By Score Atlanta
The first half saw eight lead changes before Class AAAAA No. 1-ranked Miller Grove boys took control of the game and handed No. 3 M.L. King a 61-55 defeat. The visiting Lions led Miller Grove (19-3, 11-0 in Region 6) 12-10 at the end of the first quarter and held starting point guard Alterique Gilbert scoreless but the four-star junior would erupt in the second quarter and lead with a team-high 27 points. Miller Grove's Lamont West tied the game at 14-14 with an early second quarter tip-in and then Gilbert got it going with back-to-back threes to spark a 19-12 scoring advantage in the quarter.
M.L. King (16-4, 8-2) kept in the game with the sharp shooting of Jordan Martin, who knocked down 14 first half points and finished tied with Gilbert for a game-high 27 and five made 3-pointers.
"We wanted to take away the paint because they are a ferocious team on the glass,” said Miller Grove head coach Sharman White. “We gave up some shots in the perimeter but M.L.K. does a great job rebounding and we wanted to take that part away.”
Miller Grove extended its lead to 41-35 entering the fourth quarter but the Lions climbed back and cut the deficit to 48-46. However, M.L. King committed turnovers on four-straight possessions and the six-time defending state champions took advantage of the miscues and reclaimed a 57-46 lead before icing the game with clutch foul shooting.
Lambert 69, Chattahoochee 51: Tanner Hall scored 24 points and Ross Morkem added 14 as the Longhorns (17-3, 12-10 knocked off the Cougars (11-8, 5-7) in Region 6-AAAAAA play. Marcus Sheffield led visiting Chattahoochee with 15 points while Taffy Tela pitched in 11 in the loss.
Pace Academy 71, GAC 40: In a Region 6-AA matchup, No. 1 Pace Academy rolled at home against No. 5 GAC. Wendell Carter Jr. posted a double-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and also blocked five shots for the Knights (17-2, 9-0). Elijah Holifield scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Zack Kaminsky added 12 points. GAC (11-7, 6-3) received 12 points from Eric Jamison.
Norcross 72, Collins Hill 61: In Region 7-AAAAAA, No. 5 Norcross (16-3, 8-1) received big play from Ricky Madison and Rayshaun Hammonds to take down host No. 7 Collins Hill (16-4, 6-3). Madison scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Hammonds scored 18 and notched nine boards. Devin Watson scored 17 points for the Eagles. Kai Lambert and Jalen Mitchell posted 11 a piece.
Blessed Trinity 58, Washington 49: No. 8 Blessed Trinity (16-4, 6-0) held on at home against Washington (6-13, 1-5) in Region 4-AAA. John Michael Bertrand scored 17 points and Jackson Svete added 15 for the Titans. Washington was led by Antwarn Sanders who scored a game-high 22.
South Atlanta 59, Cedar Grove 49: Visiting No. 9 South Atlanta was able to upend No. 3 Cedar Grove in a Region 4-AAA crossover game behind Marteveous Favors who scored 15 and Orlando Bebee's 12 points off four 3-pointers. The Hornets move to 15-4 overall and remain 3-1 in region. Cedar Grove (14-3, 5-0) was led by Jacara Cross and Christopher Fredrick who scored 16 and 12 respectively.
Dacula 74, South Gwinnett 70: The Falcons (13-5, 7-2) picked a big Region 8-AAAAAA road win against the Comets, who fall to 12-7 overall and 5-5 in region play. Kevon Tucker scored 22 points and Derek St. Hilaire added 18 to pace Dacula. Keshawn Gibbs added 16 points and seven rebounds while Shayne Buckingham ripped down 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. South Gwinnett was led by Roberto Gallinat's game-high 31 and Aaron Udell's 21 points.
East Jackson 64, Jackson County 57: The Eagles picked up their third win in Region 8-AAA and advance to 11-8 overall and 3-6 in region. Sidney Henderson led East Jackson with 17 points and Drue Drinnon finished with 16. The Panthers received 17 points from Joel Ellis and 16 from Malique Wade in the road loss. Jackson County drops to 3-17 overall and 0-8 in region.
LaGrange 67, Northside-Columbus 55: LaGrange advanced to 14-5 overall and 5-1 in Region 1-AAAAA after Rico Smith scored a game-high 28 points to lead the way. Gabe Duckett added 13 on the night for the Grangers. Visiting No. 7 Northside (12-4, 4-2) was led by Davion Thomas and Phillip Whittington who scored 19 and 16 points respectively.
Milton 54, Woodstock 51: Host Woodstock's comeback bid fell short after trailing by 15 at the half as the Wolverines (5-15, 2-10) dropped in Region 5-AAAAAA play. Milton, now 11-8 overall and 8-3 in region, holds third place in Region 5. Alex O'Connell led all scorers with 20 points in the win. Jordan Burrow chipped in 13 for the Eagles. Tyreke Johnson scored 16 and Alex Trammel added 15 in the loss for Woodstock.
South Paulding 61, Villa Rica 40: The Spartans (14-5, 8-4) picked up an important win at home which now hands them sole possession of second place in Region 5-AAAAA. Joe Williams scored 15 points and Kane Williams scored 12 and finished with six assists to lead the charge for South Paulding. Justus McWilliams finished with 13 points to pace the Wildcats.
Douglas County 74, Campbell 58: Region 3-AAAAAA saw No. 8 Douglas County pull away after a wild game of runs. The Tigers (15-4, 8-1) led 26-10 after the first quarter, but Campbell was able to rally and eventually took a 34-33 lead at half. The Spartans would go on to lead by as many as 10 at 47-37, but one last Tiger run put the game away for good. Douglas County was balanced across the board with Corey Tillery finishing with 19 points, while Brandon Robinson scored 17—10 coming in the fourth. Kalen Clifton and K'Ja Johnson also scored 16 and 15 for the Tigers. For Campbell, it was Laz Walker with 22 points to lead all scorers. Mike Olmert flirted with a triple-double posting 21 points, seven steals, and eight assists in the loss.
Johnson-Gainesville 82, North Oconee 66: Ty Cockfield exploded again for No. 2 Johnson-Gainesville (19-0, 4-0) with 44 points. Mitchell Dunham added 15 and Andrew Sims netted 12 points and seven rebounds to help the Knights remain undefeated in Region 8-AAAA. The visiting Titans (7-11, 2-3) received a huge night as well, as Ethan Dobberstein went for 40 points in the loss while Matthew Quint chipped in 12.
Girls
St Pius 51, Columbia 37: Asia Durr had 43 points and top-ranked St. Pius moves to 13-0 in Region 6-AAAA and 18-1 on the season. Columbia (10-7, 6-6) was led by Malisha Harris and Amanda Thompkins, both with seven points.
Alexander 51, Allatoona 47 (OT): Allatoona's Ann Wilson hit a three-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to send the it to overtime but Alexander put the game away in OT. Alexander (11-8 overall and 9-3 in region 5-AAAAAA) was led by Claudia Hester and Kiara Watson, both with 11 points. Imari Montalvo added 11. Allatoona (7-12, 6-6) was led by Wilson with 14 points.
GAC 60, Pace Academy 48: Cadden Price led the way for GAC (7-10, 4-4 in Region 6-AA) with 17 points followed by Lexi Mann with 14 points and Caria Reynolds with 12. Hannah Ferry led Pace (5-13, 0-7) with 19 points and Lauren Hadley had eight.
Harrison 67, Hillgrove 60: Harrison (14-5, 6-3 in Region 4-AAAAAA) had four players in double figures. Sydne Wiggins was tops with 18 points followed by Kaylyn Brooks and Raicheal Tringali, who both had 11 and Tobi Wughiren finished with 10. Hillgrove (10-8, 4-5) was led by Tene Thompson with 25 points.
Norcross 48, Collins Hill 29: Ninth-ranked Norcross improved its record to 17-3 overall and 8-1 in region 7-AAAAAA. Taylor Mason and Ty Gillespie led the way, both with 10 points. Nia Lee paced Collins Hill (10-10, 3-6) with seven points, all on free-throws.
Osborne 59, Kennesaw Mountain 31: Second-ranked Osborne (18-2, 8-0 in Region 7-AAAAAA) continued their winning ways with Nikira Goings going for 15 points and Astavea McCowann added 10. Kennesaw (10-10, 2-8) got eight points from Anna Stewart.
South Gwinnett 59, Dacula 33: South Gwinnett (9-10, 2-8 in Region 8-AAAAAA) was paced by Alexis Lewis with 16 points followed by Taylor Harris with 13 points. Dacula (10-8, 14-15) was led by Jonnae Johnson with 14 points.
Woodstock 72, Milton 27: Kennedy Montgomery had 17 points for 10th ranked Woodstock (19-0, 12-0 in region 5-AAAAAA). Milton (3-14, 3-8) was led by McKenna Bruckman with nine points.
Miller Grove 57, M.L. King 44: Miller Grove's Imani Richardson ignited in the second half, scoring 17 of her game-high 21 points to lead the host Wolverines (11-7, 8-2 in Region 6AAAAA) past M.L. King (1-18, 0-7). M.L. King took a brief 12-11 lead after the first quarter but Miller Grove outscored the Lions 16-8 in the second quarter to take a 27-20 halftime lead. Azhana Maxwell led M.L. King in scoring with 19 points. Miller Grove freshman Keyshauna Patterson scored seven of her eight points in the first quarter.
High School Basketball Scores
Boys
Allatoona 62, Alexander 48
Archer 53, Brookwood 45
Blessed Trinity 58, Washington 48
Callaway 79, Rockmart 55
Carrollton 53, Troup 51
Central-Carroll 59, Cedartown 49
Cherokee 54, Roswell 52
Darlington 61, Gordon Lee 57
Drew 108, Northgate 46
East Jackson 64, Jackson County 57
Georgia Military 70, Jones County 60
Gordon Central 42, Murray County 36
Islands 55, Beach 47
Johnson-Gainesville 82, North Oconee 66
LaGrange 67, Northside-Columbus 55
Lambert 69, Chattahoochee 51
Lee County 58, Valdosta 53
Lithonia 53, Arabia Mountain 48
McIntosh 84, Morrow 62
Mill Creek 80, Meadowcreek 68
Miller Grove 61, M.L. King 55
Mt. Pisgah Christian 41, Fellowship Christian 31
North Clayton 65, Towers 54
Putnam County 52, Bleckley County 48
Rome 72, Cass 58
Sequoyah 48, River Ridge 41
Shiloh 76, Central Gwinnett 61
Sonoraville 67, Adairsville 52
Southeast Whitfield 85, Gilmer 72 (OT)
St. Pius 66, Columbia 59
Tattnall County 46, Dodge County 44
Vidalia 57, Bacon County 46
Wilkinson County 74, Stratford Academy 50
Westlake 55, Newnan 52
Westover 76, Worth County 69
Woodstock 54, Milton 51
Woodward 60, Sandy Creek 47
Girls
Athens Christian 44, Providence Christian 34
Atlanta Girls School 40, Strong Rock Christian 28
Beach 61, Islands 15
Buford 64, Chestatee 38
Calhoun 77, Ringgold 57
Callaway 47, Rockmart 45
Calvary Day 59, Portal 7
Colquitt County 58, Lowndes 52
Dodge County 62, Tattnall County 27
Douglas County 56, Campbell 45
Effingham County 63, Burke County 27
Etowah 54, Walton 37
Gainesville 48, Winder-Barrow 37
Grayson 55, Berkmar 45
Harrison 67, Hillgrove 60
Heritage-Conyers 38, Salem 35
Langston Hughes 55, East Coweta 31
Lowndes 45, Colquitt County 36
Manchester 52, Temple 19
Marist 55, Stone Mountain 26
Mays 64, Stephenson 46
McEachern 49, Marietta 48
McIntosh 57, Morrow 47
Miller Grove 57, M.L. King 44
North Oconee 50, Johnson-Gainesville 19
Northeast-Macon 77, Monticello 65
Osborne 59, Kennesaw Mountain 31
Sequoyah 48, River Ridge 15
South Forsyth 49, Habersham Central 20
St. Pius 51, Columbia 37
Stratford Academy 63, Wilkinson County 32
Washington 75, Blessed Trinity 61
Wesleyan 72, KIPP Atlanta 11
Westlake 62, Newnan 43
Westover 58, Worth County 23
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