Class 2A Championship Game Review

Girls

Wesleyan's girls hoops program has become the most dominant program in the state, and might be the most dominant team in any sport right now. It was never a contest for the Lady Wolves against Paideia, which they had already beaten by double-figures earlier in the year, as Wesleyan dismantled the Pythons 79-40. 

This was never a game. Wolves star center/point guard/do-everything player Anne Marie Armstrong didn't hardly have to break a sweat the way her teammates were playing. Armstrong had 40 points in the semifinals win, but left it to guards Erin Hall and Aysia McKenzie to shoot Paideia right out of the gym. Judean Hanks and Chantel Kennedy also helped in executing the Wolves' run-and-gun style, while Hall just hung out around the NBA 3-point line and hit 6-7 treys on the afternoon.

Paideia has a lot to be proud of, upsetting Randolph-Clay to get to the final in the first place. Thing is they ran into one of the best all-around teams in Georgia in the championship. Like I mentioned in my live blog of this game, Wesleyan loses one senior (reserve Carter Johnson) and drops down to Single-A next year. Not fair.

Boys

Howard Thompkins won a mythical national championship at Oak Hill last year (team finished No. 1 in USA Today poll), but something tells me he values this title just a little bit more. The Georgia-bound senior, who wasn't able to play after hurting his back halfway through the second quarter, relished the performances of his teammates down the stretch, becoming the most animated and vocal supporter of the team from the bench. When the game was over and the Wolves had beaten East Laurens 68-51 for the school's first boys title, Thompkins just stood with his arms outstretched, later embracing fellow post-player Erik Strong, who was crying tears of joy. 

How'd they do it? Tanner Smith. The Clemson signeee scored 27 points and dominated the game from the time Thompkins went out. His performance may be the best of the entire playoff season.

Class 2A Boys Championship Game - Wesleyan vs. East Laurens

Final impressions

Smith showed why he's an ACC player. He absolutely took the Wolves on his shoulders and carried them to the win. East Laurens just fouled too much in the second half. They got impatient on offense, committed some costly offensive fouls, and went to the outside shot only when it was too late. It's a shame that the Falcons second loss on the year had to come in the championship game, but that's the way it goes.

The Wolves players can always remember that they walked off the floor to Britney Spears's "Oops I Did it Again" after the first boys state title in school history.

Fourth quarter

Exclamation point: Tanner Smith's breakaway dunk after a steal with 30 seconds to make it a 61-43 final. It's a mob scene. Thompkins stands with his arms in the air, Erik Strong falls to the floor sobbing... Wesleyan has a lot to cheer about.

Down 19 with 2:45 left, East Laurens needs to start attempting some 3s. They can't hit any. Guard Antwan Bailey is trying frantically to hit a trey, but to no avail. With a minute and a half and a 17-point lead, the Wesleyan fans are anticipating a sweep of 2A and the first-ever title for the boys.

Smith posts up again, and lays it up to make it 53-39. A charge on the other end of the court charged to EL, and the Falcons fans are barking at the officiating again. Smith fouled shortly after, and hits one of two free throws to make it 54-39 with 4:58 left. East Laurens has ten team fouls, and seems to be losing a little bit of composure. 

Thompkins has been receiving intermittent treatment from some of the team's trainers, who are stretching out his legs and having him walk around next to the Wesleyan bench.

A charge from East Laurens' Lewis on the other end, and the Falcons have seven team fouls. Dillon McLaughlin hits both free throws after a Falcons reach, and Wesleyan leads by 12 with 5:55 left in the game. EL has not been able to follow up Williams's miracle shot. 

Zac Johnston, sophomore shooting guard for the Wolves, gets a layup for the first points of the quarter for either team. Wolves by 10. After an East Laurens miss, he gets fouled to put the Wolves one foul away from being in the bonus. 

Third quarter

East Laurens trying to fight back, but still trails by 11 with 20 seconds left in the third. After a Wesleyan turnover, Williams hits a halfcourt shot from right in front of the press table with no time on the clock. With the view I had, it looked good as soon as it left his hand. Wesleyan by only eight points, 45-37, after the buzzer beater, and now the Falcons fans are on their feet. This could be an interesting fourth quarter.

Tanner Smith is a man. He keeps the ball in his hands, looks like he's going to set up the offense, then dribbles through the EL defense for a contested lay-in. Down the court, he throws up his arms to incite the Wesleyan crowd. Needless to say, it worked. My ears hurt. Next Wolves possession, Smith pulls up for a 10-footer. East Laurens coach Jimmy Williams decides he's seen enough for the time being, and calls a full timeout. Thompkins limps to the Wesleyan huddle. 43-32 Wolves.

Boy, has the pace picked up. Up and down the court. East Laurens is attacking the basket a lot more with Thompkins out, but may be getting a little overzealous. Williams picks up a charge at the 4:07 mark.

Expect to see a lot of Tanner Smith in the second half. Aside from handling the ball, he should be in the post a lot more. He just posted up an EL guard and got a layup.

East Laurens' Bailey gets the hoop and foul on a stick back, but airballs the free throw. Cue the Wesleyan cheering section. 35-25 Wesleyan with six minutes in the quarter.

Thompkins looks like he wants to play, and is still on the Wesleyan bench at the start of the half. But the way he's walking, I wouldn't expect to see him.

Second quarter

Wesleyan is up 33-21 at the half, but star big man Thompkins is the last to get to the locker room and is requiring a lot of help to get there. Don't want to guess the nature or severity of the injury, but it doesn't look like he's going to play anymore today.

Thompkins is up, but in obvious pain. He's walking slowly back to the bench and, clearly, is not going to attempt these free throws. We'll keep you updated.

Thompkins gets undercut (accidentally, of course) by an East Laurens defender after trying to bring down an offensive rebound. He hit the ground flat on his back and has been down for a good three or four minutes. 

Thompkins banks in an eight-footer over two defenders. The Falcons are missing layups and wide-open 3s, something they weren't doing in the first quarter. The Wesleyan lead has ballooned to 12 at 31-19.

Tanner Smith is taking over the game. He just hit a 3 and took it coast-to-coast for a layup and foul. Hits the free throw to make it 29-19 with 2 minutes to go in the half.

Chris Sephus of East Laurens with a nice, hang-in-the-air drive to get it past Thompkins. 18-13 Wolves.

Jimmy Williams airballs a shot, and the Wesleyan crowd lets him hear it. Tanner Smith gets his first two points of the game on a tough post move. He's got a good inside-outside game, and can handle the ball as well. Right as I'm typing this, he leads the break and dishes to guard Michael Cornelius for the transition bucket. 17-11 Wesleyan with 5:40 left.

Both crowds need a break after the first quarter; they've been animated, to say the least. If you're watching on TV or following the GPB stream online, you know what I'm talking about. We're ready for more basketball. Wesleyan to inbound.

First quarter

The East Laurens fans are REALLY upset with some of the calls that have gone against the Falcons lately... tied 11-11 at the end of the opening period.

Thompkins blocks his first shot of the game on Terrance Strong's attempt, and the Wolves score on the next possession to make it 8-6 EL. 

Out of the timeout, Williams sends the Falcons fans into a frenzy with a layup. 

Ken Taylor, 6-5 senior shooting guard, puts the Falcons up 4-1 with a jumper. Williams with a steal off a Thompkins pass on the next possession, passes to Taylor for an uncontested layup in transition. 6-1 EL going into the game's first TV timeout.

East Laurens wins the tip, and Jimmy Williams, Jr., the coach's son, gets a layup off his own miss. 2-0 Falcons. 

More random pre-game musings...

So the Centreplex staff (or GHSA, or whoever) has really pulled out all the stops for the warmup music. Listening to LFO's "Summer Girls" right now... Next up it's something that sounds like Backstreet Boys, but after a quick Google search I find out it's 5ive, a British boy band from the late 90s. Notice a pattern here?

Ok, how about some real basketball analysis? On first sight, and with a cursory glance at the roster, East Laurens is clearly going to be at a disadvantage in the post. Howard Thompkins of Wesleyan, at 6-9, is two inches taller than any of East Laurens' kids. The Wolves have five players 6-5 or taller, the Falcons from Dublin, Georgia have two.

Advantages (purely guesses at this point): 

Quickness: East Laurens

Shooting: Wesleyan

Experience: Wesleyan

Size: Wesleyan

Thompkins is headed to Georgia next year, and 6-5 Tanner Smith to Clemson for the Wolves, so edge also goes to the Norcross school in terms of high-profile talent. East Laurens also has a pretty decent collection of fans here; wonder if they picked up any supporters from crosstown rival Dublin High, which lost to Wesleyan in the semifinals? 

2A Girls Championship Game - Paideia vs. Wesleyan

Final impressions

Paideia was a bit of a surprise to make it this far, but can take a lot away from this playoff season in which they defeated powerhouse Randolph-Clay to get to the finals. Wesleyan, in my eyes, cements a dynasty in girls basketball, and get this: they only lose ONE SENIOR, Carter Johnson (who, after her spill in the second quarter, was fine, by the way). Preseason No. 1, anybody?

Fourth quarter

79-40 is your final score. The Wolves win their fourth title in five years.

Aneesah Daniels hits two free throws for Paideia with 30 seconds left. She has been the star for the Pythons.

Credit to the Paideia fanbase, which was loudest at the end of the game. The Wolves fans were also really enthusiastic about seeing their reserves get into the game for the final minute and a half or so.

Maybe the prettiest play of the game: Judean Hanks of the Wolves lobs the ball for a stationary Hall, who jumps, catches the ball, and lofts up a nice eight-footer all before coming back down  

Paideia's star center Kaci Palmore, who we haven't heard much from in this game, gets a layup. With 2:43, she gets another one. Hopefully the senior can get a few more points before her career is over. Score is 71-34. 

Very quietly, Anne Marie Armstrong is having herself a heck of a championship game. But Erin Hall is showing me that she can carry a team with her long-range shooting. She just drained another deep, deep trey at the 4:30 mark. Next Wolves possession she hits another one. Unbelievable.

Third quarter

A pretty sizable crowd is already settled in to watch the Wesleyan boys take on East Laurens right after this one. On a completely unrelated note, what looks to be one of the girls team's managers is on the bench wearing an all-white suit. Looking good, man. Looking good.

Armstrong with another swat. The Wolves are slowing things down a little bit on offense, but the defense is as intense as ever. Abraham scores another two down low for Paideia, however, and Walker follows with a layup on the next possession for the Pythons. The deficit is still at 34

Alex Abraham, 5-10 sophomore for Paideia, gets the hoop and the foul. She hits the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play. The Pythons turn on the pressure after the made free throw, but Wesleyan breaks the press and Baughn draws a foul. 59-24 with the free throws.

Timeout Wesleyan at the 3:39 mark. Jan Azar didn't like the offense, apparently, which was stagnating a little bit. Hard to complain with a 34-point lead, however.

Speaking of Erin Hall, she just hit a 3 from beyond the NBA arc. Impressive. It's 52-19 in the first few minutes of the third. A minute later, it's Hall again from deep.

Halftime impressions

Armstrong is the best player on the court, but it's Wesleyan's guard play and outside shooting that's dominated the game so far.

There is one girl (or several girls, it's hard to tell) in the Wesleyan crowd that scream their heads off during every Paideia free throw. The rest of the student section just covers their ears.

Asked a Wesleyan parent if Erin Hall is related to Chad Hall, former Wolves basketball and football standout who just finished his collegiate football career at Air Force. The two are cousins.

Second quarter

Paideia's Alana Pulliam hits one of two free throws to make it 43-17. At the VERY LAST, and I mean VERY LAST second of the half, Wesleyan's McKenzie hits a layup to make it 47-17. Paideia will absolutely have to find more offense than Aneesah Daniels if they want to put up more points in the second half. But you'll have to excuse me for a second; I can't hear myself think because of the ovation the Wesleyan boys just got as they ran on for a shootaround.

Wesleyan's Carter Johnson is down momentarily, shaken up after a run-in with Paideia's Daniels. With a little help, she makes it to the bench. It's not a leg injury; just looks like she took a shot.

Hall with another trey, score is now 41-13 with a minute and a half remaining in the second.

Paideia's Daniels gets a transition layup, but Wesleyan strikes right back with an easy bucket from Chantel Kennedy. They can really punish you for not getting back on defense. The score stands at 31-9 with 3:36 left in the half.

Armstrong with a HUGE block on a Paideia big on one end of the flooer, beginning a fast break that she ends off a rebound and put-back.

I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but I believe Armstrong is 0-2 from the floor. Wesleyan just has more weapons at their disposal than Paideia. As I type this, sophomore Judean Hanks hits a three to make it 26-7. After a steal on the inbounds, Armstrong gets the ball down low and gets fouled. She makes one free throw to push it to 27-7. 

This Wesleyan team is deadly from the outside. Sophomore Erin Hall is the latest Lady Wolf to show off a very effective jumper, making it 23-6 with a 15-footer.

Wesleyan gets the ball at the start of the second, and Grace Leah Baughn ends up getting free for an easy layup. Whether Armstrong is trying to post up or hanging around the perimeter, she draws attention.

First quarter

Paideia has made it very clear what their defensive strategy is: double team Armstrong. They're denying her the ball, alright, but are getting killed from the outside. Paideia center Aneesah Daniels takes a hard fall, but steps to the free throw line. She misses both, but after a scramble for the rebound, ends up taking the last shot of the quarter, an airball three. Paideia will try to regroup after a rough first period. 17-6 Wesleyan.

Another sweet jumper from McKenzie makes it 15-2, and a layup from Hayley Hughes makes it 17-2. 

FINALLY! Paideia gets on the board with a layup, but not after Wesleyan scored the game's first 13 points. 

Paideia better be careful; they're down 11-0 to start the game and just turned the ball over. Timeout Pythons.

McKenzie with another nice 3-pointer. She's got a great looking shot. Armstrong can run, pass and rebound. She's very versatile. 

Wesleyan's Aysia McKenzie hits a jumper for the first points of the game. 3-0 Wolves.

Anne Marie Armstrong easily won the tip. Both teams look a little too eager at the start of the game, as they are missing a lot of shots and playing a little sloppy. I think they'll settle down once they ease into things.