Tag Archives: Analysis

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Class AAAAAA Elite Eight Preview

R8 #4 Grayson (22-7) vs. R2 #1 Newton (25-4)

 If you like good guard play, this will be a game to check out – or if Rams are your favorite animal. Austin Dukes lifted Grayson over No. 1 Wheeler in the first round with three free throws with 3.6 seconds left and did it once again in the Sweet 16, hitting a game-winner with 1.1 seconds remaining to slip past Lee County. Dukes scored 21 in the opening round and 22 in the second. He and Alphonso Willis give Coach Geoffrey Pierce a veteran backcourt that knows how to win. Add in glue guys like Tre Sconiers, Hafeez Anifowoshe and freshman big man Kenyon Jackson who averages close to 10 rebounds and four blocks a game, and it should come as no surprise that the Rams are still alive. They will have their hands full with a quick Newton team led by freshman point guard Ashton Hagans, junior combo guard that leads the team in scoring JD Notae and senior Jaquan Simms. A 63-61 win over Peachtree Ridge in round two has the No. 8 ranked team in the state still dancing.  Notae scored 27 points while Simms added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Hagans collected nine assists. Josh Tukes has been a difference-maker since seeing his role expand after Dre Butler’s season ended short.

R8 #1 Shiloh (23-5) vs. R3 #1 Westlake (24-4)

 No. 2 Westlake won in a clash of titans with No. 3 Norcross in the Sweet 16, a brutal matchup after the Blue Devils lost to No. 10 Collins Hill in the Region 7 championship. Chuma Okeke went for 17 points and 12 rebounds while Jamie Lewis scored 17. Okeke’s move from Langston Hughes to Westlake over the summer along with a couple other new pieces has helped put the Lions over the top. Speaking of an influx of new talent, No. 6 Shiloh piled in a load of transfers as well over the summer but had mixed results early as Khalil Richard (Siena) and Darnell Rogers (George Washington) left less than a month into the season but Greg James and Thurman Massenburg remain. Shiloh has struggled to score at times this season while using a grinding defense to constrict opponents, holding their last four all under 40 points. Georgia Tech signee Josh Okogie will shoulder the majority of the scoring burden with Malik Chandler and Dejon Waters chipping in.

R5 #2 Milton (22-8) vs. R3 #3 Campbell (21-8)

 After an up-and-down start to the season, it looks like Milton is finally playing up to its potential behind Harvard signee Chris Lewis, pure scorer Alex O’Connell and 6-foot-8 power forward Kyrin Galloway. The Eagles escaped No. 4 Tift County 56-54 after Justin Brown hit a three with a second left to stun a full house in South Georgia. O’Connell scored 15 points while Lewis and Galloway produced a combined 15 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks. Kendrick Summerour scored 11 in the win and will be tested by a backcourt that survived the rigors of a loaded Region 3. Laz Walker and Mike Olmert helped the Spartans hold off No. 9 Lambert 70-65 in the Sweet 16. Walker poured in 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second half while Olmert collected 18 points and eight assists. Against the larger frontcourt of Milton, seniors Jovahn Dunham (6-6) and Randy McClure (6-4) must play big. Dunham averages 3.4 blocks on the season McClure posts 10.8 points and 8.1 rebounds.

R4 #1 McEachern (26-3) vs. R3 #2 Pebblebrook (21-9)

No. 5 McEachern has used the momentum from an impressive run at the Lake City Classic where they smoked No. 9 Lambert 73-37 and beat 5ANo. 3 McIntosh in overtime 75-68 before falling to host 5ANo. 2 Allatoona 64-61, to run up a 26-win season and an unblemished mark in Region 4. A special blend of youth, experience, quickness and length has seen the Indians breeze into the Elite Eight after blitzing Berkmar 70-49. Senior guards Darius and AJ Jones have run Coach Mike Thompson’s offense to perfection while Bryce Smith is a 6-foot-7 forward that attacks the glass. Freshmen Isaac Okoro and Isaac Martin have provided X-factors, with Okoro able to play multiple positions while Martin has proven his worth, especially in the McIntosh game, as a clutch three-point shooter. It will take a team effort for the Indians to knock off last season’s state runner-up Falcons. Pebblebrook owns the highest scoring backcourt in the state between Jared Harper (Auburn) and junior Collin Sexton, both averaging 28 points per game. Class of 2017 combo guard JJ Smith is an Ole Miss commit and is a high-flying act while stuffing the stat sheet with rebounds and assists. After an 8-6 start thanks to playing a national schedule, Coach George Washington’s team has gotten back to basics, playing tough defense and winning five of its last six games.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Chase Walter Slams McIntosh Into History

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No. 3 McIntosh 87, No. 6 Gainesville 84

In front of a sellout crowd at home, No. 3 McIntosh (28-2) survived No. 6 Gainesville (21-6) to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history as a program-changing senior class played its final game at The Tosh. It was only fitting that over the emotional roller coaster of a season which included Isaac Kellum’s crosstown transfer from neighboring Fayette County High School to be red-flagged causing him to miss the first 13 games of the season, that his presence late in the fourth quarter along with the rest of a battle-tested senior class and a finish you had to see to believe, would lift the Chiefs to a date with No. 5 Riverwood at Columbus State on Friday.

Even with the electricity in the air, an imposing obstacle stood in McIntosh’s way in the form of the D’Marcus Simonds-led Gainesville Red Elephants. Simonds, a Georgia State signee, and the rest of Hall County’s finest came out firing. After Wofford signee Dishon Lowery got the Chiefs on the board with a physical move inside against Bailey Minor, the Red Elephants began to spread the Chiefs out on the perimeter and started knocking down open looks created by Simonds who finished with four assists.

 

The break-neck pace resulted in Lowery picking up his second foul just seconds after throwing down a vicious one-handed slam on Minor. Gainesville held a 19-8 lead late in the first thanks to three three-pointers – two from Harry Oliver – but Will Washington sparked a 4-0 run to end the quarter trailing 19-12.

In the second quarter Gainesville sophomore Xavier Bledson entered the game for Coach Benjie Wood and made an immediate impact. He drove the lane and went behind the back to KJ Buffen for a flush before later receiving a pass atop the arc, ball faking causing his man to fly by and calmly sinking one of his two triples in the frame, giving Gainesville a 30-20 lead.

As Bledson was making plays off the bench, the capacity crowd slowly started to quiet as a raucous Gainesville following cheered on the Red Elephants. Gainesville took its largest lead, 37-24 midway through the second before Furman signee Jordan Lyons drained one of his three deep balls in the game to bring the deficit back to 10.

Washington, Lyons and Kellum combined to score 23 of McIntosh’s 25 points in the quarter as the Chiefs entered the half down 46-37 after Simonds pumped in nine points in the quarter while the Red Elephants drilled six threes in the opening 16 minutes. Eight players scored for Gainesville in the first half causing headaches for Coach Jason Eisele who at the moment looked as if he had finally run into a team that could match his own’s firepower.

The first three minutes were crucial coming out of the break. Either Gainesville was going to step on McIntosh’s neck and not let them back in the game, or the Chiefs would find one last way to go out with a bang in front of the Peachtree City faithful.

The Chiefs opened with a quick 4-0 spurt sparked by Washington’s theft of Simonds near midcourt, closing the lead to 46-41. After the two teams exchanged buckets, Coach Wood called for timeout while the home crowd roared in full throat.

McIntosh continued to crawl back in the game, but Simonds did everything in his power to thwart the comeback, catching back to back alley oops from Messiah Dorsey with a layup sandwiched in between.

Washington netted six points in the first four minutes to draw McIntosh within striking distance before it was Lyons’ turn to swoop in for two quick acrobatic finishes to give the Chiefs their first lead since 2-0, 54-51 with 4:11 remaining in the third.

Back and forth the two teams battled. Simonds rejected Washington on a fast break.

Soon after, Lyons splashed a three to tie the game back at 58 followed by a Washington steal and two-handed throw down on a fastbreak to make it 60-58 in favor of McIntosh. The Chiefs pushed the lead to 63-58 with 26 seconds left when Lowery gobbled up one of his game-high 15 rebounds and outletted a perfect ball to Washington for an And-1 layup; Washington exploding for 13 points in the quarter and a team-high 31 for the game.

But of course, Gainesville, who had battled its own share of adversity all season long, quickly tied the game at 63 with a Dorsey layup at the buzzer after a steal.

The fourth quarter will become folklore in the McIntosh history books and a bitter pill to swallow for Gainesville.

Again, both teams battled trading bucket for bucket with highlight finishes galore. Buffen gave Gainesville a quick lead on a putback dunk making it 65-63. Over a minute later Lyons connected on back to back hoops to regain a 70-69 lead. Every time it looked like one team would take a comfortable lead, the other squad’s star would take over. Simonds poured in 13 of his game-high 34 points in the final quarter scoring at will while attacking the rim.

At the 3:23 mark, Buffen fouled out with six points and seven rebounds with Gainesville trailing 74-73. Kellum sank both free throws after the foul pushing the lead to three points with just over three minutes separating each team from an Elite Eight appearance.

Gainesville edged back ahead on consecutive baskets via Simonds, highlighted by a dunk making it 77-76.

On the right block Lowery felt pressure in the post and kicked out to Kellum in the corner for a potentially momentum shifting three-pointer making it 79-77 with 2:24 left, Kellum’s 12th point of the game. Gainesville tied it back up at 79. Washington streaked to the hoop and laid off a pass for Lowery for an easy finish regaining McIntosh’s lead at 81-79. Bledson picked up his team-leading fifth assist off the bench coming off an inbound to Michael White for Gainesville’s only three-pointer of the second half, the Red Elephants back on top 82-81 with 1:11 remaining.

Washington snaked his way into the lane to snatch the lead back and after a Gainesville miss and a Lowery rebound, the big man was sent to the line for a 1-and-1 with 36.9 seconds left and McIntosh up one. Lowery nailed the first, but the second hung on the rim and rolled off the front lip as if a gust of wind blew it ever so slightly causing it to fall astray, setting up the wildest finish of the GHSA season.

Simonds quickly tied the game at 84 with 21.9 left. McIntosh moved the ball up court and took a timeout with 8.4 remaining. The following play, the ball was deflected out of bounds with 5.2 seconds left, giving McIntosh a chance to throw it in underneath Gainesville’s hoop.

With the best passer in school history taking the ball out, Gainesville somehow lost track of 6-foot-6, 215-pound senior Chase Walter in the corner. Walter darted into the paint as Simonds vacated the area to account for Lyons popping out to the top of the key. As he did that, Minor forgot to check his rear view mirror and Walter snuck in behind him, received the pass from Washington and stuffed in a two-handed slam with 1.1 seconds left while taking the foul from Minor, a gym-shaking And-1.

 

The crowd erupted, the McIntosh players went nuts and sound of the whistle was not at first heard. As everyone tried to regain their composure to figure out what just happened, valuable seconds ticked off the clock during the chaos. The three-point play and whistle occurred with what looked like 4.2 seconds left.  The referees gathered and had a decision to make. Put time back on the clock or leave the Red Elephants with 1.1 seconds.

The crew decided to stick with the 1.1 ruling, meaning Gainesville would need a miracle after Walter sank the free throw to make it 87-84. Gainesville whipped a pass to Dorsey just inside mid-court for a last second heave. The senior’s shot looked on target but fell a few feet short as the Red Elephants season ended and the standing room only crowd celebrated.


Top Performers 

McIntosh
Will Washington – 31 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 4 steals
Jordan Lyons – 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Dishon Lowery – 13 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Isaac Kellum – 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Chase Walter – 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks

Gainesville
D’Marcus Simonds – 34 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block
Bailey Minor – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Tae Turner – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
KJ Buffen – 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Xavier Bledson – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists
Harry Oliver – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
Messiah Dorsey – 7 points, 2 assists
Michael White – 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

East Jackson & Jackson County finish 2-3 in Region 8AAA

Contributed by Colin Hubbard (@__Chubs__)

Region 8-AAA just might be the best top-to-bottom region in all of AAA this season and the top four teams were put on display at Emmanuel College on Friday and Saturday to determine the region champion and the state tournament seedings.

The lionhearted Jackson County Panthers who eclipsed the 16-win mark and a spot in the state playoffs for the first time in 14 years faced off with the up and coming East Jackson Eagles in the second round of the tournament in what was a much-anticipated third meeting of the two rival schools.

The Panthers got the best of the Eagles in the teams’ first two meetings but all of that was thrown out the window when the two met at a neutral venue.

Coming off a 6-game win streak, the Eagles jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead to start the game after forward Jaylen Morgan knocked down a 3-pointer and hammered down a baseline dunk.

The Panthers knocked down back-to-back shots to cut the Eagles’ lead to three points but a Drue Drinnon pass to Travis Anderson resulted in a 3-point swish to give East Jackson a 10-4 advantage.

The Panthers then answered with three straight buckets to tie the game up at 10-10 and then took the lead 12-10 but Drinnon quickly tied the game up at 12-12 seconds later.

Then entered 5-9 sophomore guard Xavier Clark.

Clark who has been a minor contributor for the Eagles for much of the season entered into the game due to some foul trouble for East Jackson and made the most of the opportunity.

Clark quickly stole a pass from the Panthers and converted it into a contested layup to give the Eagles the lead back at 14-12. Seconds later, Anderson threw a pass to Clark who then launched up a 3-pointer and drained it as the crowd erupted in East Jackson’s favor.

East Jackson head coach David Boyd was extremely pleased with the spark that Clark gave the East Jackson squad.

“Tremendous, just tremendous,” Boyd said. “We were in foul trouble and he came in and played great he really did.”

However, the scrappy Panthers would not go away quietly and took an 18-17 lead with just over a minute left in the first. Drinnon and Anderson were none too pleased with the result and quickly took the game into their own hands and drained one 3-pointer apiece to give the Eagles a 23-18 lead heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter featured turnover after turnover for both teams which resulted in just 19 points being scored between the two schools. However, it was the Eagles who held a 32-25 lead with just three seconds before the half.

With the score likely to stand going into the break, Anderson had other ideas. Anderson buried a corner 3-pointer right in front of the Jackson County crowd as the buzzer sound which gave the Eagles a 10-point advantage at the break.

The third quarter was the best showing by the Eagles. As a team they shot 50 percent from the field on 6-of-12 shooting and knocked down six free throws as well. Drinnon connected on four buckets while Anderson added three, respectively.

The quarter also featured a dunk from Andrew Scott, a player in which the Panthers had announced was no longer apart of the East Jackson basketball team.

The Panthers held things close for much of the quarter, but the Eagles outscored them 18-14 which gave East Jackson a 14-point advantage with one quarter to play.

The fourth quarter belonged to senior Kamron Walters who knocked down three huge shots, two of which came on put backs. The senior had a chance to tie the game in overtime against the Panthers in their second meeting but failed to do so. He got his revenge on Friday night.

“Kameron has just been outstanding,” Boyd said. “He only started playing basketball in his sophomore year so he’s inexperienced but he’s just been great to have. He understands his role and came up big for us tonight.”

Boyd felt especially happy for Walters after what happened to him in Game 2 against the Panthers just a few short weeks back.

“I felt bad about what happened to him at the end of that game,” he said. “It’s hard to come in and be asked to make a big play when you haven’t played much in the game so I blamed myself for that but he came up really big tonight.”

The Eagles took all of the eat out of the Panthers late in the fourth quarter and cruised to a 71-49 win to secure no worse than a No. 2 seed in the state playoffs. The loss moved the Panthers into a game with the Jefferson Dragons to determine the No. 3 seed.

“I thought that the difference between the first two times we played them (Jackson Co.) and this time was the defense,” Boyd said. “They hurt us on the inside with their post players playing very well in the first two games but we did an excellent job of slowing Ellis and Giroux down tonight.”

East Jackson’s goal for the game was to get into transition as much as they could and that’s exactly what they did.

“We felt that our big four did a great job of spreading the floor and that helped us get into transition and run all night,” Boyd said. “We haven’t had all of our guys all season long until the very end so we’re happy. Anytime you can beat Jackson County is a plus.”

Drinnon finished with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting including 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. On what might have been a up and down shooting night for Drinnon, he couldn’t have been more happy with the outcome.

“That was the best team effort we have had all year,” Drinnon said. “Everyone played their role, played hard and helped us win the game”

Drinnon was especially happy for Walters.

“That was probably one of his best games all season,” he said. “His best game came against Oconee but that was definitely a close second.”

When asked how good it felt to shut up all of the doubters and knock off the rival Panthers in the biggest game of the season, Drinnon answered calmly and gracefully.

“It feels good, there’s nothing they can say.” he said. “We just beat them to go to the region finals. That it.”

Anderson, who has been Drinnon’s right-hand man all season long put together a solid game of his own. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting and had five rebounds and three steals to go along with it.

“Coach told us that we had to play like a team in order to win today and we did just that,” Anderson said. There is no I in team.”

Anderson was equally if not more happy to knock off Jackson County as well.

“It feels really good, especially with the amount of trash they talk and them saying a lot of negative stuff in their little newsletter and stuff like that. We beat them in the one that mattered.”

The win moved the Eagles into the region tournament finale for the first time in school history but waited for them was Morgan County who is the No. 1 ranked AAA team in the state of Georgia.

After a valiant effort, the Eagles were sent home with a 9-point loss, 60-51 against the Bulldogs and will take on Central-Carroll in the first round of the state playoffs as a No. 2 seed.

Jackson County took care of business against Jefferson, 57-54 and will take on Rockmart in the first round of the playoffs.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Woodstock punches first-ever ticket to state with win over Etowah

Woodstock 61, Etowah 47

Founded in 1996 just a minute away from Towne Lake rival Etowah which opened its doors 20 years prior, Woodstock has played a second fiddle to the Eagles for 20 years now in boys basketball, never clinching a state playoff berth. The Wolverines have shuffled through coaches over the years going from Sean Glaze to Brady Richeson to Darrin Clark and now to Head Coach Kingston Clark, a well-traveled veteran who has seen success at some of the most unlikely schools. Standing in he and his team’s way of the school’s first ever state playoff appearance stood the Eagles.

After defeating Etowah 62-58 and 63-45 in the regular season, the Wolverines were tasked with beating their bitter rival for a third time and they did, earning a 61-47 victory and seeing the court fill with red-clad fans as Woodstock advanced to the Region 5-AAAAAA semifinals and the state playoffs on Etowah’s home court.

Adrian Cohen gave the Eagles a quick 2-0 lead, but from there on out it was all Wolverines in the second quarter. Woodstock drilled three of their nine three-pointers in the first quarter led by two from Marcus Foo and one from leading scorer Tyreke Johnson to open up a 13-0 run and finish the quarter up 14-4.

Etowah came out tight and couldn’t buy a basket while Coach Clark’s patient offense swung the ball around the perimeter until Coach Don Hurlburt’s zone couldn’t keep rotating.

Woodstock led 19-9 before the Eagles showed signs of life, cutting the lead to 19-15 after five points from Rodriquez Lobbins. Heading into the half the Eagles’ 8-2 run shrank the deficit to 21-17.

In the second half senior Zack Wallace and Johnson began to lengthen the lead as the Wolverines saw blood in the water and went in for the kill. Foo found Wallace for three to push the lead to 28-18 with 4:52 to play in the third. A minute later, Brant Hurter tipped out a missed shot to Dominic Hewitt, who whipped the ball to Wallace for another three, making it 31-20. Johnson scored five of his game-high 20 in the frame to make it a 37-28 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Eight minutes away from a date with destiny, the Wolverines who had come up short so many times before, were not about to let history slip through their fingers. Again, it was Wallace with back-to-back daggers from behind the arc to give Woodstock its largest lead of the game at 45-30 with 5:44 remaining.

Etowah never threatened after Wallace’s marksmanship and Johnson iced the game from the line along with Hewitt combining to shoot 10-of-12 in the fourth quarter.

Following 19 years of despair, year number 20 – Kingston Clark’s first – proved to provide the magic.

“It started back in April when I got the phone call from Coach [Tonya] Sebring for the interview,” explained Clark on how the school history making season began. “I knew right then and there we had to get the ball rolling and start working. Honestly, I didn’t anticipate getting into the state playoffs the first year but I definitely will take it.

“The kids bought into what I was trying to instill into them and really and truly, they just fought throughout the season and worked hard throughout the season. This is a well-deserved victory. This is my first year but I feel the pain of the 19 years of not making it.”

From Pierce County to Lowndes County to Cross Keys, Clark took a roundabout way to make it to Cherokee County.

“I came up here a couple years ago. My wife wanted to come to the big city. I’m a country boy, born and raised. I had no ambition of coming up here to Metro Atlanta but when I finally did, I felt like I had done a tremendous job throughout my years, had some success, so I wanted to get that opportunity.

“When I got the call from Woodstock to be honest with you, I didn’t think I would be their man, but by the grace of God, they saw something in me and chose me as their candidate and I am proud to be a Wolverine.”

Top Performers

Woodstock
Tyreke Johnson – 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Zack Wallace – 13 points, 3 rebounds
Brant Hurter – 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist
Marcus Foo – 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Dominic Hewitt – 5 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal

Etowah
Rodriquez Lobbins – 13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist
Daniel Hogue – 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Oconee County spoils Jackson County senior night in OT

Oconee County 47, Jackson County 45 OT

It was an electric crowd for Senior Night
It was an electric crowd for Senior Night

One of the state’s biggest turnarounds, Jackson County (15-10, 7-5), looked to send off its seniors in style against Oconee County (8-16, 4-8) Friday night. Panther Indoor was packed, the 1966 girls basketball team was being honored and all the pomp and circumstance had electricity in the air, but in the end it was the Warriors stunning the Panthers and spoiling Senior Night, 47-45 in overtime.

Jackson County, coming off of a 4-22 season and winless region record, took Region 8 by storm this year by surprising everyone and running as the No. 2 seed late into the season behind defending state runner-up, No. 1 Morgan County. A win would clinch the No. 2 seed heading into the region tournament and a loss would slip the Panthers to third-place behind rival East Jackson who Jackson County swept in emotional fashion. One win in the region tournament and the Panthers will go dancing for the first time in 14 years, breaking a spell that has seen Jackson County absent from the post season picture for over a decade.

Before focusing in on the looming tournament, the Panthers still had work to do as they welcomed Oconee County. A potential trap game heading into the most important week of the season, the Warriors had fallen at home to Jackson County 49-47 on Jan. 12 and challenged the Panthers despite their sub-.500 record.

After coming out and mobbing with the crowd known as one of the best sixth men in the state, the Panthers came out roaring up 8-0.  The Warriors would get their footing but not before Jackson County took a 14-7 lead into the second quarter after Malique Wade drove the lane and whipped a pass inside to Mitchell Mershon for a basket at the buzzer.

Rahul Das came in off the bench for Oconee County in the first quarter and gave the Warriors a spark scoring four of his six points in the first period while finishing with a team-high 12 rebounds on the night. Das’ play helped loosen others up around him in the second quarter. Roques Dowdy, an athletic wide receiver on the football team, scored five points in the second quarter and helped the Warriors close to within 16-14, but Coach Chuck Butler’s team responded with a 6-0 run to push the lead back out to 22-14 with 53.1 seconds left in the first half. The score held entering halftime following a poor final play by the Warriors, holding the ball for the last 40 seconds and coming away with a last second one-handed heave.

The third quarter began with whistles on both sides. Jackson County, known for its gritty play, didn’t back down from any of the more athletic Warrior guards swooping to the paint. Jase Latty took a pair of charges – the senior’s calling card – and helped get the Panthers in the bonus half way through the quarter.

As Latty and company were sacrificing their bodies on defense, Joel Ellis began to eat away at the Oconee County interior. The burly undersized center gnawed away inside for eight points in the third and finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. The lead held steady at an eight point margin and eventually cracked double digits when the Panthers carried a 36-26 advantage into the fourth quarter, but from there on out Jackson County could not extend the lead while free throws began to haunt them.

With 5:01 left in regulation the Panthers still maintained a 10-point lead at 38-28 before the Warriors began their slow climb back into the game. Dowdy found Chance Peden for three to make it 38-31 with 4:22 left. Das made it 38-33 with 2:48 remaining, creeping closer. Stephen Fogarty slung a pass inside to Ellis to extend the lead back to seven but the very next possession it was Peden again, who scored eight of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, answering the bell.

Trailing 41-38, Peden was sent to the line. The senior missed both free throws but Das managed to tip the ball back outside to Peden who had floated to the three-point line where he buried a three to tie the game at 41 with 1:15 left.

Wade found Ellis down low for a bucket to regain the lead 43-41 with 43 seconds to play, but once again it was Peden getting to the hoop and tying the game with 23 seconds left in regulation. Jackson County had a chance to win it when Wade attacked and kicked it to Latty for three but the shot went wide and the game sent to overtime knotted at 43.

After being held to 26 points through the first three quarters, the Warriors broke the levy and poured in 17 in the fourth to Jackson’s 7. The Panthers had opportunities to shut the door but couldn’t do it from the foul line, going 3-of-10 in the fourth quarter led by Wade’s 1-of-6 as the guard couldn’t find a good grip on the ball.

Momentum had clearly swung into Oconee County’s corner, but the Warriors were still in search of their first lead of the game. They nearly had it at the 2:50 mark when Ty Paschal came away with a steal and went up for a wide open layup. Instead, it looked as if someone from the Jackson County fan section blowdarted him, causing him to slip, stumble and end up tossing the ball up in the air while he hit the ground.

The calamity of a fastbreak might have swayed momentum back into Jackson’s favor as it looked like the basketball gods weren’t going to let the hard working group of seniors end their careers with a loss on their home floor.

But It wasn’t in the cards.

The free throw woes continued with Latty missing a pair. With 2:22 to play, Dowdy streaked to the basket to give Oconee County its first lead of the game, 45-43. Preston Giroux, one of seven seniors, whirled in the lane and banked in a tough shot to deadlock the game with 1:28 to go, his 13th point to go along with his game-high 13 rebounds.

Oconee County held the ball and looked for a last shot with the ball in Dowdy’s hands. He finally made his move with six seconds after weaving around the defense. Dowdy slid to the cup, avoided Ellis and layed in the go-ahead basket with just 4.5 seconds left.

Coach Butler got a timeout with 3.8 left underneath the Oconee County basket. They riffled in a pass to halfcourt and called another timeout with 3.6 to play, setting up a decent location to draw up one final play. Latty bulleted a pass into Ellis on the left elbow. Ellis turned and fired but his shot was amiss and the ball went back to the Warriors with 0.8 remaining. Dowdy missed both free throws, allowing one last Hail Mary heave for the Panthers but their prayers were not answered as it went wide left.

My Take: My final regular season game of the year couldn’t have been a better choice. Jackson County was electric on Senior Night, a program that has risen from the ashes since Chuck Butler took over full-time last year. The student section was the best I’ve witnessed all season long and the most in-tune with their team. The Panthers opened the night coming out of the locker room and jumping into the fan section, mobbing each other for one last time before going to war. Even during the pre-game warm ups, the Panthers’ defensive slide drill which ends in all 10 players diving in unison for a simulated loose ball was a spectacle to behold and really revved up the home crowd. As far as the action on the court, the Panthers do not wow you with size, speed or athleticism. What they do wow you with is their heart and tenacious play. Coach Chuck Butler installed the E.A.T. motto “Effort, Attitude, Toughness”. All were on display as the undersized and unheralded Panthers fight for every possession, nothing given to them. They are difficult to drive the lane on because almost everyone on the roster is eager to step in and take a charge on the chest. Jase Latty has turned it into an art form while Stephen Fogarty isn’t afraid to take the beating as a guard. Preston Giroux and Joel Ellis were the Panthers’ go-to guys tonight. The two combined for 32 points and 24 rebounds. Giroux is adept at getting to the basket while Ellis pounds his way inside, very patient using as many pump fakes as needed before gathering himself and finishing down low. Christian Smith battled foul trouble all night, really hurting the usually balanced attack. Malique Wade had an off game offensively but played a good floor game collecting five assists.

Oconee County did what it needed to do against Jackson; hang around. Jace Bonds hit three timely three-pointers and Roques Dowdy had the game-winner, but big men Chance Peden and Rahul Das did the most damage. Das entered the game and made an impact immediately. He finished with six points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Jackson County struggled keeping him off the glass as he was able to get a hand on nearly every ball that ricocheted off the rim. Peden came alive in the fourth quarter with 10 points and carried the load with two big threes and the lay up to tie the game at 43 and send it to overtime. Jackson County and Oconee County will meet one final time in the Region 8 tournament. Win and advance, or lose and go home. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out with both teams earning two-point victories over each other this year.

Top Performers

Oconee County
Chance Peden – 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
Roques Dowdy – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Jace Bonds – 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Rahul Das – 6 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Jackson County
Joel Ellis – 19 points, 11 rebounds
Preston Giroux – 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Malique Wade – 3 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
Stephen Fogarty – 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals