From Score Atlanta reporter Jason Boral:
Sometimes it pays to be wrong. Up until the finals, I had professed the lack of close games throughout the 1A basketball tournament. However, it seemed once the calendar turned to March, the madness invariably ensued. In the boys final, the biggest challenge for Turner County was how they were going to stop Hancock Central’s Kammeon Holsey. They did a good job in the first half as they kept Holsey from establishing himself on the inside and only trailed 22-20 at the half. Turner then started the second half with a bang, running a set play to Demetreius Ewing in which he dunked the ball on an alley-oop from Marquis Jackson. When that happened, I really thought Turner had gotten over the hump and they would take the title. But give Hancock credit, as they were finally able to establish Holsey inside. Doing so helped build a four-point lead with 30 seconds to go, a lead they did their best to give away. After two Turner free throws cut the lead to two, Hancock through the ball away on a turnover leaving Turner’s Todd Lawson wide open for a 3-pointer to win the game, which hit the back iron and fell safely to the court. Hancock wins 49-45.
It was much of the same excitement in the girls final between Calvary Day and Terrell County. In pre-game, Terrell seemingly had a huge advantage as they outsized the girls from Calvary all along the interior, however, Calvary used their speed and agility to their advantage late to get open shots. Calvary’s Natalie Paris was the best example, as she hit three 3-pointers from NBA range. For Terrell, it was once again the Monshay Thomas Show as she scored 26 of her team’s 48 points. It was the defense that really did Terrell in, however. They switched from man to zone throughout the game but Calvary was still able to move the ball and find open spots, which usually were behind the arc. Calvary wins 57-48.
Jason Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
Showing posts with label Class 1A. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Class 1A. Show all posts
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Class 1A Finals preview
From Score Atlanta reporter Jason Boral:
Down-to-the-wire finishes, this was the only thing missing from the Class A boys basketball tournament up until Wednesday night. Now, that’s something you can scratch off the list. Five points in two games is what separated the winners and losers in the Final Four in Macon, Ga.
First up to the plate was Portal and Hancock Central. Bulldogs star Kammeon Holsey scored 32 points and led Hancock Central to a great start which earned them an 11-point halftime lead. In the second half, with the help of the sharp shooting of Thomas Busby (six 3-pointers), Portal pulled ahead of Hancock. Portal then committed two fouls, one offensive and defensive, in the last 30 seconds to allow Hancock to tie the game and create overtime. In overtime, Hancock went 7 of 12 from the charity stripe to win 87-84.
The next game, while not going into overtime, brought the most excitement as the reigning A champions Wilkinson County fell to Turner County 52-50. Turner County turned up the defense and held the Warriors to their lowest point-total in two years. Demetrius Ewing led the way with 19 points. It will be exciting to see how Turner tries to stop big Holsey in the finals on Saturday.
On the girls side, the results were a little less surprising, but did set up a match any Georgia basketball fan will be excited for. Possibly the best player in the state, Monshay Thomas, led Terrell County, scoring 19 points and securing a 56-49 victory over SW Atlanta. Her play single-handedly brought the Greenwaves into the finals as she pushed her team passed poor free throw shooting and rebounding.
On the other side of the bracket, the prototypical team will be looking to knock off Thomas in her swan song as a high school player. Calvary Day was carried by Katie Covington who scored 29 in the 50-37 victory over Towns County. Although Covington was the focal point here, Calvary has one of the most balanced all-around squads and plays great defense. The finals will match the will of one team versus the talent of another.
Jason Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
Down-to-the-wire finishes, this was the only thing missing from the Class A boys basketball tournament up until Wednesday night. Now, that’s something you can scratch off the list. Five points in two games is what separated the winners and losers in the Final Four in Macon, Ga.
First up to the plate was Portal and Hancock Central. Bulldogs star Kammeon Holsey scored 32 points and led Hancock Central to a great start which earned them an 11-point halftime lead. In the second half, with the help of the sharp shooting of Thomas Busby (six 3-pointers), Portal pulled ahead of Hancock. Portal then committed two fouls, one offensive and defensive, in the last 30 seconds to allow Hancock to tie the game and create overtime. In overtime, Hancock went 7 of 12 from the charity stripe to win 87-84.
The next game, while not going into overtime, brought the most excitement as the reigning A champions Wilkinson County fell to Turner County 52-50. Turner County turned up the defense and held the Warriors to their lowest point-total in two years. Demetrius Ewing led the way with 19 points. It will be exciting to see how Turner tries to stop big Holsey in the finals on Saturday.
On the girls side, the results were a little less surprising, but did set up a match any Georgia basketball fan will be excited for. Possibly the best player in the state, Monshay Thomas, led Terrell County, scoring 19 points and securing a 56-49 victory over SW Atlanta. Her play single-handedly brought the Greenwaves into the finals as she pushed her team passed poor free throw shooting and rebounding.
On the other side of the bracket, the prototypical team will be looking to knock off Thomas in her swan song as a high school player. Calvary Day was carried by Katie Covington who scored 29 in the 50-37 victory over Towns County. Although Covington was the focal point here, Calvary has one of the most balanced all-around squads and plays great defense. The finals will match the will of one team versus the talent of another.
Jason Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
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