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Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 1 Morgan County handles East Jackson

*Guest contribution from Colin Hubbard (@__Chubs__)

No. 1 Morgan County 75, East Jackson 56

The Morgan County Bulldogs (15-3, 7-0) have been a powerhouse in AAA high school basketball for quite some time now, but their 2015-16 squad could be their best team yet. After knocking off the No.1 ranked Laney Wildcats last week, the Bulldogs moved into the No.1 spot and hosted an up-and-coming East Jackson (9-8, 4-3) team on Friday that was hungry for a statement win. Morgan County and East Jackson have been the class of Region 8 for the past two seasons but the Eagles had never beaten them in that time span.

The Bulldogs are led by Florida Atlantic signees Jailyn Ingram and DeVorious Brown while the Eagles are powered by the sophomore trio of Drue Drinnon, Travis Anderson and Jalen Morgan.

FAU signee DeVorious Brown went for 27 against previously undefeated Laney
FAU signee DeVorious Brown went for 27 against previously undefeated Laney

Ingram, who is also a tremendous football player, elected to take his talents to Boca Raton to continue his basketball career and his decision to do so seems to be playing dividends.

Drinnon on the other hand is the Class of 2018’s No.1 ranked combo guard according to Future 150 and has already eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in less than two seasons. In East Jackson’s 81-58 win over rival Jefferson last week, all three of the Eagles’ trio scored 20 or more points before heading into a much-anticipated rematch with the Bulldogs.

Despite a strong effort to start the game, Morgan County was the better team on the night and picked up a 75-56 win to remain undefeated in Region 8.

“We knew coming in that they (East Jackson) were going to come out with a lot of energy so we knew what to expect,” Morgan County Head Coach Jamond Sims said. “We had our hands full with Drinnon in the first half but in the second half we were able to keep him in front of us and that helped us close out the game.”

“The team goes as Jailyn goes and when he wants to assert himself and be the best player on the floor, the rest of our team’s confidence goes up,” Sims said. “Whenever he catches the ball within 18 feet of the basket, he can pretty much shoot over anyone out there so he’s a big part of our success.”

The start couldn’t have been better for the Eagles after jumping out to a 12-4 lead but costly turnovers gave the Bulldogs a 1-point lead after the first quarter, 16-15.

Drinnon and Anderson combined to score 10 of the Eagles’ 15 while the Bulldogs got nine from Jordan Ford.

Travis Anderson | Photo By Ben Munro
Travis Anderson | Photo By Ben Munro

The second quarter did not start out the way East Jackson would have liked and quickly the Eagles found themselves in an 10-point hole midway through the quarter. However, hot shooting from Drinnon cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 41-35 at the half.

Drinnon scored 15 of the Eagles’ 20 points in the second quarter and led all contestants with 20 points at the half on 8-of-8 shooting while Ford added two more to lead the Bulldogs with 11 points.

The Bulldogs found their rhythm in the third quarter and dominated in all facets of the game. Ingram netted eight points in the period and helped build Morgan County’s lead to 61-46 heading into the fourth.

The Eagles managed to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 10 points midway through the fourth quarter but that was the closest they could get. Ingram proved to be too big for the smaller East Jackson frontline and finished with 20 points on the night.

Drinnon poured in a game-high 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting, dished out seven assists and collected four steals.

“We were doing fine at the start but they (Morgan County) started pressing us and that caused us to have a lot of stupid turnovers,” Drinnon said.

“We didn’t rebound the ball. They out rebounded us just like every other team we play so we need to work on rebounding and be safer with the ball going forward.”

Ingram on the other hand was very pleased with the way they played and is excited to see where the Bulldogs are headed.

“We have a lot of experience in playing in tough games so we knew that we would be ready for this one,” Ingram said. “We use all of our games as a learning experience and playing a team like East Jackson helps us going forward.”

Jailyn Ingram was too much inside for East Jackson
Jailyn Ingram was too much inside for East Jackson

East Jackson head coach David Boyd has spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to beat what has become the Eagles’ biggest thorn in their side but has yet to find an answer.

“They are hard to beat and I haven’t figured it out yet,” Boyd said. “I think they have the best team in AAA right now with the amount of length they have. Some of our newer guys that came out for the second semester got introduced to high-level basketball for the first time but we will keep fighting and hopefully get to play them again in the region tournament.”

Colin’s Take: East Jackson arguably has the best young backcourt in all of AAA but their inability to rebound has really held them back. Jalen Morgan, who has played in just three games after transferring from New Hope Christian Academy (NC), gives them the best option down low to rebound the ball but still needs time to get acclimated to East Jackson’s system. While they might not find a rebounding answer this season, they are well on their way to becoming a well-known AAA powerhouse next season and have a great shot at competing for a state championship in the very near future.

Morgan County doesn’t have a weakness. They have three players over 6-foot-6, they run the floor as good as anyone and they can shoot the basketball with ease. Their size and strength wear teams down late in games which gives them a great chance at getting back to the state championship game later this year. If you haven’t watched Morgan County play, then you’re missing out. They play like a Class AAAAAA team and could easily contend in a division of that magnitude.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 5 Cedar Shoals steals win at No. 7 Heritage-Conyers

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No. 5 Cedar Shoals 54, No. 7 Heritage 51

Basketball is a 32-minute game. For 26 minutes, host No. 7 Heritage was the better team, crushing the offensive glass and sinking four first quarter threes, but as all good teams do, No. 5 Cedar Shoals was able to weather the storm and in the end found a way to pull out another Region 8 victory and move to 18-2 overall and 9-1 in region play after edging the Patriots 54-51.

The Jaguars brought a great crowd as both lineups were greeted with smears of boos and cheers echoing throughout the gym as if it were a neutral site. Coach L’Dreco Thomas said before the game that their goal was to keep the slashing Patriots out of the lane and force them to hit open jumpers – they did. Heritage buried four three-pointers in the first quarter paced by Jordan Thomas, who would sink five on the night en route to a team-high 15 points, giving the Patriots a 22-11 lead at the end of one.

With Heritage nailing nearly every open look it had, the Jaguars had to search for the light at the end of the tunnel. It was hard to find any positives in the first quarter however as the Patriots pounded Cedar Shoals on the glass to take a 17-5 rebounding advantage after eight minutes. The Jaguars would lose the rebounding battle on the night 34 to 21, but through quarters two through four, sewed up the tally, 17-16.

Heritage’s 6-foot-6 center Makyle Wilkerson sat with foul trouble for most of the half meaning 6-foot-2, 200-pound Marquis Davis had to step in. Davis, who looks more like a linebacker, gave the Patriots a spark inside collecting five points off the bench in the second quarter and finishing the game with seven points and seven rebounds.

Makyle Wilkerson played well when he was on the floor
Makyle Wilkerson played well when he was on the floor
Marquis Davis played great for Coach Vernon Denmark
Marquis Davis played great for Coach Vernon Denmark

The second quarter belonged to Phlan Fleming and the Jaguars. Held scoreless in the first, the junior swingman hotly recruited by SOCON schools got going. He led an 18-9 Cedar Shoals second quarter with nine of his 11 points. Coach Thomas elected to come out of their zone and extend into a press that began to rattle the Heritage ball handlers while switching the tempo and momentum into the road team’s favor, leading to a 31-29 halftime score; the Jaguars never holding the lead.

While it was Fleming’s second quarter, the third belonged to Cedar Shoals’ Snipe Hall. The junior poured in 11 of the Jaguars’ 15 third quarter points, the other four being scored by point guard Jerrick Mitchell. As Hall worked his way to a game-high 16 points, the Jags still never captured the lead and Davis would make sure the Patriots had the advantage heading into the fourth, scoring off a tip-in as the clock expired, giving Heritage a narrow 46-44 lead entering the final period.

Seen so many times before, teams in an early hole usually spend all of their energy just trying to claw back into the game and in the end fall short. Not Cedar Shoals. When the going got tough, the Jaguars sank their teeth into the Patriots, clamping down and allowing just five fourth quarter points. Senior guard Greg Smith, who was held scoreless through the first 25 minutes of the game, scored back-to-back buckets to give Cedar Shoals their first lead of the game, 48-46 with 6:06 left.

The Jags had finally climbed the mountain top, but would they be able to place their flag atop it? Nearly three full minutes passed without the score changing. With just over three minutes to play, Cedar Shoals took its largest lead of the game at 50-46. Having no momentum to speak of and no baskets coming easy, Byron Abrams took it upon himself to score two of his 11 points on the night to draw back within two. Twenty-two seconds later, Isaiah Banks hit Thomas in the corner for his fifth and final three of the night to make it 51-50 in favor of Heritage with 2:16 to play.

That bucket proved to not only be Thomas’ final points of the night, but the Patriots’ as well. Stavion Stevenson gave the Jaguars the lead back on a jumper. Banks was fouled with 1:36 to play but missed the front-end of the one-and-one. With 24.4 seconds remaining, it was Hall’s turn to miss a one-and-one, giving Heritage another breath. The Patriots went to Banks who drove to the rim but was swallowed up by two defenders, both Fleming and Hall blocking his shot. Banks retrieved it and tried to gather himself to go back up for two, but was denied again by Fleming and now Smith. A jump-ball was called with 7.9 left and the possession arrow pointing in Heritage’s direction. The Jags weren’t out of the woods yet.

Abrams burned two timeouts trying to inbound the ball and on the third try, Mitchell was called for a hold on Wilkerson, sending the big man to the line with a one-and-one opportunity to tie or potentially win the game.

Wilkerson’s free throw bounced on the rim three times before falling into Fleming’s hands. Fleming coolly sank both free throws with 6.2 seconds. Charles Moore raced up the court and pulled up for a clean look to send the game to overtime, but his shot rimmed out.

Cedar Shoals went 2-of-3 from the line in the fourth quarter and finished the night 7-of-12, while the Patriots went 0-of-2 in the fourth, and made just 3-of-9 during the game. The loss drops Heritage to 15-4 overall and 7-2 in region play; both losses to teams ahead of them with No. 4 Gainesville (11-3, 9-0) in first-place.

It was standing room only for the final possession
It was standing room only for the final possession

My Take: The already late 8:30 start time was pushed back to 9:40 after JV games ran late. This classic wasn’t finished until after 11 P.M., but boy was it a good one. It played out how I expected: two evenly matched teams with great balance, not giving an inch to the opponent. Cedar Shoals started off slow and Heritage, coming off a 96-68 inexplicable blowout loss to Brookwood, looked hungry and ready to blow the doors off of whoever stepped foot on the court. Jordan Thomas was cooking early on from deep and helped the Patriots race to a 15-6 lead. After Heritage’s four three-pointer barrage in the first eight minutes, they hit only two the rest of the game. Byron Abrams showed good court vision throughout the game and attacked when needed. Senior Charles Moore did a steady job handling the ball. To open the third quarter Heritage really looked to play at their pace and decided to slow down the offense a bit, hitting the high post and looking opposite. Makyle Wilkerson didn’t get much burn in the first half due to fouls, but he is a nice athletic piece inside, finishing with eight points and five rebounds. Marquis Davis played great off the bench and was a main reason why Heritage wrecked the smaller Jaguars on the boards to open the game.

Cedar Shoals did what good teams do: find a way to win. Jerrick Mitchell is a speedy guard that was able to attack the rim and set up his teammates. His only flaw is that opponents don’t respect his jumper. Abrams literally shooed him off when he had the ball in the corner and told him to shoot it. Credit to Mitchell, knowing his game, he didn’t play into Abrams’ head-games and passed it off instead of forcing a bad shot. Both Snipe Hall and Phlan Fleming carried Cedar Shoals at times. Both teams have 3-4 guys that can go out and lead the team in scoring with 15+ any night, which makes it difficult to slow them down. Fleming got going in the second quarter showing off a nice feathery touch from the mid-range baseline. Even though he is the most recruited player on his team, he never forced the issue and played within himself while playing team ball. Stavion Stevenson didn’t have a huge game, but he battled inside and came away with two big buckets in the fourth quarter. When Cedar Shoals really needed stops, it got them. The Jags started in a 2-3 zone, but moved into a press that really got them back into the game. Both teams went about 7-8 deep. I envision both squads being extremely tough outs in the state playoffs. They might not have the true go-to guy like Gainesville has in D’Marcus Simonds (Georgia State) or Apalachee in Kamar Baldwin (Butler), but their balance is extremely tough to handle when they are clicking on all cylinders.

Top Performers

Cedar Shoals
Snipe Hall – 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Phlan Fleming – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Jerrick Mitchell – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Stavion Stevenson – 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block

Heritage-Conyers
Jordan Thomas – 15 points (five 3’s), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Byron Abrams – 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Makyle Wilkerson – 8 points, 5 rebounds
Charles Moore – 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Marquis Davis – 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
Isaiah Banks – 3 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Analysis, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Biggest Surprises & Disappointments

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With each new year, storylines present themselves (unless you’re the AJC, you manufacture your own with wildly inaccurate rankings). This season there have been some pleasant surprises and some early disappointments throughout the state.

Class AAAAAA

In Class AAAAAA, no one stands out more than Johns Creek (12-2). The Gladiators started the season 11-0 before suffering their first loss of the year to another turned around program, Brookwood (10-3), who finished 7-19 last year. The Broncos handed Johns Creek a loss in the Deep South Classic, 65-62 in overtime. If you did your homework and studied up on the Broncos roster heading into ’15-16, it should come to no surprise that they are playing this well. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up their hot start in the treacherous Region 8.

Back to the Gladiators though. After a 14-15 season and 10-8 record last year in Region 6, Johns Creek is now 7-1 in region play behind seniors Mark Lancaster and Mason Henkel. Lancaster is averaging more than 16 points and five rebounds per game while Henkel adds 13.1 points and 5.5 boards. The Gladiators along with No. 5 Tift County and region rival Lambert were the last three teams undefeated in 6A. Yesterday they had the opportunity to see how they measure up against Lambert, the region’s frontrunner and lost 64-53 as the Longhorns’ size proved to be the difference with Navy signee Connor Mannion and North Georgia signee Ross Morkem combining for 50 points and 26 rebounds.

Ross Morkem was too big for Johns Cree | Ty Freeman
Ross Morkem was too big for Johns Cree | Ty Freeman
Class AAAAA

A few programs have built off strong seasons and have turned into top ten teams in AAAAA. No. 9 Riverwood out of Region 7B sits at 15-1 overall with their lone loss coming to last year’s 4A state runner-up, Carrollton, at the Lake City Classic. Improved three-point shooting, primarily from Elijah Jenkins and Charnchai Chantha, has also made the Raiders a threat as they now have perimeter support around double-double machine Kohl Roberts, who is averaging over 16 points and 13 rebounds a night.

No. 7 Camden County (13-0, 4-0) is one of two undefeateds (No. 2 Allatoona) left in the classification. The Wildcats come off a 19-10 season and are the team to beat right now in Region 3. Seniors Jaylen Smallwood (17.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), Logan Ballard (13.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Keyshaun Street (12.5 ppg) are among the catalysts that drive Coach William Moore’s offense.

The biggest turnaround has been the Shaw Raiders (10-2, 2-0), hailing from Region 1. A 8-16 mark a year ago seems like a distant memory as Coach Terry White’s team is off to their best start since ’11-12. Averaging 80 points per game, the Raiders are overwhelming teams with their firepower. Seniors Dakeen Diaz (15.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Kourtney Shakespeare (12.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and the emergence of 6-foot-6 center Cam Paulding (12.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) has the Raiders in the mix for a playoff berth while battling the likes of LaGrange, Northside-Columbus and Carver-Columbus.

Dakeen Diaz leads Shaw in scoring | Ledger-Enquirer
Dakeen Diaz leads Shaw in scoring | Ledger-Enquirer
Class AAAA

Region 4-AAAA’s No. 8 Eagle’s Landing (13-1, 6-1) has held its own this year with their only loss coming to No. 1 Jonesboro. Jordan Lewis is pitching in 16.6 points per game to pace the Eagles. The competition is stiff in Region 4, but the Chuck Miller Holiday Classic champs are in good shape to contend.

The biggest disappointment in AAAA? UGA signee Tyree Crump’s Bainbridge Bearcats (7-7, 3-3). The boys from Bearcat Boulevard opened up at No. 4 but find themselves struggling to stay afloat in a deep Region 1. With a star D-I guard, big man Trevon Shaw and DeVonte Jones, the team’s top three scorers from an 18-9, 11-7 season all returning, why shouldn’t they have been highly regarded? The Bearcats have played a decent schedule, but with high expectations, flop losses to Dougherty and Americus-Sumter can’t happen. Bainbridge still has the juice to compete, falling to 2A No. 1 Thomasville 63-61 in overtime last night, but it still has yet to be seen if they can get over the hump.

Tyree Crump needs more help at Bainbridge
Tyree Crump needs more help at Bainbridge
Class AAA

Major overhauls have taken place in Class AAA. Jeff Steele has come over from Johnson-Gainesville and has turned Lumpkin County into a contender behind 1,000-point scorer Jack Howard. The Indians cracked the top ten earlier this season and are 13-3 overall and 4-1 in Region 7 after a 9-20, 5-8 campaign. Coahulla Creek has been inserted onto the map going from 14-11, 8-8 in Region 6 to 13-3, 7-1 this year. Region 2 has seen No. 9 Southwest-Macon (11-3, 7-1) transform into a central Georgia hot ticket thanks to transfer Nick Hargrove and Justin Slocum. The 6-foot-6 Slocum averages 22.1 points and 12.6 rebounds while Hargrove adds 20.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Lumpkin County's "Men of Steele"
Lumpkin County’s “Men of Steele”

A shoutout needs to go to the gang at Jackson County. 4-22 overall last year with a 0-12 Region 8 record. This year they are 8-7 overall and 2-2 in region. Who did one of those two wins come against? My biggest disappointment of the year so far, East Jackson. The Eagles (8-7, 3-2) opened the year ranked No. 4, expected to dethrone current No. 3 Morgan County for region supremacy. A trio of star-studded sophomores were supposed to carry Coach David Boyd’s team in the wide open class AAA. Instead, they have taken their lumps against out of state opponents and haven’t wowed in region play, losing to Jackson County at home 67-63 and falling to Morgan County by 7. The Eagles are better than their record indicates thanks to a tough schedule, but most expected a better showing this far into the year.

Drue Drinnon streaking past Aaron Augustin
Drue Drinnon can steer the Eagles in the right direction | Colin Hubbard

I caught flack for saying it’s been somewhat of a tumultuous season, but look at the facts: Coach Boyd has dealt with health problems, Lamont Smith, one of their two new sophomore guards, has transferred back to Gwinnett County, they’ve taken some bad lumps in national tournaments and a loss to a 4-win team from a year ago isn’t pretty. There is plenty of time left to right the ship. Playing a tough schedule can only benefit the Eagles moving forward as once the state tournament starts, records are thrown out the window and nobody remembers what happened in November. Drue Drinnon and Travis Anderson are still two of the best sophomore guards in the state, but they need more help around them if they are going to live up to the lofty expectations bestowed upon them at the beginning of the year.

Class AA

Much like East Jackson, in AA its Pace Academy (3-8, 2-1) who decided to play a national schedule and couldn’t measure up. No. 2 to start the year, a 2-8 beginning to the season was too much to keep them in the polls. Showcasing big time prospects Wendell Carter Jr., Isaiah Kelly and Zack Kaminsky has hurt the Knights in the Win-Loss column. Now that they are back in Region 6 play, the Knights are looking to recreate last year’s 27-3 success. A win over No. 4 Holy Innocents’ on Tuesday 63-58 is a great start. The cupboard is far from bare for Coach Demetrius Smith. They are battle-tested and ready for a deep playoff run.

Penn-commit Zack Kaminsky is one piece to the Pace puzzle
Penn-commit Zack Kaminsky is one piece to the Pace puzzle

Region 2’s Long County (11-3, 5-1) has been a huge surprise following a 6-22, 1-14 year. Sophomore Henry Blair (11.7 ppg) and junior Perrell Brisbane (10.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) have been two cogs in the success Coach Deshon Brock has seen.

Class A

My biggest shock in 1A is just how wide open the field is. Outside of No. 1 Greenforest, everyone has shown the ability to beat each other, but in the process have uncovered flaws in each team. I can’t foresee there being any 40-point first round blowouts especially in 1A-Private. Of course there are a few slight favorites to make the Final Four, but it would not surprise me if two or three unfamiliar faces crash the party.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Sour Shooting Sinks No. 7 East Hall at 56th annual Lanierland

Flowery Branch 62, No. 7 East Hall 56

Following a 72-49  defeat suffered by the girls team on their home floor to No. 2 Flowery Branch, the No. 7 East Hall boys had their sights set on capturing their first Lanierland title since 2010. It didn’t happen. The Vikings slipped to 9-4 on the season in Valhalla to a red-hot Flowery Branch team, 62-56. The Falcons advanced to 9-5 and now are winners of seven straight, but more importantly, owners of their first-ever Lanierland trophy.

The Vikings held a 15-11 lead after one behind two Triston Cooper threes. But once the second quarter rolled around, the basket got tighter and tighter for the host team. The senior would not score again in the game as East Hall managed to shoot just 15-of-58 from the field, 25 percent. While the Vikings hit rough waters, the Falcons began to take flight. Senior forward Gabe Holston scored seven points in the second quarter and finished tied for a game-high with 15 points. The 6-foot-3 forward’s rebounding was a difference in the game as he pounded the glass for 17 rebounds and was named tournament MVP following the game.

John Mills, one of the Falcons’ most lethal scorers, was saddled with foul trouble in the first half and scored just six points in the opening 16 minutes while running mate Brannon Clark chipped in seven to lead Flowery Branch to a 29-24 lead at the break.

At the 5:21 mark of the third quarter Flowery Branch extended its lead to a game-high 10 points at 36-26. Markese Jackson and Tylor Brown wouldn’t let the game get out of hand for the proud program. Both Jackson and Brown scored 15 apiece with the two combining for 22 points in the second half. The Vikings trailed 42-34 heading into the championship deciding final quarter.

Down eight, East Hall finally made its move and cut the lead to 52-47 with 2:14 remaining after Andy Lara drove and found Luke Cooper for a three from the top of the key. From that point on the Vikings were inclined to start fouling and it worked.

Trey Bailey and Holston combined to go 0-of-3 from the line as East Hall inched closer at 54-51 with 1:15 to play. With a minute left, Lara drove to the rim down four, but was whistled for a travel. The Vikings would have to foul Mills who sank both and made it 57-51 before the Falcons closed the game out at the line. Mills scored eight of his 14 points in the second half while Clark netted seven of his 14 in the last two periods.

There's nothing like Lanierland
There’s nothing like Lanierland

Top Performers

Flowery Branch
Gabe Holston – 15 points, 17 rebounds
Brannon Clark – 14 points, 5 rebounds
John Mills – 14 points
Trey Bailey – 8 points, 4 rebounds

East Hall
Tylor Brown – 15 points, 7 rebounds
Markese Jackson – 15 points, 3 rebounds
Luke Cooper – 11 points

Third Place Game

North Hall 73, West Hall 61

 

Top Performers

North Hall
Carson Heinen  – 21 points (15 in 2H), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Evan Easton – 25 points
Sam Jackson – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal

West Hall
Dylan Curry – 28 points (22 in 1H), 2 steals
Xzavier Reid – 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Esteban Ulloa – 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Tyquan Statham – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 2 McIntosh Dunks No. 8 Milton at Lake City Classic

5A No. 2 McIntosh 74, 6A No. 8 Milton 68

 The 4:00 P.M. slot of Lake City Classic at Allatoona High School was one of the most intriguing games of the day. Powerhouse No. 2 McIntosh playing against the No. 8 ranked team in the state’s highest classification, Milton.

As they do against so many teams, the Chiefs used a devastatingly balanced attack to hang on against a shorthanded Eagles team, 74-68. Milton was once again without Harvard commit, 6-foot-8 Chris Lewis who suffered a severe bone bruise two games ago after being undercut. With Lewis out, Coach Matt Kramer turned to Kyrin Galloway to play a bigger role inside. The skilled 6-foot-8 big was unafraid to show his feathery touch from outside and scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half to keep the Eagles in it.

Rewinding back to the first quarter, it was Will Washington who stole the first eight minutes. He scored McIntosh’s first nine points of the game and scored 12 points in the opening frame while Jordan Lyons was being face-guarded for a majority of the period. McIntosh stretched the lead to 19-13 after Dishon Lowery cleaned up a miss and hammered back a dunk, but the Eagles managed to stay in striking distance and entered the second quarter down 23-19.

With Auburn University Head Coach Bruce Pearl sitting courtside, the hotly recruited baby faced assassin Alex O’Connell went to work. The sweet-stroking junior guard buried two threes (three on the night) and scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the first half to pull the Eagles into a deadlock at 26 all.

But as quickly as the microwave shooter got hot, McIntosh answered right back with a flamethrower of their own. The Chiefs ripped off a 9-0 run to regain control at 35-26 with 3:05 left behind a personal 7-0 spurt from the Furman signee Lyons.

The final points of the half for McIntosh were more than just two points.

Will Washington threw down the dunk of the year with a vicious facial to give the Chiefs a 37-32 advantage heading into the half. The slithery quick playmaker glided to the basket and exploded for a left-handed stuff that resulted in two Eagles hitting the deck.

In the third quarter Milton started to chip away at the lead behind eight Galloway points. The Eagles hung around within three points but were unable to get over the hump as Lowery, Lyons and Chase Walter began to tear into the Eagle defense while Washington remained scoreless in the third. Lowery (Wofford) broke free for some easy dunks along with Walter. The two bigs cleaned up the glass as well with Lowery posting an 18-point 15-rebound double-double and Walter chipping in 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Trailing 51-46 heading into the fourth, Milton had one last push in them. The Eagles cut the lead to 56-54 but from that point on, Washington turned on the afterburners. He scored seven points and helped ignite a 12-5 run by hitting Lyons for a three with 5:47 left to eventually gain a comfortable 68-59 advantage with 2:55 to play. Milton hung around, but McIntosh went 8-of-9 from the line during the game to advance on to the second round where they meet No. 10 McEachern, who comes off an impressive 73-37 rout of No. 6 Lambert, the Longhorns’ first loss of the season.

My Take: McIntosh is extremely difficult to beat, but if they were at all vulnerable, it would start at point guard. They say the key to killing a snake is taking its head off. The head of McIntosh’s snake is Will Washington. The unsigned guard dazzled again. Milton opened up face-guarding Jordan Lyons, but I would have to argue that it is Washington that needs the ball taken out of his hands to slow down the Chiefs. Washington gets everyone involved and makes his teammates better. Dishon Lowery continues to be possibly the best rebounder in the state as he grabbed another 15 boards. The inside-out combination of Washington/Jordan Lyons and Lowery/Chase Walter is hard to match and might not be paralleled in the state in terms of true balance.

Milton showed a lot of promise without Chris Lewis. Kyrin Galloway took too many outside shots for my taste in the first half, but once he got closer to the basket he showed an ability to finish inside and clean up misses with dunks. Galloway looks like a nice stretch big in college who could improve once he continues to get stronger. Coach Matt Kramer runs a fun offense. It might not be as flashy as McIntosh’s, but someone with a basketball mind can appreciate the intricate screens, cuts and constant movement the Eagles use to get their shooters open, primarily Alex O’Connell, who moved exceptionally well without the ball to find creases in the defense. He along with Galloway, is another guy who could take his game to a whole other atmosphere once he starts to grow into his body. Justin Brown and Kendrick Summerour did nice jobs of moving the ball on offense and didn’t force anything. They are both capable scorers but understand their role of needing to move the ball around. Once Lewis is back healthy, they should have some fun matchups with No. 4 Wheeler later down the road in Region 5-AAAAAA.

Top Performers

McIntosh
Will Washington – 23 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists
Jordan Lyons – 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Dishon Lowery – 18 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Chase Walter – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

Milton
Alex O’Connell – 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
Kyrin Galloway – 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Kendrick Summerour – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Justin Brown – 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals