Here are the Saturday updates from the holiday basketball tournaments across the state with updates from Georgia teams playing in national events as well.
Tournament of Champions at Wheeler: It took five overtimes for Chattahoochee to seal its 93-90 victory over Greenforest in a thrilling final game at the Tournament of Champions. With 13.3 seconds left in regulation, Chattahoochee inbounded the ball to Cameron Sheffield. Greenforest tried a double-team but relaxed the second man allowing Sheffield to square up, jab step and release a shot without taking a dribble which tied the game at 64 with eigth seconds left. Greenforest drove the floor but the lay-in bounced around and out which sent the game to overtime. Chattahoochee guard A.J. White forced a second overtime with a straight-away 3-pointer. Again, Greenforest drove the floor but the 3-point attempt was unsuccessful. Greenforest's RJ Noord forced the third overtime with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 78. Chattahoochee took control on an inbounds pass with 34.4 seconds left in the fifth overtime. The quick lay-in put Chattahoochee up 91-90 and it sealed the victory by eating up the clock with quality passing which forced Greenforest to foul with 1.9 seconds left. North Atlanta's Messiah Thompson scored a career-high 43 points in North Atlanta's 74-60 victory over Lakewood, SC. Thompson added six assists and three rebounds. North Atlanta also found production from Joshua Johnson, Jarontez Garrett and Andrew Robinson in the victory. Pace Academy was led by Madison Durr's 16 points in its 65-60 victory over Holy Innocents'. Newton took third place with an 81-77 victory over Southwest DeKalb. The Rams placed Tre Clark and Amani Harris on the All-Tournament team.
Sweet South Classic at Morgan County: Hosting Morgan County won both sides of the tournament. On the boys side, Morgan defeated Greene County 91-56. Tyrin Lawrence earned MVP honors and Stevin Greene was an all-tournament selection. For the girls, after defeating Lambert 70-32 on Friday, Morgan County defeated Veterans 69-54 to win the 2018 edition of the event. Lou Reid was named the tournament MVP and averaged 20 points per game. Miranda Powell was named to the all-tournament team with a 16-point average.
Lanierland at Chestatee: In the Lanierland boys bracket, Gainesville defeated East Hall (70-62) in the championship game to win their third-straight Lanierland title. The Red Elephants led by just a point at the break before opening the lead with a 17-7 run in the third quarter to seize control. Rafael Rubel won tournament MVP honors for Gainesville. The Red Elephants moved past Cherokee Bluff and LakeviewAcademy to earn its berth in the title game. Lakeview won third place with a 74-44 victory over North Hall behind a 13-point performance from Adam Cottrell. Holden Cooper scored 12 points and Arturo Varela added 10 points.
On the girls side, Flowery Branch won its fourth-straight Lanierland crown following its 48-23 victory over North Hall. Ashley Scott scored 15 points to lead scorers. Caroline Wysocki added six points with five assists and four steals. Flowery Branch moved past Cherokee Bluff and Chestatee to earn its berth in the title game. Gainesville took third place with a victory over Chestatee after moving past East Hall in the opening game on Thursday.
Lake City Classic at Allatoona: Defending state champion Warner Robins defeated Cedar Grove 68-50 after leading 33-21 at the break. Baldwin defeated Chamblee 78-49. Allatoona beat Lanier in overtime 62-59 after leading 12-8 after the first quarter. At the half, hosting Allatoona was up 31-19 before the game was tied at 57 ending regulation. Eagles Landing Christian beat Mill Creek 76-59 after leading 41-31 at the half. Hillgrove stretched its 36-28 halftime lead into a 60-59 come-from-behind victory. Kell beat Therrell 67-63 after leading 34-26 at the half to earn a berth in the championship game Monday night.
Pope Christmas Tournament: The hosts had their say in the tournament as both the girls and boys team took the titles. On the boys side, Pope defeated Parkview 65-60. Ross Shepherd led with 24 points. Micah Paulk finished with 18 points. For the girls, Pope defeated Hillgrove 51-47 behind a 14-point performance from Abby McKinley, which led all scorers. Cheyenne Holloman added 13 points, Talia Cloud scored 11 points and Kara McKierman finished with 10.
About the Author
