State tournament: Tucker boys advance to AAAA final

Christopher Kingsberry is going to need a new haircut.

Kingsberry, a Tucker junior, wore his excitement about being in the Class AAAA Final Four on the side of his head, with the phrase “Final Four” carved into his Mohawk fade.

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Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Kerrick Metoyer, left, and Tucker got past Jonathan Taylor and Bainbridge in the AAAA semifinals Wednesday at the Gwinnett Arena.

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His 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter broke a 49-49 tie, and Tucker (20-8) advanced to the title game with a 72-66 victory against Bainbridge (27-4).

Kingsberry’s hair grabbed some attention, but it was the play of his senior teammate, Manny Atkins, that stole the show. Atkins, who has signed with Virginia Tech, led all scorers with 28 points, including 10-of-12 at the free-throw line. Bainbridge held a 28-17 lead midway through the second quarter, but Tucker went on a 16-9 run to close the half trailing by four, 37-33.

“We knew they lived and died shooting from the outside, and we knew they would hit some shots,” said Tucker head coach James Hartry, who led the Tigers to a state title in 2007. “But we knew they would get tired shooting over all those long arms we have, and I think they did.”

Tucker came out of Region 6-AAAA with another Final Four team, Miller Grove, which defeated the Tigers twice this season. At one point, Tucker lost five games in a row, including its first three region games.

“This team hasn’t quit all year,” Hartry said. “They don’t get enough credit for their heart and for their [3.3 grade-point average]. I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”