The Baldwin boys completed a perfect 17-0 season Wednesday night in a thrilling 54-53 win over Fayette County. William Freeman made a game-winning jumper with 3.8 seconds left to lift the Braves to victory. Freeman ended the game 5-of-11 shooting and scored 12 points. The Braves also got 12 points from Rudolph Satcher and 11 points from Lataeveon Roach.
Fayette County (18-12) was led by Terry Brown with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Tariq Mumphery added 11 points, and Banks had eight points and seven rebounds. Banks only played a couple minutes in the first half after getting hit near the right eye and requiring stitches.
“I’m so proud of these kids because they work so hard,” Baldwin head coach Anthony Webb told the AJC. “The kids said they used to come over here when they were little and watch games at the Macon Coliseum. Now they got the opportunity to play for a state championship. “The atmosphere caught a lot of them off guard because they’d never been here. A lot of them were nervous, but they finally settled down and played.”
This was Baldwin’s first state title since 1981.
In the girls game, Carver-Columbus cruised past Cairo 70-54 to win its second state title in the past three seasons. Carver took control of the game midway through the first half with a 21-4 run that gave the Tigers a 39-27 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the half. The final seven points of the run came on three layups and a free throw by Kionna Gaines. The Clemson signee finished with a game-high 24 points and included nine rebounds and four steals.
“Hey, she’s an ACC player, and she played like one today,” head coach Anson Hundley told the AJC. “She really stepped up big for us, and we got a state championship this year. It was a team effort, but she definitely led the way.”
Carver-Columbus led 41-32 at the half and then opened up the third quarter on a 9-0 run to pull away. D’Miya Beacham added 16 points and Enshuan Jones finished with 10 points for the Tigers. Cairo was led by Ambria Vicks’ 19 points and 14 rebounds. Leah Perry also notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
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