High-flying Miller Grove ran away from McIntosh and is headed back to the state championship game one year after having its run of six state championships snapped.
Senior guard Alterique Gilbert scored 21 points, leading the Wolverines to 72-52 rout of a quality McIntosh squad on Saturday in a Class AAAAA semifinal at Columbus State University.
The Wolverines will face undefeated Allatoona (31-0) at 8 p.m. Friday, in Macon. It’s the seventh trip to the championship game in the last eight seasons for coach Sharman White’s program. They were upended by Warner Robins last season, and that loss appears to be fueling Miller Grove’s current run.
“We’ve had a chip on our shoulder all season,” White said.
McIntosh senior guard Jordan Lyons scored 21 points and kept the Chiefs in the game early. Miller Grove led by only seven at halftime and by 11 heading into the fourth quarter. But the Wolverines scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, and Gilbert, a 6-1 guard who’s headed to Connecticut, threw down his second two-handed reverse dunk with three minutes left to seal the win.
Winning so often hasn’t taken away any of the enjoyment for Miller Grove. The coaching staff was celebrating on the bench, and the players could barely hold off on letting loose as the final second ticked off and chants of “We’re going to the ’ship” broke out in the stands.
Senior forward Dishon Lowery scored 15 points, and senior point guard Will Washington scored eight points for the Chiefs, who rallied from a big halftime deficit to beat Riverwood in the quarterfinals on Friday. There would be no rally against Miller Grove.
Senior power forward Raylon Richardson scored 17 points, and heady senior point guard Aaron Augustin added 16 points for the Wolverines.
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