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State Championships Day 2 Recap

Class AAA

(G) Beach 59, Johnson-Savannah 44 

Not only the bragging rights of a city were won, but a Class AAA state title was decided as No. 3 Beach (29-2) clinched a series victory and their first title since 2000 by beating No. 1 Johnson-Savannah 59-44 after the two teams split 2-2 in the regular season. Beach outscored Johnson 213-211 over their first four meetings before saving their most dominant performance for last, jumping all over the Atomsmashers (27-3) using a stifling defense that held Johnson to 3-of-31 from the field in the first half. Johnson went 0-of-9 from deep while the Bulldogs outrebounded them by 16 and built a 30-13 halftime lead after an 11-1 run closed the half. At the end of three, the game was officially out of hand as Beach ballooned its lead to 45-19. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Atomsmashers 58-33 and held them to 22.4% shooting. Johnson had no answer for the toughness and aggressiveness of Judasia Hills and Jabrekia Bass. Hills went for 19 points and 12 rebounds while Bass added 10 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Freshman point guard Madison Evans chipped in 14 points. Jacksonville-signee Alexis Pierce was held to 6 points on 2-of-13 shooting for Johnson. Sy’Marieona “Bubbles” Williams led the Atomsmashers with 12 points and 5 rebounds. J’Mya Cutter had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Iona-signee Olivia Owens saw her prep career cut short as she reinjured her knee at the 5:55 mark of the third quarter and was unable to return, finishing the game on the bench with ice wrapped on her banged up knee. She scored 3 points and had 3 rebounds off the bench. Both teams finish the season with their only losses coming to one another.

(B) Pace Academy 54, Morgan County 46 

In a physical and at points ugly game with 39 combined turnovers, No. 3 Pace Academy (26-8) was able to repeat as state champions in a battle of defending champs, knocking off a sophomore-laden No. 5 Morgan County (25-6) team, 54-46. After winning the Class AA title last year, Pace Academy moved up to AAA where their road to repeating was not easy. To get to the title game the Knights had to defeat No. 1 Westside-Macon in double overtime 53-50 and No. 2 Liberty County 71-62 in the Elite Eight and Final Four respectively. Their final hurdle was a scrappy and fearless Morgan County team, a year ahead of schedule after losing three D-1 players from last year’s championship team. At the half, Morgan County led 26-24 while mucking up the game and bodying up 6-foot-10 Duke-signee Wendell Carter Jr. Carter struggled from the line going 4-for-9 in the first half but in the second half, the big man began to wear down Morgan County’s smaller front line, finishing with 20 points and 17 rebounds, not quite his 30-point 20-rebound performance in last year’s championship, but still more than enough to carry the Knights. Even with their size advantage, Pace did not find baskets easy. Isaiah Kelly, a 6-foot-7 junior, struggled to support Carter. He finished 2-of-9 from the field with 6 points, 7 rebounds and 6 turnovers, but did collect 5 assists. Guards Myles Todd, Barrett Baker and Mark Sommerville took advantage of their open opportunities around the perimeter as the Bulldogs focused on Carter and Kelly inside. Sommerville and Todd scored 7 points apiece while Baker added two threes for 6 points including a corner triple that extended the Knights’ lead to 45-37 with 3:57 remaining.  It was the ignition of a 7-0 run that helped put the game away after Morgan County had cut the lead to 42-37, but a Damarian Thomas air-ball sucked the energy out of the loud Bulldog crowd for the moment.  Pace’s 7-0 run spanned 3 minutes before Thomas redeemed himself with a dunk and a putback to make it 49-41 with 1:13 left. The closest Morgan County would get would be 51-46 after Stevin Green, a sparkplug sophomore point guard, flew in for a layup off a steal. Green finished with 9 points as a part of Morgan County’s three-headed sophomore attack consisting of Alec Woodard (13 points) and Tyrin Lawrence (11 points). Woodard, the school’s all-time single-game three-pointers made record holder went 0-of-7 from deep and 3-of-16 from the field.

Class AAAAAA

(G) Mays 52, Harrison 51

As Sydne Wiggins’ three-pointer swooshed in at the buzzer there was a hesitation on the Mays bench before the No. 9 Raiders (22-9) realized they just won their second state title and first since 2003 with a thrilling 52-51 win over No. 4 Harrison (27-6). Mays led nearly wire-to-wire behind senior guard Kamiyah Street, leading for 27:44 of the game’s 32 minutes. Held in check in the first half, Street scored nine points as Mays took a 20-15 lead into the half as Harrison struggled from the field, going 5-of-21. Entering the fourth quarter, Mays still led 37-33 as Street got help from her supporting cast. Kendall Pack finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds while Tori Hill added 7 points and 9 rebounds, a part of the Raiders’ effort of outrebounding the Hoyas 40-24, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds to Harrison’s 5. The Hoyas fell behind 41-33, but Avery Jordan buried one of her two threes to cut the lead to 41-36 with 5:39 left in the fourth. Harrison took their lone lead of the fourth quarter with 3:58 remaining at 43-42, but from there on Street put her pedal to the metal and accelerated past Harrison. The dynamic scorer poured in 26 points on the night and grabbed 6 rebounds to go with her 4 assists. Wiggins, a Rice-signee, never was able to control the game for the Hoyas like she did in the Final Four against Northview when she scored 21 points. The deft shooting Hoyas shot a modest 6-of-18 from deep. Audrey Jordan led Harrison with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

(B) Langston Hughes 73, Brunswick 52 

Coming out of Region 5 as a three-seed and undergoing rigorous travel throughout the state tournament, never hosting a home game, No. 9 Langston Hughes (25-8) shined as the “underdogs” and rode their newfound momentum to the school’s first ever title, besting No. 6 Brunswick 73-52. The Panthers held a 33-31 lead at the half as Brunswick (23-9) didn’t back down even though Langston Hughes had the star power on their side with 6-foot-6 junior wing Landers Nolley and Northeastern-signee, 6-foot-4 point guard Derrick Cook. Marcus Scott, all 5-foot-8 of him, paced the Pirates early, hitting three threes in the first half while 6-foot-8, 260-pound College of Charleston-signee Kymani Dunham posted eight points. The Pirates did a good job defensively on Nolley, holding him to 2-of-7 shooting but he was able to pick up six free throws, finishing with 10 points in the opening 16 minutes.  In the second half, Nolley’s stardom showed, scoring nine points in the third quarter but Brunswick still held fast, down 47-44 entering the fourth.  The final 8 minutes saw Nolley and Cook trade buckets as the Panthers got loose in the open court as their defense clamped down and led to transition points. The Panthers outscored Brunswick 14-0 in fastbreak points. Langston Hughes held Brunswick to just eight points in the final period while the Panthers surged putting up a 26-spot. Nolley and Cook combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter, Nolley finishing his night with 26 points and 6 rebounds and Cook posting 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. With Southeast Missouri State-signee Khalil Cuffee unavailable, senior Richard Matthews stepped up as he did all tournament long. Matthews pitched in 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting including two three-pointers. Ahmid Bryant did a strong job inside on Dunham, helping hold him to just two points in the second half and finishing with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block of his own. With Dunham ineffective, Brunswick had to rely on its trio of veteran guards.  After a scoreless first half, Dereck Lampkin finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Daquan Humphreys managed to go just 2-of-13 from the field including 0-of-9 from three, Brunswick going 5-of-22 as a team while the Panthers finished 4-of-7. Humphreys had 6 points and Scott finished with 14, held to one basket after his opening shooting display.

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State Championships Day 1 Recap

Class A-Public

(G) Pelham 60, Telfair County 42

The boogeyman has a name and its name is Pelham. The Hornets (30-1), who were ranked No. 1 the entire season, rode a 15-0 run to close the first quarter and blow past No. 3 Telfair County 60-42, claiming their first state title since 1997. The Trojans (27-3) came out firing but could only build an 8-5 lead before Pelham’s 1-3-1 zone defense sparked 15 unanswered points and pulled ahead 20-8 at the end of the first quarter. Mahogany Randall drained three first half threes and scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the first half. Mahogany Brown finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds while Willeshia Kemp posted 13 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks. Region 1 Player of the Year Destiny Thomas finished just 1-of-10 from the floor with 5 points, but tallied 10 rebounds and 8 assists. India Wells led Telfair County with 24 points on 9-of-27 shooting including 4-of-20 from deep. As a team the Trojans shot 4-of-33 from the three-point line and 4-of-18 from the foul line.

(B) Wilkinson County 66, Calhoun County 53

No. 1 Calhoun County (28-2) held a 34-29 halftime lead over No. 4 Wilkinson County (25-7) but a balanced attack and a gritty second half defensive performance propelled the Warriors to their ninth state title and second straight. Wilkinson County took an early 16-8 lead on Calhoun County before 6-foot-7 junior wing Rashun Williams took over. Williams attacked the Warrior defense on every possession, doing the majority of his work on the left wing, facing up and attacking the left baseline. He sent Clarence Jackson to the bench with his second foul at the 3:56 mark of the second quarter with the Cougars trailing 24-22. As the two teams reached the half, Williams already had totaled 16 points and six rebounds. Just 17 seconds into the third quarter, Jackson was stamped with his third foul driving baseline, but Dr. Aaron Geter Jr. did not panic and left his star in the game and had his faith rewarded. The Warriors outscored Calhoun County 20-6 in the period to take a 49-40 lead with Jackson getting to the basket. While Jackson and 6-foot-6 junior Tylan Grable (15 points & 10 rebounds) powered the Wilkinson offense, Aaron Geter III clamped down on Williams and didn’t allow him any uncontested touches, holding him to two points in the quarter. With the game on the line, Williams turned it on in the fourth quarter scoring five of his game-high 25 points in the opening two minutes to ignite an 8-0 run to cut the Wilkinson County lead to 49-48. From there, Wilkinson County slowly started to distance themselves, getting help from everyone on the floor. Jackson, a 6-foot-6 junior, finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds while battling with Williams who tallied 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Aside from Jackson and Gable, the Warriors received 11 points and 7 rebounds from Larry Jones, 10 points and 7 rebounds from Derrick Wilcher, 8 points from Jadaveon Jones and 7 points and stellar defense from Geter III.  For Calhoun County, Roney Moore pitched in 10 points and 6 rebounds. Juwaun Wiley had 10 points and four rebounds.

Class AAAAA

(G) Buford 60, Southwest DeKalb 42

No. 1 Buford (29-2) claimed its fifth state title as Tory Ozment and company withstood No. 2 Southwest DeKalb’s pressure and cruised 60-42. The Wolves went 6-of-12 from the three-point line in the first half paced by Ozment’s 3-of-5 shooting for 15 points. The Panthers (27-5) struggled to contain Ozment who orchestrated the Buford offense, finding open looks from deep for both herself and teammates.  Buford nailed 8-of-17 threes for the game and continued to pull away in the second half after entering the break up 34-23. Ozment finished the night with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Jessica Nelson had 9 points and 7 rebounds while Tate Walters (9) and Audrey Weiner (8) flanked the attack. Jada Walton, a Texas A&M signee, had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for Southwest DeKalb. The Panthers were 0-of-6 from three, had 18 turnovers and had their bench outscored 23 to 5. Ogheneruona Uwusiaba was a bright spot for Southwest. The 6-foot-3 center going to Central Florida posted 16 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.

(B) Buford 75, Cedar Shoals 61

As Alex Jones said after the game, “its insanely hard” to beat a team four times, but that is exactly what No. 1 Buford (29-2) did as the Wolves completed a boys-girls sweep of Class AAAAA by surviving a 30-point, 14-rebound outburst by Charleston Southern-signee Phlan Fleming to capture the program’s first boys title and potentially jump start the state’s newest burgeoning dynasty. Up 29-27 at the half and 36-34 after three, the Wolves finally pulled away from No. 4 Cedar Shoals (27-5), outscoring the Jaguars 39-27 in a free throw-laden final period. After there were 0 free throws for both teams in the opening 16 minutes, the second half saw the teams shoot a combined 49 free throws, Buford going 25-of-38 and Cedar Shoals hitting 9-of-11. In the first half it was Buford’s three-ball that was dropping, hitting 5-of-13, but cooling off to finish 6-of-19 while Cedar Shoals struggled throughout going 2-of-21, a key component of Coach L’Dreco Thomas’ offense. Although Fleming left his heart and soul on the floor, playing one of his best games possible, the help just wasn’t there. AJ Jones netted 10 points while Snipe Hall was held to 5 before fouling out with 2:33 left to play on a block call that could have been a charge. Upset at the call, starting point guard Damarrea Lowe picked up a technical, fouling him out on the play as well, finishing his night with just 2 points. Marcus Watson assaulted Cedar Shoals’ defense all game long, scoring a team-high 27 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. The 6-foot-6 sophomore small forward went 3-of-7 from deep and 9-of-13 from the line after struggling early. Junior point guard Alex Jones added 16 points and Donell Nixon scored 13 to go with his 6 rebounds as a 5-foot-7 guard. David Viti double-doubled in the win with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

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Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 11: State Championship Preview

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It has been over four months since the 2016-17 season tipped off and the GHSA state championships are finally here! The action begins on Wednesday and Thursday at Stegeman Coliseum (UGA) before shifting over to McCamish Pavilion (GT) on Friday and Saturday. Kyle Sandy previews all 16 state title games and gives his predictions on the biggest games of the season.

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Final Four Recaps

Class AAAAAAA

(G) Norcross 37, Collins Hill 30: Vanessa Blagmon had 13 points and 6 rebounds followed by Taylor Mason’s 11 points and 6 rebounds.  Collins Hill got 9 points and 18 rebounds from Javyn Nicholson. Bria Harmon and Kayla Dixon both scored 6.

(B) Norcross 67, Grayson 48: Rayshaun Hammonds was too much inside with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. Lance Thomas had 12 points and 3 blocks. Kyle Sturdivant scored 14 and Jordan Goldwire collected 9 points and 7 assists. Travis Anderson finished with 14 points in the loss. Joey Chavez added 11.

(G) McEachern 78, Archer 58: Que Morrison had 24 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Indians. Jasmine Clements had 11 points and 17 rebounds. Lyndsey Whilby added 16. Archer got 18 points and 13 rebounds from Autumn Newby. Linsey Marcheses (13), Tia Shorter (11) and Asia McCoy (11) also pitched in.

(B) Tift County 56, McEachern 49: PJ Horne carried the Blue Devils in the first half and received help in the second. He scored 15 of his 17 points in the first 16 minutes. Micah Johnson pitched in 15 points. The Indians were led by Isaac Okoro’s 15 points and 6 rebounds. Babatunde Akingbola scored 14.

Class AAAAAA

(G) Harrison 57, Northview 39:  A finally healthy Sydne Wiggins poured in 21 points followed by Jazzy Foster and Audrey Jordan’s 10 apiece to lead the Hoyas past the Titans. Shannon Titus finished her Northview career with 19 points.

(B) Brunswick 67, South Cobb 61: Dereck Lampkin scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Marcus Scott had 16 points and Kymani Dunham added 10 points and 7 rebounds to carry the Pirates back to the state championship. Trevin Wade had 24 in the loss.

(G) Mays 50, Lovejoy 42: Kamiyah Street exploded for 32 points to race the Raiders past Lovejoy. Street sparked a personal 16-0 run to surge past the Wildcats after Mays trailed by 16 early. Street pumped in 25 points in the second half.

(B) Langston Hughes 59, Allatoona 57: Landers Nolley carried the Panthers from beyond the arc and poured in a game-high 34 points to beat Allatoona for the second time this season. Derrick Cook added 15 points in support. Trey Doomes paced the Buccaneers with 31.

Class AAAAA

(G) Southwest DeKalb 66, Flowery Branch 63: The Lady Falcons held an early lead but saw it slowly slip away. Taniyah Worth went off for 33 points and Lexie Sengkhammee had 9. Julianne Sutton added 10 points but Southwest DeKalb received 22 points from Jada Walton, 13 from Ruona Uwusiaba and 10 from Chantz Cherry to advance back to the title game.

(B) Cedar Shoals 59, Miller Grove 38: Phlan Fleming hung 25 points to pace the Jaguars. Stavion Stevenson had 15. Maurice Harvey scored 10 for Miller Grove.

(G) Buford 88, Griffin 50: Tory Ozment had 14 points and Tate Walters and Snoody Johnson both had 11.  Audrey Weiner and Jessica Nelson had 11 as well. Andeija Puckett scored 16 for Griffin while Daisya Reed added 13.

(B) Buford 83, Fayette County 60: Marcus Watson couldn’t be stopped, posting 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Wolves. Alex Jones scored 23 and David Viti netted 16. Fayette County was led by Austin Nesmith’s 19 points. Noah Gurley had 13 and Jaylen Holloway chipped in 10.

Class AAAA

(G) Columbus 62, Sandy Creek 50: Kasey Toles hit five threes and scored 20 points while Morghan Currie added 10 points and 6 blocks, but it wasn’t enough to stop Columbus’ SEC twin towers. Tatyana Wyatt (Kentucky) had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks while Ariyah Copeland (Alabama) posted 11 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. Brittany Floyd added 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

(B) St. Pius 87, Sandy Creek 68: Carson Seramur finished with 22 points — 10 in the fourth — and 5 rebounds while Everett Lane added 17 points and Matt Gonzalo scored 13 to power the Golden Lions into the state championship, never trailing after taking a 15-2 lead to open the game. KJ Wilkins led Sandy Creek with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Evan Jester pitched in 14 points.

(G) Carver-Columbus 60, Cross Creek 56: Mariah Igus had 18, Alycia Reese 15 and Mya Millner scored 11 to lead Carver-Columbus. Alana Davis finished her career with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.

(B) Upson-Lee 74, Henry County 59: While Tye Fagan struggled with foul trouble, picking up his fourth at the 1:15 mark of the third quarter, the rest of the Knights picked up the slack. Travon Walker took advantage of a Kovi Tate-less Henry County frontline posting 16 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Zyrice Scott filled in 11 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter. Jacorey Smith added 10 points and 9 rebounds and Cameron Traylor notched 9 points. Fagan finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. Henry County was led by Javon Greene’s 24 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 1 block. Damion Rosser had 18 points and 6 rebounds while Seth Brown had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block.

Class AAA

(G) Beach 56, GAC 47 OT: Judasia Hills made a statement, punishing GAC around the basket for 22 points and 15 rebounds. Jabreika Bass chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Spartans were led by Robyn Benton’s 15 and Taylor Sutton’s 12.

(B) Pace Academy 71, Liberty County 62: Wendell Carter (32 points & 17 rebounds) and Isaiah Kelly (20 points & 12 rebounds) overwhelmed Liberty County’s smaller front court. Will Richardson scored 28 and Davion Mitchell finished with 19.

(G) Johnson-Savannah 48, Morgan County 39: Alexis Pierce (16), Bubbles Williams (9) and J’mya Cutter (8) led the Atomsmashers.

(B) Morgan County 72, Calhoun 61: Chapin Rierson scored 26 points in defeat. Tyrin Lawrence scored 21 points followed by Alec Woodard and Anthony Cooper’s 13 points apiece for the Bulldogs. Damarian Thomas added 10.

Class AA

(G) Laney 65, Model 49: Jaiden Hamilton scored 19 points while De’sha Benjamin netted 18 and Jazmine Bartlett added 14 in the win for the Wildcats. Victaria Saxton scored 21 in the loss.

(B) Swainsboro 68, Dublin 64: Jaylan McKinney pumped in 30 points to lead the Tigers past Dublin. Kameron Pauldo scored 27 for Dublin.

(G) Rabun County 65, Bleckley County 37: Georgia Stockton netted 18 points and Savanna Scott scored 14 and added 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Brooke Henricks scored 14.

(B) South Atlanta 61, Josey 50: Jalen Stegall led the Hornets with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Dominique Hurst had 17 for Josey.

Class A-Private

(G) Holy Innocents’ 63, St. Francis 61: Taja Cummings dropped in 22 points, but St. Francis was stunned by Holy Innocents’, handing the Knights their first in state loss. Nichel Tampa scored 15, Kasi Kushkituah 12 and Maya Dodson 6. Holy Innocents’ received 18 points from Khayla Pointer and 16 from Kaila Hubbard.

(B) Greenforest 86, St. Francis 56: David Quimby and Bebe Iyiola scored 18 apiece. Justin Forrest added 13. Ikey Obiagu triple-doubled with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 12 blocks. St. Francis was led by Chase Ellis (14), Ben Jones (12) and Dwon Odom (10).

(G) Wesleyan 77, Lakeview Academy 35: Mikayla Coombs was too much for the Lions, posting 28 points and 9 rebounds. Amaya Register added 15 points and Katie Stipe scored 10.

(B) SACA 77, Lakeview Academy 74: DeAundrae Ballard was the X-Factor, erupting for 41 points in the Warriors’ win. Lakeview was led by Tre Gober’s 22 points and Drew Cottrell’s 18. Josh Randolph scored 11 and Evan Pitts netted 10.

Class A-Public

(G) Telfair County 62, Woodville-Tompkins 60: In the loss, the Wolverines received 24 points and 10 rebounds from Savanna Walker. LaNaya El-Amin posted 15 points and 16 rebounds. Jazmin Grayson had 7 points and 7 rebounds.

(B) Wilkinson County 60, Macon County 47: Clarence Jackson had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in the win.

(G) Pelham 81, Wheeler County 67: Destiny Thomas poured in 26 points and Mahogany Randall added 21 for the Hornets. Mahogany Brown had 11. Brianna Horton led the Bulldogs with 13.

(B) Calhoun County 54, Clinch County 50: Rashun Williams scored 10 points and Kadarrius Holmes added 13. Edwin Wims had 9.

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Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 10: Boys Final Four Preview

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After a wild week of “upsets” the GHSA boys Final Four is set. Some teams rose to the occasion while others wilted. Here’s a game-by-game preview of every Final Four matchup this Saturday.