‘What we’ve always dreamed of’: Creekview holds off No. 1 team for 5A title
MACON - Junior forward Payten Day scored four of her six points in the final 22 seconds, giving Creekview a five-point lead, and the Grizzlies held on for a 45-43 victory over top-ranked Milton in the GHSA Class 5A girls basketball championship game Friday at the Macon Coliseum.
No. 6 Creekview (27-5), which entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed from Region 6-5A after being upset in the region tournament semifinals, won its first girls basketball state title in the school’s 21-year history. The Grizzlies eliminated defending state champion and Cherokee County rival River Ridge 57-50 last week in their first trip to the semifinals.
“This is what we’ve always dreamed of,” Creekview coach Eric Herrick said. “I’ll be honest, at the beginning of the season we didn’t talk about state championships. We thought we had a chance to be pretty good. Someone asked me the other day when I thought we could compete for a state championship, and I was like, ‘last week, honestly.’ But these kids have surpassed any expectation I’ve ever had for them. They just refused to lose.”
Milton, also making its first trip to the final, finished its best season in school history 27-5.
Both teams appear well-positioned for next season, as well, as Creekview has just two seniors and Milton has only one.
In a game of multiple momentum swings, Milton rallied from a 36-30 deficit with six minutes to play and pulled even at 38-38 on two free throws by Grace Musselman with 2:48 remaining.
Creekview’s Kailyn Hamby, who led all scorers with 20 points, responded with a 3-pointer about a minute later, but Deyva Davis got Milton back within a point with a layup with 53 seconds remaining.
Day then scored inside while being fouled and made the free throw for a 44-40 lead with 21.3 seconds left, and she made one of two free throws after being fouled eight seconds later.
Davis made a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to get Milton within 45-43. Creekview then missed two free throws, but Milton’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was off target.
“Payten Day was just huge all night,” Herrick said. “To make a play like that and then step up and hit the free throw was huge for us because we were really struggling trying to get a score. She found a way to make it happen for us.”
Day had 11 rebounds, two blocked shots, three steals and two assists to go along with her six points.
Milton led 16-12 after the first quarter but went cold from the field in the second, making just one of 11 field-goal attempts and scoring three points as Creekview rallied for a 20-19 lead. Milton scored the first six points of the third quarter, but Creekview answered with an 11-0 run to lead 31-25. The Grizzlies never trailed again.
Hamby had six points during the third-quarter run and finished with a game-high 20. She also added six rebounds, two steals and two assists.
“We were able to keep our composure on defense and then rebounding a lot,” Hamby said. “A lot of our team contributed on the rebounding and making sure we got it out. That’s what kept us in it, our defense keeping composure and everybody shooting with confidence.”
Aaleanna Milord scored 12 points and Davis had 11 to lead Milton.
Box score and stats
Creekview - 12-8-11-14 - 45
Milton - 16-3-6-18 - 43
Creekview (45): Finley Howard 6, Kailyn Hamby 20, Chloe Hawkins, Lili Beal 2, Kylee Herrick 5, Harper Sanders, Payten Day 6, Brenley Matthews 6.
Milton (43): Deyva Davis 11, Grace Musselman 5, Caroline Young 7, Aaleanna Milord 12, Brooklyn Brunetti 8, Emmy Proffitt, Tamia Tomlinson.
About the Author
Chip Saye rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025, at the launch of AJC Varsity. In 2009 he helped start Georgia High School Football Daily. He previously worked for the AJC, Athens Banner-Herald, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail and Gwinnett Daily News.
