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.
Showing posts with label Wilkinson County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wilkinson County. Show all posts
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
1A semifinal preview
From Score Atlanta reporter Jason Boral:
It seems everywhere you look in the semis for the 1A tournament there are contrasting styles that will make the chase for the championship very interesting.
After almost allowing a historic comeback in the quarters, Hancock Central must respond and take on one of the best players at any classification in Portal’s David Buchannon. Buchannon is excellent at controlling the tempo of the game which puts his team in the right position to be victorious. On the other side, Hancock has the talented big man Kammeon Holsey. It’s always great to see two contrasting styles try and force their style of play on the other; the one who can do it first usually wins.
The other boys matchup, Wilkinson vs. Turner County, is probably the most exciting the semifinal round has seen since … well, last year when these two teams last met. Both teams have deep benches and rely on them heavily to win. Just thinking about all the subs and fast-paced play gets me pumped up, like if I was sucking down a Red Bull or something. I think if Wilkinson’s Justin Stubbs can make his 3-pointers, Turner will have a tough time keeping up.
Two of the best teams in the last few years meet in the semis of the girls bracket. Both SW Atlanta Christian and Terrell County have a state title in the last three state tournaments. The game also touts one of the most talented players in the state in Terrell’s Monshay Thomas. I could probably devote an entire blog to what she’s done in her career and she is definitely worth the price of admission, but I’ll just leave at she’s good – real good. SW Atlanta is no slouch however, they just rely more on collective scoring. Five players scored in double figures in their quarterfinal win, expect much of the same against Terrell.
To close out the bracket, you have a youthful team in Towns County who loves to score. But it will be an interesting matchup with Calvary Day as they have talented post players and can slow any offense down.
Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
It seems everywhere you look in the semis for the 1A tournament there are contrasting styles that will make the chase for the championship very interesting.
After almost allowing a historic comeback in the quarters, Hancock Central must respond and take on one of the best players at any classification in Portal’s David Buchannon. Buchannon is excellent at controlling the tempo of the game which puts his team in the right position to be victorious. On the other side, Hancock has the talented big man Kammeon Holsey. It’s always great to see two contrasting styles try and force their style of play on the other; the one who can do it first usually wins.
The other boys matchup, Wilkinson vs. Turner County, is probably the most exciting the semifinal round has seen since … well, last year when these two teams last met. Both teams have deep benches and rely on them heavily to win. Just thinking about all the subs and fast-paced play gets me pumped up, like if I was sucking down a Red Bull or something. I think if Wilkinson’s Justin Stubbs can make his 3-pointers, Turner will have a tough time keeping up.
Two of the best teams in the last few years meet in the semis of the girls bracket. Both SW Atlanta Christian and Terrell County have a state title in the last three state tournaments. The game also touts one of the most talented players in the state in Terrell’s Monshay Thomas. I could probably devote an entire blog to what she’s done in her career and she is definitely worth the price of admission, but I’ll just leave at she’s good – real good. SW Atlanta is no slouch however, they just rely more on collective scoring. Five players scored in double figures in their quarterfinal win, expect much of the same against Terrell.
To close out the bracket, you have a youthful team in Towns County who loves to score. But it will be an interesting matchup with Calvary Day as they have talented post players and can slow any offense down.
Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Class A quarterfinals preview
From Score Atlanta reporter Jason Boral:
As for great matchups, both Whitefield Academy and Hancock Central won on the road on Tuesday, meaning one of their seasons will end when they play each other at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. We will have three No. 1 seeds one No. 2 seed in the Final Four for the boys.
On the other side of the bracket, all-state candidate David Buchannon led the Portal Panthers into the quarterfinals to face Terrell County. Buchannon reminded most of a reversible jacket, working well inside and out while scoring 25 points. His one-man show will have to be at its peak if the Panthers want to defeat Terrell.
Terrell County probably earned the sweetest victory on the girls side by beating Treutlen. Not only did they earn a spot in the Elite 8 against Savannah Country Day, they avenged last year's season-ending loss at the hands of Treutlen. The Greenwaves of Terrell boast two players who aren't strangers to the 20+ points-a-game category in Monshay Thomas and Shayla Jester. But against Savannah Country Day, the points will be tougher to come by because of their stellar defense.
We all know that while defense wins championships, it's offense that sells tickets. Meaning, the game between the Southwest Atlanta Christian and Gordon Lee girls should have a packed house. SWAC brings to the table the "Three Amigos" of offense with Latanya Scott, Briana Brown, and Mariah Eaves, who all scored in double digits in their second-round victory. On the other bench, don't take your eyes off Kori Penland. She might be more machine than girl, scoring over 38 points multiple times this season.
Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
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