Daniel Kinchen’s red-hot shooting provided a big boost off the bench for Stephenson in the first half, and forwards Montez Sweat and Delmont Walton dominated inside throughout to lead the fourth-ranked Jaguars to a 57-38 victory Thursday over host Allatoona in the Class AAAAA boys basketball quarterfinals.
Stephenson (25-7) will face Warner Robins at 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Fort Valley State. It will be the Jaguars’ first trip to the semifinals since 2005 and second in school history. The loss was second-ranked Allatoona’s first this season against a Georgia team. The Buccaneers end the season 30-2.
Stephenson led 8-3 when Kinchen entered the game midway through the first quarter. He immediately went to work, making three consecutive 3-pointers and then hitting three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, giving the Jaguars a 20-7 lead at the end of the quarter. His short jumper early in the second gave Stephenson a 24-9 lead and gave him 14 of the Jaguars’ 16 points during the run. Kinchen finished with a game-high 16 points.
“Daniel came in and hit some big shots for us,” Stephenson coach Curtis Gilleylen said. “He got real hot and got us into a rhythm and flow.”
Stephenson had a considerable size advantage with a front line that started Sweat (6 feet 7 inches), Walton (6-6) and Tyrell Johnson (6-8), and the Jaguars used it to maintain a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Sweat and Walton combined for 21 points and were a big part of a Stephenson defense that blocked 12 shots and altered several others.
“It feels real good to have them down there because it’s like if someone’s breaking into your house, you know you have that Rottweiler by the door that’s not going to let them get into the bedroom,” Gilleylen said of Sweat and Walton. “They’re a security, and all year they’ve played big for us. They’re carrying us, and hopefully they’ll carry us all the way.”
Sweat injured his ankle trying to get a rebound early in the fourth quarter, and Gilleylen said his status for Saturday’s game has not been determined.
Allatoona cut the deficit to nine points on a free throw by Rodney Brown that made it 40-31 with 1:59 to play in the third quarter, but Stephenson answered with eight consecutive points to put the game away.
Daniel Fowler, Allatoona’s leading scorer during the season, was held to 12 points and made just two field goals in addition to going 8-for-15 on free throws. No other Buccaneer scored in double figures.
“We knew he was a monster and could take over the game,” Gilleylen said. “We knew what he did against M.L. King [29 points in the second round]. We just tried to make life miserable for him, and I think we wore him down.”
Stephenson (57): Juwan Henderson 8, John Bradley 6, Montez Sweat 12, Tyrell Johnson 2, Delmont Walton 9, Tyriq Johnson, Daniel Kinchen 16, Pryce Taylor, Lance Dixon 2, Riakeye Karr 2.
Allatoona (38): Drew Swanson, Bradley Brevet 6, Trey Tshimanga 1, Ephraim Tshimanga 3, Daniel Fowler 12, Shamar Griffin 5, Malik Cornelius 2, Chris Ifill, Rodney Brown 9.
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