Category Archives: Girls Recaps

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 11-17

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

Kennesaw Mountain 79, Chattahoochee 50: The Jalyn McCreary-era kicked off with a bang as the Preseason First Team All-State selection hung 19 points and 10 rebounds in his varsity debut. Josh Strong picked up where he left off last season with 14 points and 4 assists.

Rockdale County 69, Loganville 63: After scoring only 13 points against No. 9 Meadowcreek, the Bulldogs bounced back behind Sayvon Traylor’s 30 points.  In the loss Jamar Moore had 23 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. Akil Covington had 15 points and 3 rebounds for the Red Devils.

Milton 75, Dawson Christian 49: Christian Wright pumped in 37 points and JP McGhee totaled 8 points and 14 rebounds in the Eagle win.

Class AAAAAA

Lakeside-Evans 109, Augusta Christian 82: The Panthers steamrolled the SCISA’s Lions, proving again that the best basketball is played in the GHSA. Kalen Williams went for 34 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. TyShun Briscoe added 18 points, 3 rebounds and 5 steals. Tucker Gilbert posted 16 points and 13 rebounds. Brad Hilley tallied 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Mundy’s Mill 65, Luella 41: Jordan Black (16) and John Coats (12) combined for 28 points in the Tiger victory.

Creekview 70, North Forsyth 50: KJ Jenkins poured in 29 points to lift the Grizzlies.

North Atlanta 80, Osborne 39: The new look Warriors received 17 points and 8 assists from Messiah Thompson in a 41-point rout. Desmond Thomas scored 17 points and Vallon Toussant pitched in 4 points and 15 rebounds. Josh Johnson scored 12. Jarmaine Miles led the Cardinals with 20 points.

Pope 68, Sprayberry 61: Jackson Baylark finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks. Josh Luttrell drilled five threes en route to an 18-point performance. Micah Paulk added 15. Sprayberry saw Micah McCuen go for 25 points and 9 rebounds while Idaho-signee Khadim Samb had 12 points and 7 rebounds.

Lovejoy 50, Decatur 41: Jamal Reynolds scored 18 points and Omari Callahan added 11 in the Wildcats win; Coach Quantavias Allen’s first at the helm of Lovejoy. Freshman Travon Smith scored 15 for Decatur while Chalin Hippe netted 9.

Class AAAAA

No. 5 Columbia 90, Henry County 72: Josh Taylor collected 22 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks as the Warhawks had no answer inside. Lorenzo McGhee tallied 26 points and 9 rebounds. Keondre Kennedy netted 20.

No. 8 McIntosh 97, New Manchester 62: The Chiefs routed New Manchester using a balanced onslaught. Naj Ashley-Emory scored 18 points while Cole Guenther led the way with 20 points, 4 steals and 4 blocks. Chaz Hardin chipped in 15 points and Zach Pina netted 12.

Lithia Springs 91, Chapel Hill 55: The Lions got 18 points from Keyshawn Phillips and 12 from Terrence Ashford in the win.

Stockbridge 78, Washington 54: Kavonte Ivery powered in 25 points and Trillis Brown added 11 for the Tigers. Kaelon Hinton, Davian Johnson and Elijah Austell all added 10.

Cass 56, Hephzibah 47: Carter Hedden (15), Ashton Burley (13) and Justice Hayes (10) all cracked double figures in the Colonels’ win at the Evans Hoopfest Tip-Off Tournament. Ethan Carter chipped in 9 points.

Class AAAA

North Clayton 69, Forest Park 54: Joseph Wimbley netted a game-high 18 points as the Eagles used a 24-6 third quarter to surge past the Panthers. Xavier Valley (14), Jermaine Lattimore Jr. (12), Jaimonnie Watkins-Causey (8) and Christopher Williams (8) all had strong nights scoring the ball.  Fabian Hill led Forest Park with 16 points followed by Jayden Walker’s 9.

Spalding 49, Troup County 40: Jay Jefferson went for 23 points and 5 assists, but it wasn’t enough to deny the Jaguars an early season victory.

Class AAA

Union County 48, Gilmer 34: Pierson Allison scored 10 points as the Panthers outscored the Bobcats 33-6 in the second half.

Franklin County 80, Habersham Central 54: Micah Roebuck got buckets with 26 points and Malique Combs tacked on 16 as the Lions cruised. Zach Gay added 11 points.

Class AA

Class A-Private

No. 1 St. Francis 84, Brewbaker Tech, AL 70: The No. 1 ranked Knights opened up the season at the Hoops 4 A Cure Classic and received 22 points from Dwon Odom in a winning effort. Chase Ellis added 20 and Sam Hines chipped in 15 points.

Galloway 41, Providence Christian Academy 36: The Storm came up short in a low scoring affair. Al Dorsey netted 9 points in the loss.

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

Class AAAAAA

No. 8 Forest Park 62, North Clayton 27: Freshman post Sania Feagin had her way inside with 15 points. Sarah Matthews scored 12 and Jasmine Stevens added 11 points. Jada Showers and Jasmine Holcombe scored 8 apiece to pace the Eagles in the loss.

River Ridge 40, North Paulding 31: Savannah Samuel dropped in 16 points followed by Faith Arthur’s 15 to beat the Wolfpack.

Pope 63, Sprayberry 47: Cheyenne Holloman scored a team-high 18 points to power Pope. Abby McKinley chipped in 14 points and Teya Holloman netted 11.

Class AAAAA

Class AAAA

No. 3 Henry County 63, Columbia 25: Auburn-signee Brook Moore scored 16 points and Janaya Wadsworth tacked on 14 in the win. Shontrice Austin had 11 for Columbia.

Class AAA

Union County 44, Gilmer 39: The Panthers used a 10-1 run to race past the Bobcats. Aubree Pack scored a team-high 15 points including the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:28 left. Andelin Hill tossed in 9 points.

Class AA

Class A-Private

Class A-Public

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 11-16

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 2 Norcross 79, Walnut Grove 42: Dalvin White put in 16 points for Norcross, followed closely by the 15 points of Kyle Sturdivant and Brandon Boston’s 12. RJ Selman led Walnut Grove with 14 first-half points before an injury prematurely ended his night.

No. 10 Collins Hill 82, Heritage-Conyers 63: Chris Parks notched a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Mandarius Dickerson (23 points), Justin Lee (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Elijah Wilson (11 points) all contributed in the win for Collins Hill. Trelan Scott led a balanced scoring night for Heritage with 16 points, followed closely by Adrian Boykin’s 15 and Josh Guilford’s 14.

Mill Creek 64, West Forsyth 53: Jayden Marshall made five three-pointers en route to 23 points on the night. Noah Kenney followed up with 21 of his own.

Campbell 76, Marietta 69: Junior Donovan Grant set up camp behind the arc, going 7-for-11 from three-point range and scoring 27 points total. Point guard Terrell Burden added 20 points, 8 assists and 3 steals, while senior Kiya Randolph pitched in 17 points.

Class AAAAAA

No. 10 Cambridge 67, Walton 55: Kamar Robertson and David Banks each scored 18 points to lead the Bears. Robertson added 7 assists as well. Bryce Boutelle chipped in 14 points.

Douglas County 83, No. 4 Tri-Cities 77 OT:  Cam Copeland pumped in 24 points and Rickey Clark scored 17 points to pace the Tigers. Malik Battle netted 14 points and Ernest Randle triple-doubled with 11 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks to sneak past the Bulldogs and open up Region 5 play with a bang. Unsigned lefty wing Eli Lawrence poured in 25 points in the loss. DaMarcus Johnson and Jon Young each had 12.

North Atlanta 66, Lovett 29: Messiah Thompson stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.

Class AAAAA

Flowery Branch 71, Chestatee 49: Justin Quick double-doubled with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals. JJ Greene added 17 points and 6 rebounds, Devon Wainer had 10 points and 4 rebound while Joey Nidoy chipped in 7 points and 6 rebounds.

Class AAAA

Blessed Trinity 64, Centennial 49: In a balanced team effort, the Titans pushed past the Knights. Ben Shappard led the charge with 21 points, buoyed by Andy Swade’s 15 and Will Marin’s 14 points.

Class AAA

No. 4 Greater Atlanta Christian 61 4ANo. 8 Woodward Academy 35: Hunter McIntosh led all scorers with 28 points for GAC, 23 of which came in the first half, whereas Walker Kessler led Woodward Academy with 8 points.

Dawson County 61, Jefferson 41: Cullen Reed led the Tigers with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremiah Crumley added 13 points and 8 rebounds. Campbell Reed scored 10 points and Ryan Gallekamp grabbed 8 rebounds. Jefferson was led by Jasper Gibson’s 24 points and Jacob Radaker’s 12.

Class AA

No. 5 Thomasville 70, 4A No. 7 Westover 56: Behind Mississippi State-signee Reggie Perry’s 25 points and Titus Wright’s 11, the Bulldogs secured an early statement victory over Class AAAA No. 7 Westover in a battle of two of South Georgia’s best. Kris Gardner (21 points) and Cameron Weston (16 points) contributed offensively to Westover in a losing effort.

Class A-Private

No. 5 Wesleyan 77, Hebron Christian Academy 67: Christian McLean led the Wolves with 34 points, followed by Stevie Crawford’s 19 and Grant Summers’s 13 points.

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

Mill Creek 58, West Forsyth 24: Kayla Mulkey led the Hawks with 14 points, aided by Bridget Mukasa and Madison Riley, who both broke double digits in the point column (13 and 10).

Class AAAAAA

No. 6 Douglas County 88, Tri-Cities 33: Preseason All-State selection Amari Robinson led the Douglas County Tigers with 18 points.

Centennial 52, Blessed Trinity 39:  Florida Gulf Coast-commit Shekinah Guthrie dropped in 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to power the Knights past the Titans. Divine Guthrie added 9 points and 11 rebounds. Bailey Herbermehl netted 7 points.

Class AAAAA

No. 2 Flowery Branch 69, Chestatee 38: Caroline Wysocki filled up the stat sheet for Flowery Branch with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Carly Shaw added 14 points and 7 rebounds and Lexie Sengkhamee added 12 points in the win. University of Alabama-signee Taniyah Worth eclipsed 1,000 career points tonight with 9 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. 

Class AAAA

Class AAA

No. 8 Dawson County 68, 4ANo. 4 Jefferson 56: Dawson County led by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter and was able to weather a comeback bid by Jefferson that trimmed the deficit to eight. Calli Watson led Dawson County with 16 points off of five three-pointers; Kaylee Sticker had 15 points and Anna Lowe scored 10 points. Emma Brown chipped in 9. The Dragons received 16 points from McKenzie Tyner and 11 from Jazmin Allen. Akera Benton and freshman Livi Blackstock chipped in 7 apiece.

Class AA

Class A-Private

GISA Trinity Christian 66, Our Lady of Mercy 64: A career-high 51 points to go along with 17 rebounds, 6 steals and 3 blocks from Florida State-signee & 2016 Class A-Private Player of the Year Morgan Jones wasn’t enough to overcome Trinity Christian. The Lions were powered by Catherine Skebo’s 29 points and 8 rebounds. Abby Bragg flirted with a triple-double collecting 19 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Chan Hendrix snagged 11 rebounds.

 

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 11-14

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 6 Mountain View 68, Archer 48: Future Troy Trojan Spencer Rodgers drilled six threes in the first half en route to finishing with a game-high 22 points. Kevin Kayongo scored 12 points and Naheim Allenye added 10 for the Bears.

No. 7 Newton 74, North Oconee 30: Tyrease Brown continued his lights out shooting, pouring in 24 points – 21 in the first half – as the starters played just three quarters. Ashton Hagans finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists and 6 steals. Armani Harris posted 9 points and 8 rebounds while a healthy Dre Butler went for 12 points and 5 rebounds.

No. 8 Duluth 70, South Gwinnett 57: The balanced backcourt of Duluth led the Wildcats to a strong non-region win. Adam Flagler netted 18 points while Lamont Smith scored 13 and Will Huzzie double-doubled with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

No. 9 Meadowcreek 57, Rockdale County 13: The Mustangs absolutely suffocated the Bulldogs in a defensive masterpiece. Jamir Chaplin finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Duquesne-signee Amari Kelly went for 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks while twin tower, Detroit-signee Cory Hightower, ended with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Emmanuel Collier scored 8 points and Dequarious Nicholas tallied 5 points and 6 assists.

No. 10 Collins Hill 73, Osborne 59: Northern Illinois-signee Justin Lee had 18 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Chris Parks added 15 points and 9 rebounds. Elijah Wilson chipped in 15 points and Mandarius Dickerson netted 10.

Discovery 70, Central Gwinnett 52: Old Dominion-signee Kalu Ezikpe posted a 15-point 15-rebound double-double. Jaylen Bussey had 15 points and the Titans got 14 from Jaden Walker. Ian Hardy contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Berkmar 76, Forsyth Central 47: Tony Johnson went for 26 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Soumahoro added 12 points and 6 rebounds while Taj Anderson finished with 14 points and 6 assists. William Griffin scored 13 points in the loss.

Woodstock 50, Northview 42: Columbus State-signee Dylin Hardeman scored 23 points to power the Wolverines past Northview after heading into the fourth quarter tied at 34. Joe Jones had 12 for the Titans. Matt Davis had 14 in defeat.

Lakeside-DeKalb 84, McNair 51: Damon Davis scored 19 points and James Hall had 13 as the Vikings marched past the Mustangs.

Roswell 66, South Forsyth 51: Miles Herron netted a game-high 16 points for the Hornets. Taylor Drury scored 11 points and Santhosh Saravanan had 10 in the loss.

East Coweta 69, Union Grove 66:  Tied 60-60 late, the upstart Indians found a way past the Wolverines. Wesley Simpson led Union Grove with 16 points in the loss while AJ Dutrevil had 15 and Alan Moss scored 11.

Class AAAAAA

River Ridge 56, Hiram 55: Jameel Ndiaye drained five threes and finished with 19 points as the Knights secured a huge road win for the young team. Chris Williams added 9 points and 5 rebounds. Verzel Randall scored 6 points and blocked 5 shots.

Sprayberry 77, Kell 69: Micah McCuen double-doubled with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Giles did the same with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Matt Jenkins had 19 points and 4 assists while Jaylon Simpson had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

Drew 103, North Clayton 65: Will Black and Demetrius Rives poured in 24 points apiece in an eye-opening win over North Clayton. James Brown had 21.

Mundy’s Mill 55, Clarkston 50: The Tigers slipped past the Angoras behind Kirshon Thrash’s 12 points and David Crawford’s 10. Clarkston was led by Anthony Lawrence’s game-high 17 points.

Class AAAAA

No. 9 Lithonia 56, Heritage-Conyers 48: The Bulldogs bounced back from a heartbreaking season opening loss against Greenforest to score an 8-point win over the Patriots. Tasim Sims scored 16 points and had 5 assists in the victory. Ziven Alexander had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Heritage was led by Adrian Boykin’s 10 points.

Fayette County 67, 4ANo. 3 Sandy Creek 65: Jordan Brown hit a game-winner with 8 seconds left to stun the Patriots. Rickey Knight led the Tigers with 20 points. Josh Dupree dumped in 15 points and Terrell Bradley had 14 points and 6 rebounds. Jarred Godfrey powered the Patriots with 22 points while TJ Bickerstaff went for 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Arabia Mountain 71, Hampton 52: Jordan Sterling pumped in 28 points as the Rams advanced to 2-0.  TaKari Rogers-Olive added 16 points in support and Cameron Robinson scored 9 points.

Stockbridge 87, Riverside Military 58: Georgia State-signee Kavonte Ivery had 16 points and 12 rebounds while Ola-transfer Terryance Jackson netted a team-high 17. Trillis Brown and Elijah Austell scored 14 apiece while Kaelon Hinton tossed in 10.

Harris County 66, Shaw 63: Lincoln Smith collected 31 points and 12 rebounds for the Raiders in the loss.

Class AAAA

No. 2 St. Pius 67, Blessed Trinity 41: Matt Gonzalo and Troy Stephens scored 13 apiece to lead the Golden Lions in The X-Dome.

Chestatee 85, Pickens 77: Cameron Gwyn erupted for 33 points as the War Eagles soared past the Dragons in a high-scoring affair. Cooper Wilson tacked on 19 points and Daniel Briseno added 12. Pickens received 26 points from Joseph Gossett and 19 from Seth Bishop. Keinyuan Hooks chipped in 14.

West Hall 81, Jackson County 62: Datavian Buffington powered the Spartans with 20 points. Iaises Risher had 20 points in the loss.

Class AAA

Class AA

No. 7 Jeff Davis 66, Telfair County 32: Ja’Queze Kirby, the reigning Class AA Freshman of the Year, posted 23 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks. Chandler Davenport scored 15 followed by Tae Thomas’ 13 points. Kirese Manley and Nate King scored 6 apiece.

Washington County 69, Cross Creek 59: Sophomore Jeremiah Gundy had 13 points and 8 rebounds to help the Golden Hawks to victory. Fellow sophomore Jarden Maze added 9 points and 3 assists. Keith Foster had 11 points and 8 rebounds. Ivory Williams and Shemor Robinson scored 7 apiece.

Class A-Private

Savannah Christian 56, Bulloch Academy 37: Justin Anderson had 15 points as Savannah Christian took care of Bulloch Academy. Gavin Jeffries scored 13 and Aly Keys had 8 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

Class A-Public

GISA

Trinity Christian 65, Glenwood 27: Erick Valdez posted 18 points and 8 rebounds followed by Daevon Platt’s 17 points. Jamir Williams had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Braden Burnett chipped in 10 points and 4 rebounds. 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

South Forsyth 71, Roswell 62: The War Eagles got a 35-point outburst from Zoe Maisel to get past the Hornets. Sara Idris, a North Florida-signee, had 17 points.

Forsyth Central 44, Berkmar 28: Elizabeth Pruitt scored 14 points and Ansley Carver added 10 in the Bulldog win.

Class AAAAAA

No. 1 Northview 61, Woodstock 51: Northview held a 34-27 halftime lead before ripping off a 13-0 run to open the third quarter to gain a 54-38 lead behind a full court press defense, but sophomore Sophia Singer was up to the task of keeping the Wolverines afloat. Singer scored 10 of Woodstock’s 11 third quarter points and finished with a game-high 21 points and 7 rebounds. Freshman guard Kayden Montgomery added 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The Lady Titans were powered by sophomore point guard Asjah Inniss. The shifty guard had 13 points and 9 steals. Ashlee Austin posted 16 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Freshman Eden Sample netted 16 points in her high school debut and Maya Richards added 7 points and 7 rebounds.

River Ridge 58, Hiram 24: Faith Arthur scored 12 points and Savannah Samuel netted 11 to carry the Knights. Lexi Palmer added on 10 points in the win.

Dunwoody 52, Towers 25: Ariel Lawrence dropped 23 points to power Dunwoody.

Drew 51, North Clayton 38: Imoni Compton scored 16 points and ShaTara Johnson added 15 as Drew took advantage of a rebuilding North Clayton program.

Mundy’s Mill 46, Clarkston 15: Jayla Carter nearly outscored the Angoras with her 13 points in the Tigers’ rout.

Class AAAAA

Fayette County 58, Sandy Creek 32: Maegan Barkley and Trinity Brown both contributed 15 points and 3 rebounds apiece to help the Tigers blow past a rebuilding Sandy Creek team. Sidney Sims had 8 points and 9 rebounds while Naomi Franco went for 9 points and 9 rebounds. Sandy Creek was led by Daija Powell’s 14 points and 8 rebounds. Paris Thompson had 10 points and 3 rebounds in the loss.

Union Grove 50, East Coweta 30: India Smith led the Lady Wolverines with 12 points.

Class AAAA

No. 5 Luella 71, Griffin 48: Keely Brown poured in 21 points while Zaria Bankston finished with 19 points and 5 assists to push the Lions to 2-0.

No. 8 West Hall 56, Jackson County 49: Anna McKendree scored 24 points to open up the season. Jackson County got 13 points from Carlie Anderson.

Pickens 54, Chestatee 49: Coach Brandon Thomas returned to the Pickens sidelines as a winner behind Torie Williams’ 16 points, Mykenzie Weaver’s 14 and Shelby Cook’s 10.

St. Pius 52, Blessed Trinity 24: A balanced attack led the Golden Lions to victory. Emma Drash (11), Nina Burwell (10), Mai Vy Madden (8) and Macey Carson (8) shared the load. Blessed Trinity received 8 points from Jessica Castillo.

Class AAA

Class AA

Hapeville Charter 42, WD Mohammed 29: Freshman Ashley Eberhart made a major impact with a team-high 14 points. Cherry Reeves scored 11 and Ja’dah Thomas added 9.

Class A-Private

No. 9 Pinecrest Academy 66, Tallulah Falls 26: Regina Metz poured in 31 points to pace the Paladins. Molly Dankowski had 15 and JoJo Clark scored 11.

Athens Academy 56, Oglethorpe County 16: Gabby Mastandrea hung 24 points as the Spartans blew out Oglethorpe County. Maddie McCleary finished with 8 points and 6 assists. Kate Williams produced 7 points and Greer Moseley battled for 5 points and 10 rebounds.

Class A-Public

 

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

State Championships Day 4 Recap

Class AA

(G) Laney 85, Rabun County 76

In a war of Wildcats, No.1 Laney (31-1) hung on against a persistent No. 5 Rabun County (29-2) behind a defensive onslaught in a fast paced game, 85-76. Both teams known for their press, Laney donning “32 minutes of doom” t-shirts to warm up in, opened the game with a frantic pace trapping each other and using pressure defense the entire 94-feet of the floor. Rabun County trailed 24-18 after the first period but De’sha Benjamin and company quickly wore down the LadyCats to take a commanding lead. Benjamin, Aubriana Bonner and Jaiden Hamilton all poured in double figures in the first half, as the Wildcats built a 46-30 halftime lead. Getting out in transition, Laney did its damage on fastbreaks. In the third quarter, Rabun County turned the tables on Laney as their outside shots finally started to fall after going 0-of-8 from three in the first half. The LadyCats sparked a 17-5 run and cut the Laney lead to 51-47 after Savanna Scott, Hallie Reeves and Brooke Henricks got hot. Rabun buried their first threes of the game as Henricks and Reeves went back-to-back-to-back, Henricks nailing two threes in the span. After going 0-of-6 in the first half, Scott scored seven points in the frame and helped the LadyCats enter the fourth down 60-54, now in striking distance after going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Laney quickly extended the lead to 67-58 with 5:52 remaining but the LadyCats trimmed the lead to 68-63. Once again, Benjamin helped Laney grow its lead, this time to 76-63 with 2:44 remaining, but again, Rabun County wouldn’t go away going on a 7-0 run to make it 76-70 as Reeves continued to bomb from deep. Laney was able to put the game away from the line going 11-of-19 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats outscored Rabun 58-32 in the paint and outrebounded the LadyCats 53-33 led by Benjamin’s monstrous 25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks. Bonner added 16 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists while Hamilton was the third Wildcat to double-double going for 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. Rabun County used a balanced attack of their own to challenge Laney. Sophomores Brooke Henricks and Georgia Stockton scored 17 and 11 points apiece. Senior Hallie Reeves scored a team-high 20 points followed by Scott’s 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Freshman Laken Stiles netted 10.

(B) South Atlanta 68, Swainsboro 33

The No. 1 Hornets (29-1) used a dominant third quarter to crush an overmatched Swainsboro team that took a magical run to the state championship. South Atlanta outscored the Tigers (21-11) to the tune of 22-2 in the third to turn a 36-22 halftime lead into an insurmountable 58-24 advantage which resulted in a shortened 6-minute final quarter.  South Atlanta held Swainsboro, a group which uses only a six-man rotation, to just 12-of-65 (18.5%) shooting and outrebounded the smaller Tigers 64 to 44. Devonta Pullins, one of seven seniors which the majority of had been playing together since age 4, paced the Hornets with 20 points. Junior Jalen Stegall had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Senior Tyler Thornton, 6-foot-7, posted 11 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks while Demontay Roberts, another senior, added 6 points, 14 rebounds and 2 rejections. Swainsboro’s leading scorer, 5-foot-7 junior Jaylan McKinney, was 6-of-21 from the field for 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. His supporting cast struggled as well with senior Justin Harris going 0-of-12 with zero points and sophomore Jamil Watkins shooting 2-of-15 for 6 points. Big man Eddie Roberts, 6-foot-5, battled valiantly on the glass totaling 14 rebounds to go with his 5 points.

Class AAAAAAA

(G) McEachern 75, Norcross 68

Victoria Agyin scored all 13 of her points in the fourth quarter to help No. 2 McEachern (26-6) four-peat as state champions, avenging a 57-53 season opening loss to No. 1 Norcross (29-3), 75-68. Georgia-signee Que Morrison poured in 22 of her game-high 24 points in the first half but Norcross still maintained a 38-37 lead. In the second half, Norcross honed in on Morrison as stingy defense and foul trouble hampered the standout. South Florida-signee Vanessa Blagmon scored 12 of her team-high 23 points in the second half, carrying the scoring burden for Norcross. Miami-signee added 17 points and 8 rebounds for Norcross on the night but McEachern captured a 58-55 lead at the end of three and was able to hang on late. Agyin scored 13 of McEachern’s 17 fourth quarter points. Lyndsey Whilby, heading to Texas Tech, had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Jewel Smalls had 13 points and 6 rebounds.  The Indians shot 62.5% in the fourth while holding Norcross to 28.6%.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

State Championships Day 3 Recap

Class A-Private

 (G) Wesleyan 51, Holy Innocents’ 48

Trailing the entire game, No. 2 Wesleyan (28-4) found a way to stun No. 3 Holy Innocents’(29-3) after leading for only the final 1:56 of the game.  The Golden Bears led by 17 at one point in the first half but Wesleyan slowly chipped away at the lead before finally capturing their state-leading 12th title. McDonald’s All-American and UConn-signee Mikayla Coombs settled the Wolves in after their early hole, scoring 12 points in the first half and bringing the Wolves to within 34-27 at the half. Wesleyan drew even in the third quarter but could never take a lead, instead settling for a 41-41 tie entering the final period.  Natalie Armstrong scored four of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as Wesleyan outscored Holy Innocents’ 10-7. The Wolves took their first lead on a Sutton West layup at the 1:56 mark and never relinquished their lead. West finished with 8 points while Coombs finished her high school career with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Armstrong tacked on 13 rebounds and 2 blocks to her 11 points. Holy Innocents’ was led by Kennedy Suttle’s 16 points and 13 rebounds, 12 points coming in the first half. Kaila Hubbard had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while LSU-signee Khayla Pointer finished 3-of-13 for 10 points and 4 assists. The Golden Bears shot 32.7% compared to the Wolves’44.2%.

(B) Greenforest 81, Southwest Atlanta Christian 57

Sometimes you can’t see the Forrest from the trees.  That was an issue for No. 4 Southwest Atlanta Christian (26-6). Unsigned senior guard Justin Forrest poured in a game-high 36 points as the No. 1 Eagles (24-8) repeated as state champions, Head Coach Larry Thompson going 2-for-2 in his two years on the job. While the focus is often Greenforest’s massive front line of 7-foot Ikey Obiagu (Florida State), 6-foot-10 BeBe Iyiola, 6-foot-9 Mohammed Abdulsalem and 6-foot-8 Victor Enoh (Memphis), the engine and key to the Eagles’ success has always been 6-foot-2 guard Justin Forrest.  Forrest scored 19 points in the opening half as he continued to torment SACA’s guards as he’s done the previous two seasons. Fellow senior guard Jandan Duggan added 10 of his 14 points in the first half but the Warriors managed to hang around for most of the half. Unsigned 6-foot-3 senior combo guard Jonathan King threw down a one-handed And-1 slam over Abdulsalem and tallied five assists to pace the offense. Things started to get away from the Warriors late in the half as Florida-signee DeAundrae Ballard picked up his third foul at the 1:29 mark and headed to the bench with SACA down 34-28. The Eagles finished the half on an 11-1 run to take a 38-29 halftime lead and kept the pace in the third quarter pushing ahead 62-39 at the end of three as Ballard continued to struggle. The 6-foot-6 wing finished his high school career with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 turnovers while fouling out with 3:50 left to play and SACA down 23. Ballard couldn’t find any hoops in the paint as Obiagu and company protected the rim, the future Seminole totaling 10 rebounds and 4 blocks.  Isaiah Cotton led SACA with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while King finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Greenforest outscored the Warriors 32-16 in the paint.

Class AAAA

(G) Columbus 69, Carver-Columbus 67

Don’t write game recaps until the game is over. No. 4 Carver-Columbus (26-5) outscored No. 5 Columbus 26-13 in the fourth quarter to force an improbable overtime but in the end, Kentucky-signee Tatyana Wyatt would not be denied, draining a three with 9 seconds left to survive their Region 1 rival, 69-67 in an instant classic, capturing their first title. Columbus (25-5) saw a 21-9 first quarter lead evaporate slowly. At the half they led 33-21 and after three, 43-30. Carver’s guards were kept in check but eventually exploded as sophomore J’Nya Love-Hill ignited the comeback, pouring in 25 points and 4 assists in support of star juniors Alycia Reese (13 points, 4 steals) and Mariah Igus (15 points). The Blue Devils led 52-42 with 2:46 left before the wheels fell off. The Tigers closed on a 14-4 run with Reese burying a three to cut the lead to two with 46.3 left. Carver took their first lead of the game in overtime as Love-Hill connected on an And-1 to make it 61-58 with 3:23 remaining. Igus nailed another timely three with 2:14 left to go up 64-62 but Wyatt took over, tying the game from the line and having an answer for every Carver bucket. Down 67-65, Wyatt sank a game-winner as the Blue Devils stormed the court. Wyatt finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks, picking up the slack after Ariyah Copeland (Alabama) was lost for the game with an ankle injury at the 2:46 mark when Carver made their run from down 10. Copeland finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Brittany Floyd had 11 points and 3 steals, battling a turnover issue with 8. Trinity Vasquez finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds including two huge free throws mid-way through overtime.

 

(B) Upson-Lee 53, St. Pius X 48

 

Nobody said it would be easy. No. 1 Upson-Lee survived a furious rally led by junior guard Everett Lane in the second half to cling onto a hard fought 53-48 victory to clinch the school’s first state title in front of a sold out McCamish Pavilion, polishing off the state’s lone undefeated season, a perfect 32-0. The Fire Marshal shut the doors on countless fans as a max capacity McCamish Pavilion saw a standing room only crowd for Upson-Lee’s quest for perfection and No. 6 St. Pius’ bid for a somewhat Cinderella ending just 13 minutes away from the Golden Lions’ campus after starting the year 6-5. The Knights led wire-to-wire, never trailing but receiving a scare in the second half. Both teams opened the game with big stage jitters as missed shots and turnovers were a prevalent theme. Upson-Lee turned to star junior Tye Fagan to ease them into the atmosphere as he sank an early three and glided to the basket for seven first quarter points as the Knights took a 12-7 lead into the second quarter.

Upson-Lee held its largest lead of the game late in the first half as 6-foot-6 sophomore post Travon Walker had his way with the Golden Lions’ smaller frontcourt. Walker’s presence was felt primarily on the defensive end, setting the tone with 10 rebounds and three blocks in the first half, helping limit St. Pius to 4-of-22 shooting.

Up 27-14 at the half, the Knights looked to be in control until Walker picked up his third foul at the 6:45 mark of the third quarter with Upson-Lee leading 29-14. From that point on, Lane went on a tear. The sharp shooter reeled off 13 points in the frame and ignited a 15-6 run with Walker on the bench. With the lead cut to 35-29 heading into the fourth quarter, Jacorey Smith blocked Lane’s layup attempt sparking an And-1 at the other end for senior Michael Smith to push the lead back to nine at 38-29. Lane, not deterred, continued to bomb away in the fourth quarter, dropping 10 points in the last eight minutes and finishing his night with a game-high 29 points and 5 rebounds, catching fire from deep going 7-of-15. As Lane poured it on, Fagan slowed down. St. Pius keyed in on the smooth lefty and forced him to score outside of the paint. Fagan scored just three points in the third quarter but sensing a dream season on the brink of destruction, the silky 6-foot-3 scorer went to work. Following another Lane triple that cut the lead to 38-34 with 6:30 left, Fagan got in the lane and dumped off an assist to Michael Smith.

Minutes later Fagan got to the line and sank two free throws then later tossed in two right-handed buckets in a 22 second span to grow the Knights’ lead to 46-38 with 1:56 remaining. Lane cashed in his seventh three-pointer of the night at the 1:10 mark to trim the deficit to 46-41 and then scored on a cut to make it 46-43 with 40.3 left in regulation. Fagan answered on the other end to cushion a 5-point lead. Matthew Gonzalo sliced the lead back to 48-45 with 23.4 left but Pius would never get closer as the Knights went 8-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter after missing 17 free throws in their Final Four victory over No. 2 Henry County.  Upson-Lee outrebounded St. Pius 37 to 29 and outscored them in the paint 32 to 14, Fagan and Walker playing key roles around the rim. Fagan finished with 20 points (8-18 FG), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks while turning the ball over 6 times along with point guard Zyrice Scott. Walker, a star defensive end with an offer to play at Alabama, posted 9 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 blocks. Scott added 8 points as did Michael Smith. St. Pius’ second leading scorer was senior Carson Seramur with 7 points. Both teams may become familiar foes as Upson-Lee graduates just one starter and St. Pius loses just three seniors off the entire roster, Seramur the only starter.