crown has probably passed, the next potential game between the two teams in the region tournament could be very interesting indeed.

Rob’s Takeaways

  1. Langston Hughes will have to prepare to be without Landers Nolley for the next two games against New Manchester and Alexander because of the ejection.
  2. With Nolley at the point of the Langston Hughes press in the backcourt, he causes in-bounding issues that forced several turnovers for easy baskets.
  3. Langston Hughes should get used to the drive from Fairburn over to Douglasville as they play games there three times in five days.
  4. The Douglas County Gym is a first-class facility, with upper and lower seating, there are great site lines all across the building.
  5. Being in the Douglas County gym reminded me of one of my favorite basketball players of all time – Anthony Barge. A.B. was a high school All-American for the Tigers and a complete basketball player. One night, against top ranked Campbell-Fairburn, he dropped 56 points without the benefit of a three-point shot in an upset victory. He played at South Alabama and eventually West Georgia where he was a Division 2 All-American. Barge was tragically killed in a traffic accident in 2010.
  6. Panther Head Coach Rory Welsh said his coaching mentor was former Lovejoy Head Coach, Rick Francis. Welsh was an assistant on his staff before taking the Langston Hughes opportunity. Welsh has attention to detail, he went and personally thanked each cheerleader after the game for their contribution to the win.
  7. Douglas County is waiting on the return of 6-foot-5 post player Mataio Soli, who is nicked up with a football related injury. His presence underneath will add to an already solid lineup.
  8. Nolley is looking to win this third championship in a row, as a sophomore he won an Illinois State Championship at Curie High School in Chicago, then his family moved back to Fairburn and he led the Panthers on their championship run last year.

Top Performers

Langston Hughes
Landers Nolley – 24 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
Tyler Smith – 15 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists
Patrick Carter – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists

Douglas County
Rickey Clark – 17 points, 7 rebounds
Malik Battle – 16 points, 4 assists
Jeremiah Smith – 3 points, 10 rebounds

 

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-5

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 2 Norcross 80, Parkview 59: Ahmir Langlais put up 23 points and 8 rebounds in the losing effort for Parkview.

No. 3 Collins Hill 67, Mill Creek 54: The Eagles shook off an early 11-point deficit on the road. Queens-commit Chris Parks piled in 24 points while Elijah Wilson had 13 points and Northern Illinois-signee Justin Lee added 12. Kendall Latney scored 15 points and Chris Birch had 10 to lead the Hawks.

No. 4 Pebblebrook 63, Edgewater (FL) 60: Seniors Grant Howard and Mervin James led Pebblebrook in scoring with 15 points apiece.

No. 7 Newton 73, Rockdale County 52: UGA-commit Ashton Hagans went 9-of-11 from the field for 19 points. Dre Butler posted 21 points and Tyrease Brown knocked down three threes.

No. 10 Meadowcreek 80, Central Gwinnett 49: Jamir Chaplin had 23 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Detroit-commit Cory Hightower had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Dequarius Nicholas had 10 points and 5 assists.

North Cobb 59, Marietta 57: Kevin Hester Jr. collected 18 points in the win.

Brookwood 61, Lakeside-DeKalb 50:  Justin Randle scored 18 points followed by Toju Etiwe’s 12 and Jamison Collier’s 11.

Duluth 59, North Gwinnett 43: Adam Flagler netted 19 points and the electric Will Huzzie posted 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Kennesaw Mountain 82, Hillgrove 78: Joshua Strong led Kennesaw Mountain with 17 points, followed by Jaylen McCreary’s 13 points and Gabe Armstead’s 12 points. Christian Ramsey and John Barnes each scored 11 points (Ramsey also had 8 assists). Head Coach Jesse Bonner won his 500th game.

Woodstock 59, Lassiter 56: Josh Hardeman scored 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 steals. Will Allen scored Woodstock’s first 14 team points en route to 18 points and 6 rebounds on the night. Will Okonta led Lassiter with 19 points; Christian Jackson scored 11 points.

Class AAAAAA

No. 1 Langston Hughes 78, No. 4 Douglas County 67: Virginia Tech-signee Landers Nolley collected 24 points and 9 rebounds before being ejected. Tyler Smith helped with 15 points and 6 assists. Patrick Carter added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Douglas County was paced by Rickey Clark’s 17 points and 7 rebounds and Malik Battle’s 16 points and 4 assists.

No. 5 Gainesville 96, No. 6 Dacula 74: The Red Elephants pounded the Falcons in Region 8. KJ Buffen (24) and Xavier Bledson (17) led Gainesville. Brenden Tucker netted a game-high 30 for Dacula while Arusha Hunter put up 12.

Creekview 68, River Ridge 29: KJ Jenkins scored 13 points and Ty Allen netted 12 in the win. Paxton Nayman added 9 points and 9 rebounds.

South Paulding 52, Northgate 39: Cam Armstrong recorded 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.  Shane Gibson tallied 14 points, 25 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals.

Mundy’s Mill 71, ML King 63: Jordan Black scored 24 points. John Coats had 17 and Rayquan Brown netted 10.

Alexander 75, Creekside 71: Brady Spence led Alexander with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Chris Lunsford scored 17 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Jaylon Brown had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Sidni White filled the stat sheet with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals for the Cougars.

Class AAAAA

No. 2 Warner Robins 80, Harris County 55: Georgia State-signee Nelson Phillips poured in 27 points. Keshaun Houser added 13.

Chamblee 81, No. 3 Columbia 75: Chamblee threw a monkey wrench into the Region 5 picture with an upset of Columbia. Rodney Smith went for 23 points followed by Anathony Frazier (17), Zack Mackson (16) and Chance Moore (15).

No. 6 Miller Grove 47, No. 4 Lithonia 34: TJ Stargell had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals for the Wolverines.

No. 7 Southwest DeKalb 61, Arabia Mountain 52: James Glisson III had 16 points for the Panthers. Jaden Cyril added 12 points followed by Eugene Brown III (10) and Myles Lowe (8). Jordan Sterling led Arabia Mountain with 22 points and N’Kyzie Hawkins added 12 points in the loss.

No. 8 Villa Rica 67, Paulding County 59: Javonte Hart scored 20 points and Latrell Swanigan had 15. JJ Franklin scored 9 points, Kalil Humphreys netted 9 and took 5 charges and Phillip Zachery tallied 7 points and 7 assists.

Woodland-Stockbridge 63, Union Grove 60: Jalen Mason dropped in 20 points.

Carrollton 56, Cass 50: Cass received 11 points apiece from Carter Hedden and Ethan Carter in the loss.

Clarke Central 53, Flowery Branch 45: Justin Quick posted an 18 point/7 rebound/4 assist/ 3 steal statline to go along with Joey Nidoy’s 11 points in the loss for Flowery Branch.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Sandy Creek 63, Troup County 56: The Patriots withstood Jay Jefferson’s 31 points for a Region 5 win. Xavier Brewer had 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. Julian Alexander added 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Jarred Godfrey collected 10 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Kam Miller went for 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

No. 6 Westover 78, Shaw 74 OT: Kris Gardner broke out with 32 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.. Jordan Brown added 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. Ikenine Ochie posted 13 points and 5 rebounds. Shaw got 19 points and 6 rebounds from Jalen Ken. Rod Winfrey added 14 points and Lincoln Smith double-doubled with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Woodward Academy 50, Luella 27: Jacorrei Turner, Will Demorest and Walker Kessler all scored 9 points. Kevin Powell gobbled up 14 rebounds.

North Clayton 49, Eastside 46: North Clayton pulled out a close win against Region 4 foe Eastside behind balanced scoring: 9 points each from Joseph Wimbley, Xavier Valley, and Jaimonnie Watkins-Causwell, and 8 points from Derrius Martin.

Southeast Whitfield 58, Pickens 52: Zach Goss had 18 points, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Seth Bishop posted 16 points. Keinyuan Hooks finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals.

Blessed Trinity 57, West Hall 48: Noah Edmondson scored 19 points and Dee Buffington had 12 in the loss.

Class AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 63, Hart County 54: The shorthanded Bulldogs escaped Hartwell with a hard fought win. Alec Woodard had 22 points and Quin Williams added 16. Anthony Cooper finished with 13. Rex McCord had a team-high 11 for Hart County.

No. 4 Cedar Grove 69, Westminster 38: Jamari Dean shot lights out from the field to score 20 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Devon Barnes scored 12 points and Tworn Seals added 8 in the victory for Cedar Grove.

No. 6 Westside-Macon 89, Jackson 60: Khavon Moore hung 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Greg Holloway double-doubled with 21 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists. Kowacie Reeves Jr. tallied 9 points, 2 assists and 5 steals. JayShawn Booker scored 10 points and Javian Mosley added 6.

No. 8 Dawson County 94, East Hall 91 OT: Dawson County’s magical season continued, rallying from down 20 points in the second quarter to stun East Hall. Jeremiah Crumley dropped 26 points and 8 rebounds followed by Cullen Reed’s 21 points and 8 rebounds. Campbell Reed netted 21 points and Kane Pelfrey chipped in 14.

Lovett 53, Towers 44: Birthday boy Nick Jackson dumped in 21 points in the win.

Union County 76, Lumpkin County 54: Sawyer Drake scored 12 points early, but saw his night come to a premature end after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter. Crawford Colwell scored 21 and Pierson Allison added 11 in the win for Union County that saw them leading by as many as 29 points in the second half. Austin Black had 10 points for Lumpkin County.

Class AA

No. 10 Washington County 73, No. 3 Dublin 72: The Golden Hawks defended home court. Curtis Brown paced a wildly balanced attack with 10 points. Jarden Maze (9 points 5 assists), Conner Frazier (9 points), Shemor Robinson (9 points), Keith Foster (9 points 7 rebounds 3 blocks), Jawan Dukes (8 points 6 rebounds), Lazerionta Taylor (8 points) and Jamarius Dixon (8 points 9 rebounds) all came up huge.

No. 8 Jeff Davis 70, Bryan County 43: Jaqueze Kirby led the way for Jeff Davis with 25 points, Tae Thomas scored 16, and Kirese Manley scored 10 points.

Lamar County 60, Callaway 54: Dallas Ogletree powered the Trojans with 21 points, going 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Quay Parks pitched in 10 points.

Monticello 83, Rabun County 64: Malik Crawford posted 26 points and 11 rebounds while Ashton Bonner had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists.

Class A-Private

No. 1 St. Francis 70, Whitefield 45: Dwon Odom led the charge for St. Francis with 14 points and 6 assists, CJ Riley scored 13 points, Sam Hines posted 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Chase Ellis scored 12 points to stay unbeaten in the region.

Lakeview Academy 76, Tallulah Falls 60: Blake McIntyre posted 20 points and 11 assists while Adam Cottrell had 17 points. Arturo Varela scored 14.

Walker 67, Mt. Paran Christian 42: Burke Chebuhar led Walker with 14 points, Lake Boyer added 11 points, and Chandler Baker scored 8 points. All 11 players scored in the victory for Walker.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 6 North Forsyth 55, Forsyth Central 32: Caroline Martin scored 21 points and Catherine Shope netted 10. Cassie Markle finished with 8 rebounds and 7 steals.

South Forsyth 48, Milton 18: North Florida-commit Sara Idris collected 16 points and 6 rebounds. Olivia Woodison had 11 points. Milton was led by Grace Armfield’s 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block.

Class AAAAAA

No. 3 Winder-Barrow 57, Apalachee 23: UConn-commit Olivia Nelson-Ododa totaled 21 points and 12 rebounds. College of Charleston-commit Latrice Perkins netted 20 points.

Class AAAAA

No. 1 Buford 75, Walnut Grove 27: CJ Johnson scored 15 points and Tate Walters had 11 for the Lady Wolves. Mary Walters and Ebony Grant each scored 9.

No. 2 Flowery Branch 83, Clarke Central 50: Ashley Scott scored 17 points and Caroline Wysocki tossed in 16 points and 4 rebounds. Ashley Woodroffe had 13 points and 3 steals while Taniyah Worth added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Carly Shaw picked up 8 points and 6 rebounds. Lexie Sengkhammee notched 7 points, 9 assists and 3 steals.

No. 6 Villa Rica 74, Paulding County 25: Emmy Parham finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while Deasia Merrill posted 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Aliyah Hindsman had 10 points and 5 steals. Lexi Cooley produced 9 points and 3 rebounds.

Union Grove 48, Woodland-Stockbridge 45: Amia Brown netted 14 points in the defeat.

Eagle’s Landing 68, Locust Grove 58: Ashley Foster exploded for 25 points.Kiera Howard and Jasmine Atkins each scored 9 points. Reyonna Hopkins added 8 points and Briana Madison netted 7.

Class AAAA

No. 4 Luella 67, Woodward Academy 43: Shakira Lowery finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Pickens 69, Southeast Whitfield 36: Torie Williams put up 20 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, Mykenzie Weaver added 14 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Shelby Cook tacked on 7 points and 7 rebounds.

Stephens County 54, Oconee County 49: Keke Latner (16), Tykia Thompson (14) and Anaiah Wilson (12) paced the Lady Indians.

North Clayton 67, Eastside 62: Jasmine Holcombe was 2 steals short of a triple-double for North Clayton finishing the night with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 steals.

Class AAA

No. 6 Lovett 66, Towers 22: Stanford-commit Jenna Brown went for 30 points and 8 rebounds to pace the Lady Lions. Ellie McCollam and Sydney Johnson scored 14 apiece.

No. 8 Hart County 56, Morgan County 53 OT: Torrion Starks had a game-high 23 points in the win. Taniya Alexander scored 18.  Lou Reid powered Morgan County with 18 points.

Murray County 35, Coahulla Creek 27:  Allison Weaver netted 10 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Kasey Beavers had 9 points. Lily Snyder led the Colts with 11 points and Allie Young had 9 rebounds.

East Hall 64, Dawson County 61: Georgia State-signee Carly Winters paced the Vikingettes with 14 points. Jenny Lopez scored 12 and Maggie Griffin added 10. Tessa Rider (9), Ivey Shadburn (8) and Summer Lindsey (6) all got involved.

North Murray 50, Ringgold 48: Raven Stone scored 19 points and Sarah Plemons had 17 in the win.

Monroe Area 44, East Jackson 34:  Jemelah Jones scored 9 points for Monroe Area. In the loss, East Jackson received 13 and 12 points respectively, from Maurissa Thomas and Kenzie Whitehead.

Union County 53, Lumpkin County 34: Bailey Daniel scored 19 points and Kait McCarter posted 18. Lumpkin County was led by Isabel Davenport’s 19.

Jackson 66, Westside-Macon 65:  Freshman Kenyata Smith sunk 34 points and Gabbi Cartegena hit the game-winner and finished with 23 points.

Class AA

No. 4 Rabun County 72, Monticello 54: Georgia Stockton’s breakout season carried over into 2018, going for 29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. Kaitlin Coleman added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Laken Stiles chipped in 11 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals.

No. 6 Josey 57, Glenn Hills 16: Rhykeria Rolland scored 13 points and Tykedra Rolland had 12.

No. 8 Banks County 49, Elbert County 38: Jaycie Bowen scored 13 points to lead a balanced Lady Leopard attack. Allison Smith (11), Kailynn Gilstrap (8) and Amber Williams (7) all got in the scorebook.

Bleckley County 44, West Laurens 43: Jahnaria Brown finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks including the game-winning basket.

Bryan County 40, Jeff Davis 39: Olonna Rawls led Bryan County with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Jay Black netted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Class A-Private

No. 10 Athens Academy 52, Providence Christian 35: Gabby Mastandrea finished with 17 points while Greer Moseley had 16 points and 6 rebounds. Maddie McCleary tossed in a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Lakeview Academy 44, Tallulah Falls 30: Tori Taylor had 13 points and 6 rebounds while Sadie Thrailkill double-doubled with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Class A-Public

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 8 Wheeler showcases EJ Montgomery against young Westlake Lions

Contributed by Chuck Jones

Sponsored by:   @sportalspace

No. 8 Wheeler 94, Westlake 77

IMG_7828

January 4, 2018 (Marietta, GA): Due to a previous snow storm, the No. 8 Wheeler Wildcats (10-5) hosted the Westlake Lions (7-5) as a make-up game in Class Region 2-AAAAAAA action.

With both teams coming off recent wins, the highly anticipated match-up featured several well known players in the college basketball recruiting world; most notably, five-star senior forward, E.J. Montgomery. With the likes of junior wing Isaac Martin, senior combo-forward Brandon Younger and junior floor general, Jaire “Roscoe” Eastman, Wheeler has plenty of depth surrounding  the 6-foot-10 Montgomery.

Westlake, on the other hand, has traditionally rostered contending teams and this season is no different. Westlake boasts the ultra-athletic junior guard, Chase Hunter. The Lions’ leading gunner is supported by 6-foot-8 senior forward Brandon Favors, junior guards Quincy Olivary, Kaleb Wallace, Koby Issac and 6-foot-10 freshman, Frank Anselem.

The contest started with high energy as the two teams went back and forth in the opening quarter while eight different players scored on the combined teams. Westlake led the first quarter 19-18, as Montgomery was held scoreless in the quarter for Wheeler. That didn’t stop the underrated Eastman from finding his other Wildcat teammates for easy baskets to keep the game close as Hunter had the early hot hand for Westlake with 11 points.

The second quarter had the feathery jumper of Martin on display as he splashed three-pointer after three-pointer for the No. 8 ranked team, according to the Sandy’s Spiel boys rankings. Martin’s scoring was matched by Hunter of Westlake, who attacked the Wildcats defense every chance he had while compiling 24 first half points. Despite the Hunter’s individual performance, Wheeler still managed to lead at the half, 42-39.

 Westlake’s head coach, Darron Rogers, obviously didn’t appreciate his Lions’ efforts as he kept his squad in the locker room until under a minute before the second half began. As Westlake opened the third quarter on a Favors two-handed stuff, Wheeler head coach Larry Thompson had his team prepared for the potential adjustments, as he unleashed Montgomery for a monstrous second half.

The unsigned big man turned his knob up and gave Favors all he could stand in the paint, with six dunks in the half, one that showed his ability to handle the ball in the open court and finish. Wheeler’s “Lil’ General,” Eastman must have showed up to the game with a pocket full of change because it seemed like he was dropping dimes all over the gym, as he had a game-high 14 assists.

According to Coach Thompson, Wheeler knew that coming in, the Wildcats would have to contain Hunter. Thompson said, “we focused more on our transition defense in the second half, which was the game’s turning point.”

Wheeler  was able to tame Hunter and played with a better sense of urgency in the final two periods as they wore down the Lions en route to a 94-77 victory. Westlake was led by Hunter’s game-high 32 points, while Montgomery finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Wildcats. Wheeler’s Martin, added 19 points with five three-point baskets. Wheeler will travel to West Virginia and will play in the Cancer Research Classic this Saturday.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Peach State Stops of the Week (1/1-1-6)

People always ask me, “What’s the best game in town this week?”

Peach State Stops of the Week will highlight some of the best basketball being played in Georgia for the current week. Whether it’s a tournament/showcase, a region rivalry, a Top 10 showdown, or a seldom heard sleeper, Peach State Stops of the Week will let you know what gym you need to get into

THURSDAY

No. 5 Northview at No. 6 Alpharetta [G]

The established Lady Titans (10-3) visit the upstart Lady Raiders (12-1) led by Mississippi Valley State-commit Sydnie Ward. The transfer from Tennessee averages over 17 points per game and has given Coach David Walden a major boost and has diversified the Raider offense, six players averaging over 5 points per game. Inside, the Maduka sisters GoGo and JuJu, will have to slow down No. 5 Northview’s Ashlee Austin and Maya Richards. Austin, 6-foot-2, is averaging over 19 points and 10 rebounds per game while Richards, 6-foot-1, averages a physical 8.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. Young guards Eden Sample and Asjah Inniss will be crucial for the Titans. Sample, a freshman, is averaging over 13 points per game while Innis, a sophomore, is producing close to 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Croix Bethune, Kendall Phillips, Jalyn Tillerson and Grace Knutsen will all be asked to attack Northview’s guards and get them in foul trouble. The winner will be in the driver’s seat in Region 7-AAAAAA.

FRIDAY

No. 4 Lithonia at No. 6 Miller Grove

No. 4 Lithonia (14-3) has a golden opportunity to push themselves atop Region 5-AAAAA if they can go into the Purple Palace and knock off No. 6 Miller Grove (8-6). The Bulldogs will have to match Miller Grove’s size inside. Kevin Paige and Jermon Clark are imposing figures but junior Justin Myles is a 6-foot-7 shot-blocking ace that protects Lithonia’s rim. Senior Ziven Alexander has been aggressive attacking the hoop while Brison Rockcliffe and Eric Gaines round out a balanced attack. Maurice Harvey has paced the Wolverine offense with 16 points per game alongside Lorenzo Anderson who has taken on the role of scoring guard, averaging 14.4 points. TJ Stargell has orchestrated the offense and will have to deal with the defensive pressures of Sydarius Stinson and Tasim Sims.

SATURDAY

No. 10 Cartersville at LaGrange

After a slow start to the season, the Grangers (10-4) have won 5-straight highlighted by a win over Class 5A No. 10 McIntosh 72-71 at the Toyota Classic. Senior guard Bo Russell has taken on the burden of scoring the ball with help from Jordan Ogletree and Daz Williams. Covan Huzzie is one of many Grangers that can stroke the three-ball. LaGrange will have a chance to earn their way into the Top 10 if they can defend homecourt against Region 5-AAAA rival No. 10 Cartersville (8-2). The Grangers swept Cartersville last year, but will have to deal with Furman-signee Jaylon Pugh yet again. The All-State guard is coming off an All-Tournament Team selection at the Lake City Classic where he poured in nine three-pointers en route to 38 points against Millbrook, NC. He is joined by TJ Horton and Perignon Dyer in the backcourt while Isaac Gridley is most productive in the paint. Expect Russell and Pugh to trade baskets all night.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-2-18

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 6 Mountain View 67, Mt. Bethel 53: Naheim Alleyne led Mountain View with 20 points, followed by Jalen Hayes with 16, Spencer Rodgers with 15, and Miles Long with 8 at the Big South Shootout. Mt. Bethel was led by Jaquez Gilbert’s five three-pointers and 22 points.

No. 8 Wheeler 59, Duluth 57: Duluth surged late in the second half but it wasn’t enough as EJ Montgomery was fed the ball in the paint and slammed it home to give Wheeler the lead with 1.7 seconds remaining in the game at the Big South Shootout. EJ Montgomery scored 24 and Austin Johnson had 20 of his own for Wheeler. Christian Kelly scored 18 points and Adam Flagler added 17 points for Duluth.

No. 10 Meadowcreek 60, Lincoln (FL) 53: At the Big South Shootout, Jamir Chaplin led Meadowcreek in the winning effort, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Emmanuel Collier went 4-for-5 from behind the arc to add 12 points, while Kedrick Green led Meadowcreek with 6 assists to bolster his 9 points on the day.

East Coweta 55, Milton 51: Fernandez Jones led East Coweta with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Chris Youngblood contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals while Brandon Stroud added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a solid AAAAAAA win for East Coweta at the Big South Shootout.

Class AAAAAA

No. 5 Gainesville 94, 5ANo. 2 Warner Robins 81: Jabo Bledson shoots 67% from the field (14-of-21) to lead Gainesville with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kejuan Hale added 16 points, Jarred Rosser 15 points, and KJ Buffen 14 points. Warner Robins was led by Jacolbey Owens’s 23 points and Nelson Phillips’s 10 points at the Big South Shootout.

No. 6 Dacula 82, North Clayton 60: Brenden Tucker scored 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Quincy Ademokoya dropped 19 points, while Arusha Hunter had 14 points for the Falcons in the Big South Shootout. Xavier Valley led all scorers with 22 points, and Joseph Wimbley added 15 points for North Clayton.

Cass 54, Woodland-Cartersville 29: Carter Hedden led Cass with 14 points, while Justice Hayes had 12 points. Jaylen Ballard led Woodland with 9 points.

Class AAAAA

Paulding County 102, East Paulding 79: Tyron Summerour had 23 points and  9 rebounds, Elijah Brown had 12 points, and KJ Shade had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Kevin Brown’s 11 points, Mike Seymour 10 points, and Jalen Sowells 10 points round out the double-digits scorers for Paulding County’s offensive showcase.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Sandy Creek 76, 5ANo. 10 McIntosh 53: TJ Bickerstaff led all scorers with 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Xavier Brewer had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks; Jared Godfrey had 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Kam Miller stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals for Sandy Creek. Chaz Hardin led McIntosh with 17 points and 4 rebounds, Cole Guenther had 8 points, and Bruce Carpenter had 6 points.

No. 4 Mary Persons 88, Veterans 48: Tre Edge led the scoring with 24 points, while Cam Holden recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Dee Morton added 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Desmond Williams added another 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Troup County 69, Chapel Hill 35: Jay Jefferson had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first half. Tristan Ware, King Mwikuita, and Andy Boykin had 8 points and a few rebounds apiece.  

Class AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 67, Franklin County 37: Tyrin Lawrence had 25 points and Alec Woodard scored 16 points in the win for Morgan County.

No. 5 GAC 82, Lumpkin County 22: Junior Hunter McIntosh scored 26 points to get him over the 1000-career point mark in the beatdown of Lumpkin County.

No. 6 Westside-Macon 60, Southwest-Macon 53: Westside-Macon was able to take care of business without Khavon Moore behind the 24 points and 11 rebounds of Greg Holloway and 14 points and 9 rebounds of Omar Jones.

No. 9 Central-Macon 67, Pike County 41: Kylan Hill led Central-Macon with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

East Jackson 73, Hart County 56: Kobe Haley led East Jackson with 22 points, Xavier Clark had 21 points, Makayl Rakestraw scored 15 points.

Long County 79, 2ANo. 8 Jeff Davis 56: Henry Blair led all scorers with 32 points, Terry Smith scored and even 10, and Stephan Hugley and Cristian Bass both contributed 9 points for Long County.

Class AA

No. 4 Banks County 81, Social Circle 63: Carl Cleveland and Dylan Orr led Banks County with 23 points apiece, the latter of whom also added 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Darrius Bonds (12 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) and Gabe Martin (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) also had solid nights to help Banks County stay unbeaten in the region.

No. 9 Elbert County 54, Putnam County 42: AJ James and Ty Hill led the charge for Elbert with 20 and 13 points, respectively.

Monticello 74, Oglethorpe County 61: Ashton Bonner accounted for more than half of Monticello’s points with 41 on the night. Malik Crawford added 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Northeast-Macon 57, Dodge County 54: DeMarcus Caines accounted for 29 of Dodge County’s points in the losing effort, followed by Nick Cummings’s 10 points and RJ Carr’s 5 points.

Class A-Private

No. 2 Aquinas 57, Creekside 47: DaJuan Hill led Aquinas with a 13-11 double-double, while Trent Bowdre added 11 points and 6 assists.

Walker 40, No. 4 King’s Ridge 35: Drew Miller led Walker with 15 points, Omar Cooper scored 10 points, and Burke Chebuhar scored 8 points.

Lakeview Academy 80, Hebron Christian 54: Blake McIntyre led Lakeview with 25 points and 8 rebounds, Adam Cottrell had 15 points and 5 assists, and Evan Pitts added an even 10 points.  

Class A-Public

No. 1 Central-Talbotton 64, Hawkinsville 52: Javares Copeland scored 21 points, ZyTavian Hill scored 17 points, and JaQuavius Smith had 12 points for Central-Talbotton.

No. 2 Manchester 71, Taylor County 45: Jah’Nile Hill had 19 points and 7 assists while Kalil Brawner had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in the win for Manchester.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

Class AAAAAA

No. 2 Lovejoy 55, 5ANo. 1 Buford 49: Lovejoy continues its streak of impressive play topping AAAAA favorite Buford behind Genesis Bryant’s 20 points and Anaya Boyd’s 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Cass 60, Woodland 24: Lyric Curtis led for Cass with 10 points, while the trio of Kyla Michienzi, Aaliyah Curtis, and Alexis Ware each had 9 points in the win.

Class AAAAA

Class AAAA

LaGrange 48, Central-Carrollton 44 OT: LaGrange opens up region play with a victory over the Central-Carrollton Lions. The Lions were led by the 17 points and 8 rebounds of Haley Fehring and Teonna Thomasson’s 10 points.

Sandy Creek 43, McIntosh 38: Da’ja Powell dominated the stat sheet with 22 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Paris Thompson helped the winning effort with 11 points, 7 steals, and 2 blocks. Rylee Calhoun led McIntosh with 19 points while Kennedi Miller dropped 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Class AAA

No. 5 Central Macon 68, Pike County 25: The Lady Chargers kicked off 2018 the right way led by Jada Clowers’s 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Central Macon had three other players in double digits: ReNesha Goolsby (15 points), JeNya Wilder (14 points, 6 rebounds), and Nakayia Greene (10 points, 5 rebounds).

No. 7 Haralson County 72, Spring Garden (AL) 50: Alexis Boykin led the Lady Rebels with 20 points, while Indiya Smith and Claire Robinson each chipped in 17 points in the victory.

No. 8 Hart County 58, East Jackson 37: Torrion Starks led Hart County with 26 points, Taniya Alexander scored 12 points, and Shakendra Grove had 11 points. Marissa Thomas led East Jackson with 16 points.

Class AA

Elbert County 54, No. 2 Putnam County 52: Niya Shumaker scored 21 points, Miya Turman had 15 points, and Maggie Campbell scored 7 in the upset win for Elbert County.

No. 4 Rabun County 75, Stephens County 55: Georgia Stockton scored 26 points and 7 rebounds, Hanna Cannon had 10 points, and Destiny Deetz was a point shy of a double-double with 9 points and 12 boards for Rabun County. Tykia Thompson scored 10 points and Tiana Teasley scored 9 points for Stephens County in the loss.

No. 6 Josey 54, Westside 43: Ebony Clark led Josey with 16 points, and Deajah Houck contributed 12 points to the winning effort.

No. 8 Banks County 80, Social Circle 34: Jaycie Bowen led the Lady Leopards with 20 points, Maddie Thomas scored 15 points, Allison Smith had 15 points, and Amber Williams had 9 points.

Class A-Private

No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian 59, Athens Christian 42: The Lady Wolverines had three scorers in double digits: Madison Britt (15 points), Ansley Hall (14 points), and Janie Henderson (11 points).

Lakeview Academy 59, Hebron Christian 34: Sadie Thrailkill scored 18 for Lakeview, followed closely by teammates Savanna Kinsey (11) and Maddie Towles (10).

Class A-Public

No. 1 Telfair County 74, Clinch County 61: India Wells exploded for 27 points, while Brandy Mackey scored 13 points, NyAsia Howard had 9, and Shalan Nelson scored 8 points in the win for Telfair.

No. 10 Athens Academy 36, George Walton Academy 30: Freshman Rose Bone dropped a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Greer Moseley contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds.