After their performance in the Sweet 16, nothing is going to faze the Mays basketball team.
The Raiders reached the Elite Eight by playing at No. 9 Winder-Barrow and emerging with a 69-68 overtime win. It wasn’t easy. Mays trailed by nine points at halftime and took the lead with a big third quarter. Coach Desmond Williams team watched a four-point overtime lead vanish within seconds, leaving them trailing by a point with 13.2 seconds left, only to win it at the buzzer on Mykel Williams’ driving basket at the buzzer.
“We’re coming out of a tough region so we’ve seen good competition almost every night,” coach Desmond Williams said. “I’ve been telling these guys, on the way to a championship you’re going to have to win games like this. The way they played tonight tells me they’re ready for that run.”
Williams, a slight 6-foot guard, had 24 points in the second-round win. He is part of a lineup that brings a variety of skills that makes the Raiders so tough. Saulamon Evans, a 6-5 senior, may be the team’s best all-around player and he another scoring threat.
Jaquorian Wiggles, a 6-5 junior, Jaylen Weems, a 6-3 senior, and Troy Pikes, a sturdy 6-6, 265-pound senior, makes of the rest of the starting lineup. Derron Lindsey, a 5-11 junior, and Donovan Davenport, a 6-foot senior, bring quickness and outside shooting when they enter the game. Lindsey scored 19 against Winder, 17 of those in the second half thanks to five 3-pointers.
“We’ve got a little bit of everything,” Williams said. “We’ve got a lot of size, so we can play big, and we’ve got two guys who can shoot lights out, so if we want to go small, we can go small.”
Winder-Barrow’s Jeremiah Holloway: How does this guy not have at least a mid-major offer? The 6-foot-1 senior can do everything – drive, shoot from the perimeter and play defense. Plus he has that clutch gene that not everyone possesses. With his team losing by four points with 25 seconds left, Holloway was under the basket to field a missed shot and put it back for a basket. Then he used his quickness to swipe the inbounds pass, score and draw a foul, which he made to give his team the lead with 12.3 seconds left. Although Mays wound up winning the Sweet 16 game at the buzzer, Holloway’s efforts were impressive. No wonder he was the Region 8 Player of the Year.
Biggest second-round surprise: The Jones County boys the No. 4 seed from Region 2, made the road trip to Atlanta and hammered No. 8 Tucker 64-50. That leaves Region 2 as the only league to have all four playoff participants reach the Elite Eight.
Here’s a look at the Elite Eight matchups
Boys
Jones County (18-12) at No. 3 Hiram (25-2), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. -- Hiram easily eliminated defending state champion Tri-Cities 93-73 behind 28 points from Jay Boyd and 14 points and 12 rebounds from Walter Matthews, two of the team’s all-region players. Jones County features first-team all-region choices Jaylen Sanford (20 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Daethan Harris (15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds).
No. 5 Mays (21-8) at No. 2 Eagle’s Landing (27-1), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. – Eagle’s Landing is trying to get back to the title game for the third straight year. David Thomas, the Region 2 Player of the Year, leads the Eagles, along with a deep roster that includes all-region selections Chris Morris, Kenneth Brayboy and Khylan McKennie.
Union Grove (19-11) at No. 4 Chapel Hill (22-8), Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. -- Union Grove got to the third round with a 61-60 win over McIntosh on Tony Colley’s last-second shot. Colley, along with fellow all-region picks Caleb Johnson, Nile King and Chance Whitfield lead the determined Wolverines. Chapel Hill has been on a roll and takes a seven-game winning streak into the Elite Eight. Oray Towns III leads the Panthers at 17.4 points and Kelvin Hunter averages and 14.4 points and 10.8 reb9ounds. Both were all-region selections.
No. 6 Dutchtown (22-8) at No. 1 Kell (25-2), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. -- Dutchtown’s Adrian Avery had 19 points and nine rebounds in the second-round win over Decatur. The Bulldogs have a loaded roster that includes all-region choices Braxton Cooley and Jeremiah Edwards. Kell has been unstoppable most of the season. The Longhorns have won 12 straight games and have won their first two playoff games by an average of 30 points. Kell’s only in-state loss was to Grayson, a Class 7A quarterfinalist. This is a rare rematch from teams in different regions. Kell beat Dutchtown 76-58 in the season opener.
Girls
No. 7 Arabia Mountain (26-2) at No. 5 Calhoun (24-4), Tuesday, 6 p.m. -- Calhoun is going to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The Yellow Jackets are led by Britiya Curtis, the Region 7 Player of the Year, and Lauren Watson, who set a school record with nine 3-pointers in the first-round win. Arabia Mountain’s top players is Region 4 Player of the Year Malaya Jones and Myori Pruitt, who became the first girls player from DeKalb County to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 500 steals for her career. The Rams were able to use a big 22-point fourth quarter to beat Jones County in the second round.
Midtown (22-8) at No. 1 Warner Robins (26-3), Tuesday, 6 p.m. -- The two teams are polar opposites when it comes to experience. Warner Robins is a senior-heavy team led by South Carolina State signee Jada Morgan, the Region 2 Player of the Year. The Demons also feature all-county players Tasia Agee, Tori Davis and Neveah Mack. Midtown’s top players are Briaiah Lewis, Devin Bockman and Sinclair Richman.
No. 8 Union Grove (23-7) at No. 3 Maynard Jackson (25-1), Tuesday, 6 p.m. -- This could be the marquee game of the third round. Union Grove has some experienced players on the roster, particularly all-region players Jordan Brooks and Nadea Smith, and the Wolverines have played a tough schedule. Maynard Jackson has won 18 straight games since its 65-63 loss to Elbert County on Dec. 28. Taliah Cornish was the Region 5 Player of the Year after averaging 20.6 points and 3.9 assists, and Shakira Gresham was an all-region pick who averages 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds.
No. 4 Bradwell Institute (23-4) at No. 2 Kell (23-5), Tuesday, 6 p.m. -- Bradwell will be making the long road trip back to the Atlanta area for the Elite Eight game. The Tigers are led by Region 1 Player of the Year Taniyah Bowman and first-team all-region picks Parris Parham, Bailey Gilmore and Tatyana Anderson. Ja’Nya Bush was voted the region’s top freshman. Kell’s best player is Crystal Henderson, who was voted the Region 6 Player of the year. Jada Green and Jamiah Gregory
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