Huge fourth quarter pushes Alexander to 5A state championship
MACON — With the score tied at 58-58, the Alexander-Woodward Academy game had all the makings of a down-to-the-wire slugfest.
But the Alexander boys didn’t get the memo. The Cougars went on a 17-4 run and pulled away for a one-sided 81-67 win in the Class 5A championship at the Macon Coliseum. It was the second title in four years for Alexander.
“It’s just an accumulation,” Alexander coach Jason Slate said. “You know, body blows, body blows, body blows … and at some point you’re going to tap out. They’re a great, great team, but we’re going to keep coming.”
Alexander broke the deadlock with a 3-pointer from Cam Jackson, his only basket of the game. Charleston Southern signee Marquise Leslie, coming off a monster semifinal game, followed with a pair of free throws and long 3-pointer. After Woodward countered with a couple of buckets, Alexander put it away with nine straight points.
“I thought we executed pretty well in the second half,” Slate said. “We quit putting them at the free-throw line so much.”
After shooting 14 free throws in the first half, Woodward only shot six more the rest of the game. Alexander began to get dialed in, shooting 16-for-30 in the second half.
Alexander (30-2) was led by Colorado State signee Gregory “Pops” Dunson, who scored 25 points and set the tone by ending the third quarter by swishing one from half court.
“I saw the clock when I was coming down and I shoot a lot of deep shots,” Dunson said. “I work on that, so I knew what it was.”
Dunson even took a few steps toward the Woodward student section and pretended to play a violin. A little string music, he said.
The Cougars also got 18 points and nine rebounds from steady Jayden Crawford and 15 points from Christian Moore, five of them in that decisive fourth-quarter run.
”We just pushed the pace and kept the pressure on the ball,” Dunson said. “We knew they were going to fold under the pressure.”
Woodward Academy (25-7) lost in the championship game for the second straight year. The War Eagles got 17 points from Myles Hayes, 14 points from Jarvis Hayes Jr., and 13 each from Bradyn Elder and Bentley Lusakueno.
After winning its first title in 2023, Alexander was upset in the championship game in 2024. Slate appreciated the way his players pushed through to the finish on Friday.
“The feel didn’t change,” he said. “It was really good then, and it’s really good right now.”
Dunson said, “It’s been a long season, and I’m glad we ended it right.”
Box score and stats
Alexander -- 15-17-24-25 – 81
Woodward Academy – 21-18-16-12 –67
Alexander: Gregory Dunson 25, Jayden Crawford 18, Marquise Leslie 7, Christian Moore 15, Torian Greene 4, Cam Jackson 3, Donovan Martin 4, Ethan Miller 5.
Woodward Academy: Bentley Lusakueno 13, Bradyn Elder 13, Donovan Johnson 10, Myles Hayes 17, Jarvis Hayes Jr. 14.
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
