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Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 7 Butler can’t overcome slow start against Mountain View

Mountain View 64, No. 7 Butler 48

Coming off of a 76-43 win at Evans, the Mountain View Bears set sights on their next Augusta foe in the Evans Tip-Off Tournament, Class AA No. 7 Butler. The Bears led wire-to-wire, using five threes in the first quarter to gain separation and hold off a scrappy Bulldog bunch, 64-48.

Butler, without Christian Robinson and Head Coach Cervantes Boddy, who arrived at the 6:20 mark of the second quarter, fell behind early as Miles Long drained four threes and finished with 14 points in the frame. To make matters worse, the undersized Bulldogs saw strong man Will Lambert pick up two early fouls and head to the bench at the 3:09 mark, Butler already down 8-2.

The Bears took a 22-6 lead into the second quarter but the Bulldogs found life once Boddy arrived to the sidelines. Butler’s quick guards ramped up the press and started to cause havoc, Mardrez McBride leading the way with five points in the frame. Butler closed to within 29-25 at the 2:34 mark riding a 19-7 run but Spencer Rodgers helped Mountain View regain control scoring seven of his 14 points in the second quarter as the Bears entered the half up 35-28.

Butler continued to hang around in the third quarter, surviving a Rodgers steal and jam, countering with a Jerry Leverette three ball.

At the 4:25 mark of the third quarter, Butler closed the gap to 41-39 on a McBride floater, but it would be as close as the ‘Dogs would get.

Mountain View carried a 47-42 advantage into the fourth quarter and proceeded to finally land the knockout punch. The Bears outscored the tiring Bulldogs 17-6 in the final quarter as Uchenna Nwagbara beat away at the smaller Butler frontline. Nwagbara, only pushing 6-foot-4ish on a good day, scored 10 of his 12 points in the final eight minutes. He came away with two back-to-back blocks (five on the game) which led to buckets for the Bears.

Butler’s DeAndre Barton scored 11 points in the game but was held to just two in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs couldn’t keep pace with the Bears.

My Take

The absence of Cervantes Boddy to begin the game and Christian Robinson being out for the entire game really hurt Butler. Robinson scored 16 points in their season opener and is a tenacious defender that was sorely missed. I’m not sure why Boddy was late, but once he arrived the Bulldogs picked up their intensity tenfold and really started to push Mountain View. A sour first quarter and fourth quarter bookended a game in which Butler never could get over the hump. They will be a tough team in Class AA. With Robinson playing, he is another solid guard to help out. Butler’s press didn’t force too many turnovers but it sped the game up. Will Lambert’s foul trouble kept Butler’s lone big guy from ever establishing himself (scoreless). Lefty Mardrez McBride has some wiggle to him and played well.

Miles Long has been great to start the year for Mountain View and he had his flamethrower on him early with four first quarter triples. The cohesion of the group was apparent as they all fed off each other. Uchenna Nwagbara was great down the stretch on both ends of the floor but the unsung hero was Kevin Kayongo. He finished with three points, all in the fourth, and collected 10 rebounds, two assists and one block.

 

Top Performers

Mountain View
Miles Long – 20 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Spencer Rodgers – 14 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal
Uchenna Nwagbara – 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks
Jalen Hayes – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Butler
Mardrez McBride – 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
DeAndre Barton – 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
Keith Littles – 6 points, 2 rebounds
Davian Burns – 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

GHSA Statewide Recap 11-18

BOYS

 

Class AAAAAAA

No. 2 Pebblebrook 49, Dillard, FL 40: Xavier signee Elias Harden scored a game-high 16 points and Alabama signee Collin Sexton tossed in 11 to hold off Dillard and Florida State signee RaiQuan Gray’s 15 points.

No. 5 Newton 83, 4ANo. 1 Henry County 67: Jacksonville signee JD Notae scored 17 points and Isaiah Miller and Darvin Jones both had 15 as the Rams overpowered Class AAAA No. 1 Henry County after leading 30-8 after the first quarter and 46-29 at the half. Damion Rosser (New Orleans) led Henry County with 16 points before rolling his ankle. George Mason signee Javon Greene had 13.

Mountain View 76, Evans 43: Mountain View steamrolled Evans at the Evans Tip-off Tournament. Spencer Rodgers scored a team-high 15 points and added 3 steals. Miles Long chipped in 13 points and 4 assists. Uchenna Nwagbara flirted with a double-double, posting 12 points and 9 rebounds. The Bears meet Class AA No. 7 Butler tomorrow morning.

Forsyth Central 57, Lassiter 36: Ethan Hester went for 19 points and 8 rebounds while CJ Smith netted 13 points.

Class AAAAAA

No. 9 Alpharetta 67, North Forsyth 47: Head Coach Jason Dasigner got his first win on the sidelines at Alpharetta. The Raiders led 41-19 at the half behind Brandon Barron’s 20 points. The sophomore finished with 23 on the night. David Swillum chipped in 8 points and 10 rebounds. Carlos Carriere, fresh off the football field, had 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Creekview 74, Brewbaker Tech, AL 69: Creekview’s backcourt powered the Grizzlies. KJ Jenkins scored 18 and Weber Sandlin added 17. Cole Mikes chipped in 16 points and drew two charges. Desmond Williams led Brewbaker Tech with 28 points.

Osborne 64, North Atlanta 53: Latrell Tate went for 18 points and Kaylin Davis poured in a team-high 20 to lift the Cardinals. Jermaine Thompson added 9 points.

Cambridge 50, Walton 45:  Caleb Snyder and Noah Lucas netted 11 points apiece while Ryan Kulaga chipped in 9 points in a Bears win.

River Ridge 70, Pickens 54:  Chris Simmons and Noah Fitzgerald scored 13 apiece while Destin Exinor added 10 to defeat Pickens. The Knights held Pickens scoreless in the third quarter, ballooning a 34-29 halftime lead to a 50-29 advantage. Pickens was led by Joseph Gossett (12) and Zach Goss (10). Blake Gorth had 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Class AAAAA

No. 10 Riverwood 71, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 36: Senior guard Charnchai Chantha powered the Raiders from his guard position, totaling 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Josh Brown added 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Rudy Fitzgibbons had 10 points and 7 steals.

Flowery Branch 59, Chattahoochee 38: The Falcons caught fire from deep, sinking 12 total threes on the night and added 15 steals defensively all without Brannon Clark and Dalton Gerdts. Patsheko Lutumba nailed four threes and finished with a team-high 14 points. Both Justin Quick and Caleb Murphy scored 12 points. Blake Coxworth chipped in 5 points and 7 assists.

Walnut Grove 63, Social Circle 25: Jailen Robinson scored 13 points, Dashun Smith scored 12 and RJ Selman chipped in 10 for the Warriors in a season opening win.

South Effingham 83, Groves 61: Derrick Newberry poured in 23 points to lead the Mustangs while Ryan McGee (14) and Makenly Newbill (12) also had strong games.

Class AAAA

Richmond Academy 63, Woodward Academy 38: Vontrez Roberts led 10 Musketeers that scored with 11 points. Moses Williams scored 10, DT Stephens added 8 and Isaiah Williams and Jason Weaver both pitched in 7 points apiece. Junior Malik Poindexter led Woodward with 10 points while Brennan McDaniel added 8 points and 8 rebounds. The War Eagles shot just 24%  and had 16 turnovers.

Class AAA

Redan 62, Monroe Area 54: Tyonn Stuckey went for 21 points, 8 assists and 4 steals in an impressive road win. Tremayne Anderson had 15 points and 8 rebounds. William Littles contributed 11 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

Class A-Private

No. 5 St. Francis 71, Roswell 53: St. Francis’ youth overwhelmed Roswell. Freshmen Dwon Odom and Chase Ellis had big games. Odom finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Ellis went for 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Sophomores CJ Riley and Sean Paradise poured in 15 and 13 points respectively. Sophomore guard Miles Herron led all scorers with 24 for Roswell.

Hebron Christian 67, Mt. de Sales 62: John Stewart scored 18 and Connor Almon scored 17 to power the Lions attack. Troy Allen chipped in 11 in the win.

Galloway 82, Providence Christian 59:  A young Providence Christian team received 15 points from Al Dorsey and 13 from Parker Trump in a loss.

GICAAMt. Bethel Christian 71, Paideia 50: Jordan Meka, a 6-foot-7 freshman, collected 16 points and 10 blocks in a GICAA-GHSA early season showdown. Sophomore Coleman Boyd had 19 points and junior Jaquez Gilbert had 17 in the Hoops for the Cure Classic victory.

Class A-Public

(Scrimmage) No. 1 Wilkinson County 107, Central-Macon 105 2OT: In a scrimmage for the ages, No. 1 Wilkinson County held off a game Chargers group. Clarence Jackson went off for 37 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists. Antarius McCoy carried Central-Macon with 38 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Tyrice Paul added 24 in the loss.

                                                                                

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

Dacula 52, North Gwinnett 47: Kandy Brown posted an 11-point, 12-rebound, 11-block triple-double to carry the Falcons past the Lady Bulldogs. Kendall Bollmer netted 20 points and Helena Lee had 13 in the win. Jessica Belcher led North Gwinnett with 12 points while Alanni Brown chipped in 10 points.

Mountain View 52, Greenbrier 32: Kamryn Collins scored 16 points and Alea Spears had 12 in the Bears’ victory in the Wolfpack Tip-off Classic.

Class AAAAAA

No. 8 Sequoyah 58, Woodward Academy 35: Alyssa Cagle scored 11 points, dished out 7 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. Peyton Satterfield netted 15 points. Gabi Latimer had 6 points and 10 rebounds while Lauren Schletty had 6 points 9 rebounds. Colby Carden chipped in 7 points and 4 assists.

Lovejoy 54, Hampton 10: Taylor Borum outscored the Lady Hornets by herself, tallying 11 points and 6 rebounds.

River Ridge 57, Pickens 43: Pickens dropped their first game of the young year to the Knights. In the loss Shelby Cook had 11 points and 6 rebounds. Mykenzie Weaver had 9 points and 3 steals.

Lanier 60, Landmark Christian 25: Bailey Bassett paced the Longhorns with 14 points and 4 steals. Kalen Surles had 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Class AAAAA

Cass 43, 2ANo. 10 Armuchee 38: The Lady Colonels knocked off Armuchee behind Jana Morning’s 15 points and Payton Stoddard’s 9.

McIntosh 63, New Manchester 50: DeLayne Rotolo dropped 18, Kennedi Miller scored 16 and Samantha Coffey added 12 to lead the Lady Chiefs to a non-region victory.

Class AAAA

No. 4 North Oconee 58, Central Gwinnett 39: Emma Weynand posted 15 points in the Lady Titans victory.

Class AAA

No. 2 Johnson-Savannah 58, Richmond Hill 38: The Atomsmashers rolled behind Jacksonville signee Alexis Pierce who scored 30 points and collected 9 steals and 9 assists.

Class A-Private

No. 1 St. Francis 63, 4ANo. 8 Americus-Sumter 26: The defending Class AAAA champs had no shot against the Class A-Private title holders. Kasi Kushkituah (Tennessee) had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Olivia Swanston had 13 points and 3 steals. Maya Dodson (Stanford) went for 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Western Kentucky signee Nichel Tampa pitched in 10 points, 4 assists and 6 steals.

No. 2 Wesleyan 93, Effingham County 38: Mikayla Coombs finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds as Wesleyan used a balanced onslaught to rip Effingham County. Sutton West had 12 points and 9 rebounds. AC Carter went for 8 points and 12 rebounds and Natalie Armstrong tallied 8 boards.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Bartow Sports Zone High School Basketball Preview

Audio

I visited Bartow Sports Zone on WBHF in Cartersville this morning to preview the high school basketball season. Bartow County teams and a statewide overlook highlights the show. The round table discussion starts at the 41 minute mark and runs for about 50 minutes.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

GHSA Statewide Recap 11-15

Boys

 

Class AAAAAAA

No. 9 Collins Hill 75, Osborne 66: In a loss, the Osborne Cardinals were led by Latrell Tate’s 20 points. Jermaine Thompson scored 14 and Kaylan Davis added 11. JD Ozoh powered the Eagles with 18 points. Chris Parks recorded 16 points while Max Clark finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Kenny Stanciel produced 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Woodstock 66, Northview 61: The Wolverines rallied from a 28-17 halftime deficit to storm past Northview. Woodstock took its first lead of the second half with 1:32 remaining on a Tyreke Johnson free throw. Johnson, playing with a strained groin, poured in 33 points (16-of-20 FT), 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 steals. Running mate Dylin Hardeman scored all 11 points in the second half. Brant Hurter added 8 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block while Cameron Crowe tallied 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Northview received 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal from junior point guard Justin Brown. Joe Jones added 10 points and 5 rebounds. Zane Patel notched 5 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks in the loss.

Parkview 72, Creekside 55: Parkview earned an impressive road win, defeating the Seminoles by 17. Freshman Toneari Lane dropped a team-high 16 points. Justin Spencer scored 15 while Cam Chavers (12) and Ahmir Langlais (8) also did damage. Creekside was led by 6-foot-8 big man Tyson Jackson, the junior scoring 19.

Discovery 72, Jefferson 31: The Titans rolled behind a balanced attack. Jaylen Bussey canned six threes en route to a team-high 18 points. Junior 6-foot-7 post Kalu Ezikpe totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds. Air Force signee Jaden Stanley went for 11 points and 7 rebounds. DJ Young dished out 6 assists.

Central Gwinnett 93, West Forsyth 55: The Black Knights’ potent backcourt overwhelmed the West Forsyth Wolverines. Jalen Hillery pumped in 30 points while Jalen Morgan added 23 and Spencer Turner managed to score 12 points.

Duluth 90, Drew 71: Adam Flagler paced the Wildcat backcourt with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Jalen Hodges collected 17 points and 5 rebounds. Will Huzzie posted 11 points and 8 rebounds. Christian Kelly netted 11 points and Lamont Smith finished with 6 points and 9 assists.

Forsyth Central 60, Pickens 32: Hunter McDonald scored 14 points and picked up 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the Bulldogs over the Dragons. CJ Smith netted 15 points and dished out 6 assists. Ethan Hester added 11 points. Seth Bishop scored 13 points in the loss for Pickens.

Mountain View 55, Archer 37: The Bears raced past the Tigers behind Spencer Rodgers’ 17 points and 5 assists. Miles Long added 11 points and 3 steals while Jalen Hayes notched 9 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.

Pope 83, Kennesaw Mountain 75: Kennesaw Mountain struggled to contain AJ Watson who poured in 31 points and 6 assists to power the Greyhounds.

Roswell 55, South Forsyth 54: Senior RJ Frierson sank a game-winning free throw with :01 second left to propel the Hornets over the War Eagles on the road. Senior James Anderson scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Miles Herron netted 21 in the win as Roswell advances to 2-0.

Class AAAAAA

(Scrimmage) No. 5 Allatoona 69, Milton 43: Trey Doomes poured in 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in a high profile preseason scrimmage.

No. 6 Heritage-Conyers 70, Lithonia 66: Jordan Thomas scored 17 points in addition to his 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Isaiah Banks finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Florida Atlantic signee Byron Abrams went for 16 points, 7 assists and 3 steals. JaQuez Hicks controlled the paint, tallying 8 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 blocks.

Apalachee 83, Monroe Area 77 OT: Omer Ahmed scored 23 points to lead the Wildcats. Deron Collier and Brandon Bannis both pitched in 9 points apiece. Jamonte Wallace added 8 points and Derek Miller finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds.

Creekview 59, North Cobb 41: Weber Sandlin scored 15 points to help the Grizzlies to an out-of-region win. Chandler Wright grabbed 13 rebounds.

Northgate 87, Ola 68: The Vikings received a game-high 34 points from Treveon Cook.

Class AAAAA

No. 8 Southwest DeKalb 43, Stephenson 41: Josh Archer hit a shot with four seconds left to lift Southwest DeKalb over a scrappy Stephenson bunch. Eugene Brown III led the Panthers with 10 points while Quincy Carter added 9 and Archer produced 8 points and 7 rebounds. Khalil Foster-Scott scored a game-high 14 for Stephenson. Trevon Daniel went for 10 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

No. 9 Fayette County 75, 4ANo. 2 Sandy Creek 69: Phillip Young finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals to help the Tigers to a statement victory early in the year. Austin Nesmith scored 16 points. Jaylen Holloway totaled 13 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Joshua Dupree chipped in 8 points, 3 steals and 3 blocks while Furman signee Noah Gurley tossed in 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Three players fouled out for Sandy Creek as the Patriots were hit with 34 team fouls. Evan Jester went for 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks in the loss. KJ Wilkins added 12 points and 4 steals, Xavier Brewer netted 11 points and TJ Bickerstaff finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

No. 10 Riverwood 63, 1ANo. 4 Holy Innocents’ 62: Embry-Riddle signee Elijah Jenkins netted 13 points to go with his 9 rebounds and 6 assists in another tight victory over rival Holy Innocents’. Rudy Fitzgibbons went for 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Charnchai Chantha collected 6 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Senior 6-foot-7 post Josh Brown finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. In the loss, Cole Smith scored a game-high 23 points. Richard Surdykowski added 17 points and Jules Erving followed with 14.

Kell 68, Sprayberry 60: Florida Gulf Cost big man Brian Thomas pulled down a 13-point 11-rebound double-double to help the Longhorns to an in county victory. Sayvon Delgado scored a game-high 18 and Jahwan Smith chipped in 10 points and 5 assists. Sprayberry received 15 points from Rodney Pearson and 16 points from Eddie Figueroa.

Flowery Branch 66, East Jackson 33: Caleb Murphy did damage for the Falcons, tossing in a team-high 18 points to go with his 3 steals and 2 blocks. Brannon Clark scored 13 points and collected 4 steals while Blake Coxworth netted 12 points.

Johnson-Gainesville 61, Habersham Central 34: Will Richter got the Johnson Knights off to a good start this year scoring a team-high 16 points. Alex Sims did the dirty work and collected six points in the process.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Upson-Lee 58, Heard County 44: Upson-Lee dominated, opening up a 28-2 first quarter lead before playing the bench for the majority of the game. Tye Fagan dropped in 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks in limited action.

Blessed Trinity 62, Fellowship Christian 32: Ben Shappard and Andy Swade scored 10 points apiece for Blessed Trinity. Russell Dorvee netted a game-high 12. Sophomore CJ Abrams chipped in 9 points as 10 Titans cracked the scoring column. Fellowship was led by Cody Frazer’s 11 points.

Shaw 92, Harris County 68: Jalen Ken poured in 22 points and grabbed three rebounds while Chris Hicks netted 21 points and handed out 3 assists.

Class AAA

(Scrimmage) No. 2 Westside-Macon 88, Locust Grove 36: New look Westside-Macon romped Locust Grove. Xavier signee Kentrevious Jones went for 25 points and 5 rebounds. Greg Holloway, a sleeper that will be highlighted on hypesouth.com, finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Trey Foster had 9 points and 4 assists. Khavon Moore played sparingly in the blow out.

No. 8 Lovett 51, North Atlanta 46 2OT: With eight players missing from the active roster due to the football state playoffs, the Lovett Lions still found a way to win and proved that free throw shooting wins games. Ryan Greer poured in 32 points and went 16-of-24 from the line while as a team the Lions shot 19-of-28. North Atlanta shot just 10-of-27 and had a chance to win in regulation, but sophomore Robert Ghirardini of Lovett buried a three at the buzzer to send it to an extra period. Ghirardini finished with 6 points while Ryan Pate scored 9. North Atlanta was led by Jadin Knight’s 13 points and Emmanuel Roberts’ 10.

Long County 79, Bacon County 70: Terry Smith and Henry Blair powered the Long County Blue Tide. Smith dropped 24 while Blair pumped in 21 points.

Redan 67, Morrow 64: Electric guard play from Tyonn Stuckey and Jibril Wykcoff tenacity helped the Raiders to a nice out of region victory. Stuckey finished with 18 points, 9 assists and 5 steals. Wykcoff went off for 28 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

Class AA

No. 4 Monticello 69, Jones County 65: CJ Adams erupted for 29 points and 6 rebounds. Ashton Bonner went for 20 points and 5 rebounds as the Hurricane guards propelled Monticello to a win.

No. 8 Banks County 51, North Hall 45: Gabe Martin scored 18 points and Kahmal Wiley tossed in 12 points to withstand the visiting Trojans. North Hall received 13 points from Taylor Hanson and 12 from Justin Rabb.

Class A-Private

Hebron Christian 74, Social Circle 50:  The Derrick Heberling era got off to a good start, defeating Social Circle by 24. John Stewart and Alex Calvert both netted 13 points. Tanner Welch and Wesley Warbington added 10 points apiece.

Prince Avenue 62, Oglethorpe County 60: Sophomore Mack Simmons sank two big free throws late to seal a victory for the Wolverines. Simmons finished with 18 points. Senior Sam Todd netted a team-high 22.

 

Girls

Class AAAAAAA

Mill Creek 43, 4ANo. 3 West Hall 35: Coming off of a disappointing 13-15 season, Mill Creek picked up its second big win of the season. In the loss Anna McKendree was held to 15 points and 5 rebounds. Macy Passmore pitched in 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Class AAAAAA

No. 10 Northview 57, 7ANo. 9 Woodstock 44: Northview’s size overwhelmed Woodstock. Sophomore Ashlee Austin pitched in 14 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. Maya Richards, also a sophomore, produced 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks. Senior Shannon Titus finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 7 blocks. Woodstock was led by South Alabama signee Devyn Lowe, who scored a game-high 23.

Class AAAAA

McIntosh 51, Newnan 31: DeLayne Rotolo led the Lady Chiefs with a game-high 18 points.

Class AAAA

No. 4 North Oconee 49, 5ANo. 8 Loganville 42: The Lady Titans held off Loganville in a great cross classification Top 10 matchup. Emma Weynand netted 15 points while Camryn Williams chipped in 14 to lead North Oconee.

Pickens 61, Forsyth Central 54: Mykenzie Weaver got the Dragonettes off to a season opening win, scoring 20 points.

 

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Heritage rallies from 15 down to stun Southwest DeKalb

No. 6 Heritage 51, No. 8 Southwest DeKalb 47

Down 15 at the half in a hot gym on a late night, Class AAAAAA No. 6 Heritage-Conyers could have easily folded and called it a night. With both Isaiah Banks and Byron Abrams not 100%, no one would have blamed the Patriots for a season opening loss at Southwest DeKalb Showdown III against host Class AAAAA No. 8 Southwest DeKalb. But instead, a team with seemingly no pulse heading into the fourth quarter, found life and stunned the home crowd, 51-47, using a 20-5 run to end the night.

Southwest DeKalb held a 9-6 lead after the first quarter and used an aggressive press to disrupt Heritage. While the Patriots’ veteran guards searched for answers, the Panthers pounced using a deep bench. Jalen Lee entered in the second quarter and brought instant energy as a 6-foot-6 forward. He scored all seven of his points in the frame highlighted by a jam that got the crowd involved and pushed the Panther lead to 21-12 with 1:43 left to play in the half.

Quincy Carter ended the second quarter with a buzzer beater giving Southwest DeKalb a commanding halftime lead, 30-15.

Heritage’s big three, senior guards Isaiah Banks, Byron Abrams and Jordan Thomas combined for just nine points, the Southwest press clearly effecting them as there were chippy moments throughout the game when Heritage tried to advance the ball against the Panther defense.

Eight different players scored for Southwest DeKalb in the first half as the Panthers entered the break 16 minutes away from a quality season opening win.

Any thoughts of an easy rout were thrown out the window as the Patriots tore off a quick 7-0 run to open the third quarter and draw to within 30-22. Josh Archer and Eugene Brown III stemmed the tide however with Archer hanging for a tough bucket in the lane and Brown, the freshman, adding a right wing three to push the lead back to 35-25 at the 3:09 mark of the third quarter and leading to a 39-31 advantage heading into the fourth.

Up 42-31 with 6:37 remaining, Southwest DeKalb took its foot off the gas and called off the press. The result was Heritage’s big three breaking through. Banks hit a three-pointer and soon after Thomas put in an And-1, cutting the lead to 44-39 with 4:13 to play.

Banks then struck again for two more buckets, bringing the score to 44-43, Southwest DeKalb throwing the press back on to try and regain momentum.

Thomas was fouled and sent to the line where he made both free throws, but had his first waved off due to a violation resulting in a tie game and a 13-2 run. With 1:18 remaining, it was Abrams’ turn to hit a free throw giving the Patriots their first second half lead at 45-44.

Banks knocked down two more free throws to go up three. Carter drove the lane for a layup but couldn’t connect with 26.7 seconds left forcing Southwest to begin fouling. Banks, Abrams and Thomas combined to net 19 of Heritage’s 20 fourth quarter points, Banks leading the way with nine of his game-high 19 points in the final eight minutes.

My Take

Heritage did not look good at all in the first half. Southwest DeKalb’s defense frustrated them and a few of the Patriots’ younger players looked like deer in headlights. 6-foot-7 junior JaQuez Hicks was active in the first quarter with two early buckets. He looks like he will be an important piece bringing length into the paint replacing Makyle Wilkerson. The Patriots looked dead in the water heading into the fourth quarter with the Panthers maintaining a steady 10-point lead, but once the press was called off, Heritage gained a full head of steam and their senior guards took over. Isaiah Banks was the catalyst with his rim attacking mentality and his three-pointer at the 6:23 mark ignited the 20-5 run to close. The Patriots’ trio of combo guards are all big and physical. The lack of a true pass-first and ball handling point guard was evident however. Heritage tallied just two assists as a team. Once everyone is healthy and fits into their roles, Heritage is going to be a handful.

Southwest DeKalb has a nice blend of youth and experience. Their press gave Heritage fits. If they kept their foot on the pedal pressing non-stop, I’m not sure Heritage would have been able to string together as many stops and scores as they did. Nine players scored for the Panthers. They won’t be as reliant on a handful of go-to guys like they were with Keith Gilmore and TiQuan Lewis last season. A scoring by committee approach will benefit them for the most part, but down the stretch when they went cold and saw Heritage surge ahead, it would have been nice to have a true No. 1 option. Darius Hogan and Mandarius Dickerson are two guys that should be among the team’s leading scorers this year and both were kept in check with six points apiece. Add those two with Quincy Carter and Josh Archer and the Panthers have a deep backcourt. Eugene Brown III is only a freshman, but I think he will play a big role off the bench for his father. He’s a good shooter and looks like he has high IQ.

 

Top Performers

Heritage
Isaiah Banks – 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Byron Abrams – 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
Jordan Thomas – 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
JaQuez Hicks – 7 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Avante Lederer – 3 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Southwest DeKalb
Josh Archer – 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Quincy Carter – 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals
Jalen Lee – 7 points, 1 rebound
Mandarius Dickerson – 6 points, 3 rebounds
Darius Hogan – 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Eugene Brown III – 5 points, 4 rebounds
Tabais Long – 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks