Wilkinson County rode one of the tallest lineups in Georgia to its 12th state title Friday, beating Hancock Central 55-42 in the Class A Public Boys final at the Macon Coliseum.
Greg Couson, a 6-foot-7 junior center, led the Warriors (26-6) with 16 points and 18 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive end, and three blocked shots. Aaron Geter III, son of head coach Aaron Geter Jr., added 10 points. Jonathan Baehre, a 6-9 senior, had nine points, eight rebounds and four blocks..
“(Couson) has been up and down but tonight on the big stage he played well,” Wilkinson County coach Aaron Geter said. “He’s a very good player. He had an opportunity to get some easy scores early, which I think helped his confidence, especially defensively. He really gives us a presence down there.
Hancock Central (24-7) was led by Martravious Smith with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Phillipe Scott had 11 points and four rebounds before fouling out. Alex Brooks added 10 points.
It was the third time the two Middle Georgia powers have met this season, with each team winning one time.
Wilkinson County used an 8-0 spurt, which began with a pair of fast-break baskets by guard Aaron Geter III, and went ahead 22-16 with 3:34 left in the first half. The Warriors continued to attack the basket and their bigs responded with three straight tipins, two by Cousin and one by Baehre, en route a 28-23 halftime lead.
“When you have a team that will sell out and try to get the ball after you rebound it, you have an opportunity to get out and run and our kids did a great job outletting the ball and looking down the floor, which led to some easy baskets,” Geter said.
Wilkinson used a 6-1 spurt midway through the third period to take a 38-28 lead with 3:28 remaining. The Warriors led 11 when Baehe scored on a rebound to make it 42-31. Wilkinson County was ahead 42-33 after three quarters.
Hancock got within seven points at 42-35 after a layup by Martravious Smith. But Scott fouled out the next trip down the floor and the Bulldogs never got that close again.
Geter said, “To see these kids overcome adversity and see it culminate with a state championship is very exciting to me.”
It was also gratifying for Geter to have his son on the team. Aaron III played little during 2014, when the Warrors won their last title, and missed last year’s playoff run when he broke his wrist in a shootaround on the morning of the region championship game.
“His mother and I talk about it all the time, how blessed we are,” Geter said. “I’ve had the opportunity over 30 years to coach a lot of other people’s kids, so it’s a pleasure to be able to coach my own. It’s a pleasure to see him bounce back from that (injury) and play as he did tonight.”
Wilkinson County (55): Aaron Geter III 10, Ontario Coats 6, Larry Jones 8, Greg Couson 18, Clarence Jackson 2, Jonathan Baehre 9, Jadaveon Jones 1, Derrick Wilcher.
Hancock Central (42): Alex Brooks 10, Devonjia Tucker 4, Martravious Smith 13, Phillipe Scott 11, Dallis Meminger 4, Brandon Sibert, Jamiyah Fountain.
