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GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Top Five Performances In Macon

1. Wendell Carter Jr., Pace Academy, Jr.

30 points (10-11 FG), 20 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal

Domination. One word that has been synonymous with Wendell Carter Jr. throughout his career. Against a smaller yet physical frontline of Manchester, the five-star junior center wrecked the Blue Devils and led the Knights to their first ever title. He even went 3-for-3 from deep, proving he can do it all on the floor. Carter was named Class AA Player of the Year along with numerous superlatives and was named Sandy’s Spiel Mr. Basketball.

2. Jailyn Ingram, Morgan County, Sr.

28 points (8-11 FT), 9 rebounds, 1 assist

Florida Atlantic is getting a big time player in Jailyn Ingram, who has successfully stepped out of the shadows cast by Tookie Brown last year. The 6-foot-7 forward used his quickness and size inside to get the best of a smaller Jenkins team while capturing his second state championship and getting revenge after a 62-60 loss to the Warriors in the title game a year ago. Ingram used nifty footwork while facing up on the low block to spin to the cup and finish with authority. He is a Class AAA First-Team All-State selection.

3. John Ogwuche, Greenforest, Sr.

27 points (14-23 FT), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals

The New Hampshire signee went out on top as Greenforest knocked off St. Francis, ending the Knights’ two-year run and getting payback from last year’s 96-81 loss in the state championship. John Ogwuche was relentless on his attack of the rim, living at the line while punishing the Knights’ guards trying to check him. He also helped hold Kobi Simmons (8-25 FG) in check to preserve the victory. Coach Larry Thompson praised Ogwuche for his efforts after the game saying he “willed us to victory.” The grizzled veteran was selected to the 1A-Private All-State Second-Team.

4. Jamie Lewis, Westlake, So.

21 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal

Only a sophomore, the sky is the limit for Jamie Lewis. With Westlake on the ropes in the third quarter down 11 to Pebblebrook, Lewis took over and scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the period to claw the Lions back into the game. Lewis was battle-tested all year long coming out of Region 3 and taking the toughest road to the final by having to beat Norcross, Shiloh and Newton just to get to Macon. On the biggest stage, he shined the brightest whether he was tossing alley-oops or getting buckets. Lewis’ performance will not be forgotten in a wild Class AAAAAA final. He is an All-State Honorable Mention selection.

5. Richard LeCounte, Liberty County, Jr.

20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals

Sometimes you take the good with the bad. LeCounte missed his first three shots in wild and ugly fashion but eventually settled in. He had a whopping 10 turnovers, but his fearless style of play consisting of flying all over the floor and smacking bodies with opponents for loose balls was the difference in helping Liberty County to its first-ever state championship while avenging last year’s 71-43 season ending loss to Jonesboro and snapping the Cardinals’ attempt at a three-peat. The five-star UGA football commit showed off his uber-athleticism from the opening tip, stealing the jump ball in impressive fashion. LeCounte was aggressive all night long and wasn’t afraid to make mistakes. He drilled three big threes in the Panthers’ 58-52 Class AAAA championship victory. LeCounte was named Second-Team All-State.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Westlake closes out GHSA season by breaking Pebblebrook’s heart in overtime

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No. 2 Westlake 68, No. 7 Pebblebrook 58 OT

Pure madness. That is the phrase that could wrap up the 2015-16 GHSA basketball season. From the terrible conditions at the Macon Centreplex that made you feel like winning the Powerball was more possible than catching a signal, to the taped rims, cracked floors and of course, the baskets not even being regulation length, the Class AAAAAA final will be one that people will gather around the water cooler to talk about and scratch their heads concerning all the strange decisions made.

The game started off ho-hum, as a photographer walked onto the floor in the middle of the action, in a daze as if he didn’t know the most important game of the season was being played – or any game for that matter. The bizarre scene was just the start for a whacky final game that summed up the GHSA season as, ponderous.

No. 2 Westlake (27-4) raced out to a 15-6 lead and looked like they were going to demolish No. 7 Pebblebrook (23-10) and hand them their second-straight blowout loss to the Lions, and fourth loss overall during the season against their Region 3 foe.

Collin Sexton had other ideas. The potent guard came away with a layup in transition to end the quarter after Westlake was attempting to hold for one shot, cutting into the lead 15-12.

It was just the beginning of a monstrous second quarter run for the Falcons. Coach George Washington’s electrifying group stunned the bigger Lions by using Sexton and JJ Smith’s athleticism to counter Westlake’s length. A 26-7 run ended the half with the Falcons on top 32-22, but like in their Region 3 championship meeting, Pebblebrook held an eight point lead before falling 79-57.

Sexton netted 14 of his team-high 18 points in the first half while living at the foul line, sinking all eight attempts. In the second half the Falcons continued to soar. Smith threw down a dunk and helped Pebblebrook to its largest lead of the game, 42-31.

Jamie Lewis wouldn’t let Westlake fade into oblivion however.

The super sophomore poured in 12 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter and added nine assists on the night to draw the Lions within three, 46-43. The interesting coaching tactics of Darron Rogers came into play. He called three timeouts within the first three minutes of the fourth quarter including one after a Lewis to Ronald Bell alley-oop tied the game at 48 with 5:13 to play.

Chuma Okeke shot just 1-of-3 in the first half for three points but slowly began to wake up when the game was on the line. His seventh point of the contest gave the Lions the lead with 4:43 left. Westlake’s 9-2 run pushed the lead to 52-48. Sophomore Dwight Murray knocked down a three to keep the Falcons in striking distance at 53-51.

Lewis extended the lead to 58-53 when he found Okeke inside with under a minute to go.

After a Pebblebrook bucket, Okeke was sent to the line for a one-and-one. He missed both and Auburn signee Jared Harper, who had a modest finish to his elusive high school career scoring 11 points in each of his last two games after averaging 28 on the season, drilled a three with 19 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime at 58. Little did he know, his 15th point of the game coming on 6-of-19 shooting, was the final basket of his career.

In overtime Coach Rogers elected to hold the ball and melt the first three minutes off the clock as the crowd erupted in boos.

When the Lions finally attacked it was Okeke spinning through the lane for a hoop to go up 60-58 with a minute left. Danny Lewis came up with a runout and connected on a layup but was intentionally fouled too. He hit both free throws turning it into a 4-point play which resulted in a 6-point possession as on the ensuing inbound, Okeke slashed to the hoop for an open layup, 66-58 with now just 27 seconds left, stunning the Falcons a year after falling to Wheeler 59-58 on two last second free throws from Jaylen Brown.

Okeke scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and added seven rebounds. Danny Lewis finished with 14 points and Raquan Wilkins chipped in nine points and six boards. Smith was Pebblebrook’s third leading scorer with 13 points and five rebounds.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Morgan County gets its revenge on Jenkins; sweeps AAA titles

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No. 1 Morgan County 66, No. 5 Jenkins 56


No. 1 Morgan County (26-4) completed the difficult task of sweeping Class AAA following the No. 1-ranked girls team winning their first title since 1983. Jailyn Ingram and Jordan Ford’s size inside wore down the smaller No. 5 Jenkins Warriors (28-5) as the Bulldogs avenged last year’s 62-60 loss in the final seconds, 66-56.

Jenkins led 12-11 at the end of one and was able to use its speed against Morgan County’s size. Zion Williams scored eight of his 15 points in the first half and began a surge to give the Warriors the lead after trailing 21-16. Williams ran off six straight points to give Jenkins a 24-23 lead with 2:17 to play.

The Warriors held a 28-26 lead at halftime but Coach Jamond Sims’ size was starting to chip away at Jenkins, causing foul trouble for star junior Trevion Lamar, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. Lamar finished the night 2-of-9 from the field with just five points, seven rebounds, three turnovers and four fouls.

“You have to kind of crowd him when he gets in his sweet spots. He kind of got a little bit hesitant especially when he picked up his early two fouls,” explained Coach Sims. “Once they inserted him back in we chose to keep going at him.”

The Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run to end the third quarter and gain a 42-38 lead entering the fourth that they would never relinquish. Jenkins cut the lead to four at 47-43 after Dimetri Chambers connected on a three-pointer, part of his team-high 17 points, and again at 53-49 after another Chambers bucket, but the Warriors would get no closer.

Ingram was the beneficiary of the Bulldog attack. The Florida Atlantic signee scored 11 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and pulled down nine rebounds in his final game. Ford added 17 points and five rebounds of his own.

Morgan County’s senior class of Jailyn Ingram, DeVorious Brown, Jordan Ford and Emmanuel Little, highlighted by FAU signees Ingram and Brown, were the foundation of an incredible senior class who’s worst season ended with a loss in the Elite Eight.

“Those are kids that have won over 100 games in their career. Been to the state championship three times.”

Their championship pedigree shone through as Brown tallied eight points and four assists while Little added six points and three assists.  Freshman Alec Woodard chipped in seven points and eight rebounds, a part of a bright future. Michael Coffee finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in the loss for Jenkins.

Morgan County shot 57.1 percent to Jenkins’ 32.3.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Greenforest suffocates St. Francis to deny Knights of three-peat

No. 1 Greenforest 78, No. 2 St. Francis 66

Following a disappointing 96-81 championship loss at the hands of St. Francis last year, the Eagles were prepared to slow down five-star McDonald’s All-American and Arizona-commit Kobi Simmons in order to end the Knights’ quest for a three-peat. Behind a dominant defensive performance and a relentless attack from New Hampshire signee John Ogwuche, first-year head coach Larry Thompson and the Eagles captured their second state title in school history, 78-66 in the Class A-Private state championship.

Ranked nationally throughout the year and the owner of the No. 1 ranking in the state the entire season, Greenforest (30-2) made sure it wasn’t going to have a letdown against No. 2 St. Francis (23-8), who came in winners of 10-straight by an average margin of victory of 28.7 points. Greenforest’s size advantage was apparent early as 7-foot junior Ikey Obiagu swatted a shot and came away with a dunk before Precious Ayah, a Miami (OH) signee, added a rim-rocking jam of his own to race out to an intimidating 6-0 lead.

At the end of one, the Eagles led 12-7. Simmons was held scoreless. Obiagu was a difference maker after being a complete non-factor in last year’s loss. The big man fouled out in the fourth quarter but scored six points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked six shots while on the floor.

Greenforest went up 17-8 after Ogwuche found Justin Forrest for an And-1. At the 4:53 mark Simmons finally found the bottom of the net, sinking two free throws to make it 19-13. Simmons did much of his damage from the line as the Eagles focused their game plan around stopping the highly touted recruit, holding him to 8-of-25 shooting; 12-for-18 from the line worth 31 hard earned points.

“That was the game plan,” said Thompson. “We knew he was going to get touches but we didn’t want those touches right on the three-point line. 35-feet out so we could run a second guy at him because I face-guarded him all night. I didn’t want him to get comfortable on that wing and do what he does best, score the basketball. So we had to make him uncomfortable.”

As much as Simmons struggled in the first half (9 points on 1-9 FG), the Knights kept it close. Wallace Tucker drained a three to close the lead to 26-24 with 1:06 left. Ogwuche hit a back-breaking jumper at the horn to build the Eagle lead to 34-25 at the half.

The Eagles came out guns a’ blazing in the third quarter to take a 41-27 lead after Obiagu hit a layup and Ogwuche buried two threes. The senior burned St. Francis for 28 last year in the finals and did it again this season, torching the Knights for a game-high 27 points and five assists connecting on a whopping 14-of-23 free throw attempts while assaulting the rim.

“Wow. What can I say that he didn’t do today? Justin [Forrest] had foul trouble. Jandan [Duggan] had foul trouble. John wouldn’t take no for an answer. He wasn’t losing that basketball game. He put us on his back in the second half [16 points] and willed us to victory. Kid wanted the ball. New Hampshire is getting a heck of a guy next year.”

The Knights trailed by as many as 16, down 51-35 in the third before entering the fourth quarter down 57-45 after Simmons and Abayomi Iyiola traded buckets.

Greenforest’s lead grew to 66-51 with 4:26 remaining before Simmons got hot after a 4-of-18 start to the game. Simmons sparked a 9-3 run by netting seven consecutive points to bring it to 69-60 at the 2:17 mark but a 6-0 spurt keyed by four Ogwuche free throws and a Victor Enoh dunk saw the lead balloon back up to 15 at 75-60 with 1:12 left.

Forrest, a junior, posted 13 points and six rebounds while Ayah went for 10 points and seven rebounds. Iyiola came off the bench and tallied 17 points and seven rebounds in Obiagu’s absence. Chance Anderson was the only other Knight in double figures outside of Simmons with 12 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.

Greenforest was the team to beat all year long but now that the Eagles have the trophy to go along with their great resume, the target is undeniably placed on their back heading into next season.

“That was the goal. We were here last year on the wrong end of it, feeling bad. Guys worked all year. It’s an incredible feeling to beat St. Francis. First class organization, first class program.”

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Miller Grove hangs No. 7 in defensive war with Allatoona

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No. 1 Miller Grove 50, No. 2 Allatoona 48

Head Coach Sharman White said before the game that No. 1 Miller Grove (30-2) needed to attack to beat No. 2 Allatoona (31-1) and that’s what they did. They attacked the Buccaneers not only on offense but on defense, surviving previously undefeated Allatoona 50-48 for the program’s seventh title in eight years after Ephraim Tshimanga was unable to get a shot off on the Bucs’ final possession.

Allatoona controlled the tempo and contained Miller Grove’s explosive offense led by McDonald’s All-American and UConn signee Alterique Gilbert. The Bucs got off to a hot start with a 4-0 lead, but turnovers throughout the game prevented Allatoona from taking a complete grasp of the game. 23 turnovers haunted the Bucs while the two teams combined for 24 in the first half with Miller Grove committing just three errors in the second half.

Allatoona turned Miller Grove’s turnovers into seven points in the first quarter. An unexpected lift came in the form of 6-foot-7 senior Randy Legros. The defensive specialist attacked Raylon Richardson and got him into foul trouble early. Legros finished with eight points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines surged ahead to take a 24-20 halftime lead behind the play of Gilbert. The star guard netted eight of his 15 points in the second period. Both he and Aaron Augustin caused the Bucs fits by attacking the hole relentlessly, the two combining to go 13-of-19 from the foul line on the night.

 

Down four at the half, it was still a game that Allatoona felt it had a chance to win by slowing down one of the state’s most potent offenses. After Miller Grove extended its lead to 27-22, its largest of the game, Allatoona stormed back with a 9-0 run to take a 31-27 edge with 3:30 remaining. With 1:36 to play in the third, sophomore guard Trey Doomes began his first battle with cramps with the Bucs still leading by four.

Allatoona pushed its lead to 37-32 after Doomes found Kevin Perry for an And-1 with 1:19 left, but Augustin would put the Wolverines on his back to end the quarter, collecting a basket plus the foul and then a steal and a lay up to tie the game at 37, five of his team-high 16 points.

The Wolverines trailed 40-37 entering the fourth after Perry banked home a three-ball. Up three with 6:34 remaining, Doomes started to cramp up again. Richardson who was surprisingly outplayed by Legros, nailed a clutch three to knot the game at 44 at the 4:46 mark, still anyone’s game.

Tae Hardy found a bucket inside to regain the lead for Miller Grove 46-44 with 2:35 to play. Down two with 1:44 to go, Doomes missed two free throws and Colin Young made him pay with a jumper to make it 49-45.

Augustin fouled Perry on a three on the following possession and the Coastal Georgia signee sank all three, cutting it to 49-48 with 1:08 left. Mr. Georgia Basketball, Gilbert, was sent to the line with a chance to ice the game but missed the front end of the one-and-one allowing Coach Markus Hood to diagram a play with 19.5 seconds to go.

Instead of getting off a shot, it was Young who came away with the steal and was fouled in the open court.  Young split his free throws with five seconds left setting up one last opportunity for the Buccaneers to complete a dream season and go undefeated but Tshimanga lost the ball on Joshua Jackmon’s leg as it was knocked away and Miller Grove fell on it to secure another banner for Coach White.

Tshimanga, a senior, finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals in his final game. Perry added 13 points while Doomes had an up-and-down night with seven points, five rebounds, five assists but eight turnovers.

Young, who scored eight points on the night, was the key to the Wolverines’ success late.

“He stuck with it. He missed a couple shots he felt like he should have hit earlier, so he was kind of down but he fought through. Just typical of the way he plays. He’s never going to quit and he’s going to keep on fighting and he made two huge plays down the stretch for us,” explained Coach White.

Allatoona didn’t throw any curveballs Miller Grove’s way, even with the emergence of Legros inside.

“They were who they were. They executed their game plan. We knew it was going to be a tough battle,” said White. “Of course you want to win this game in a way where you don’t have to work as hard but we were prepared for a dog fight.”

For a second straight season, it was Allatoona coming up just short on the big stage. Last year’s 49-32 loss to Brunswick was a case of sour shooting but this year the Bucs shot well, hitting 51.6 percent of their shots compared to Miller Grove’s 42.5.

Coach Hood’s four seniors, Dylon Ramsey, Ephraim Tshimanga, Kevin Perry and Randy Legros were paramount to Allatoona’s success.

“Their leadership kept us together and kept us marching forward,” explained Hood. “And tonight, Miller Grove was let off the hook. We had them. But that’s ok. Because you know what’s more important than the scoreboard out there? It’s the journey we had with our young men.”

“If he [Legros] doesn’t get in foul trouble tonight, we win that game tonight. He brings us a presence in the paint. He was the best big man on the floor tonight and I thought it was obvious.”