By Score Atlanta
Macon - The Houston County Sharks outscored the Gwinnett Heat 16-0 in the sixth and final period to capture their third-straight AAASP/GHSA Wheelchair Basketball state title with a 44-24 victory Friday.
The Sharks opened the game on a 12-0 run and ended the first period with a comfortable 14-2 lead. Jordan Kozloski got Houston County’s first field goal of the game with a putback and then Braxton Robinson fueled the next 12 points with his three assists and three layups. The pace slowed down after the first as the Sharks outscored the Heat 10-6 the next two periods to take a 24-8 halftime lead.
The fourth period saw the ball start to bounce Gwinnett’s way and the Heat outscored the Sharks 6-4 to cut Houston County’s lead to 28-14 entering the fifth. With the deficit shrunk to 14, the Heat’s Robert Berry caught fire in the fifth period and netted six of their 10 points in part of a 10-0 scoring advantage in the period.
“We definitely were nervous after they cut our lead to 28-24,” admitted Houston County coach Stephen Roberson. “But Braxton [Robinson] has really grown into his leadership role this year and he was fantastic in the final period.
Robinson opened the sixth with a quick bucket before Johnson scored the team’s next five points. O’Lando Hicks added three points in the period and then Robinson scored the game-‘s final five points en route to his game-high 17. Berry led the Heat with 12 points.
About the Author
