Boys: Tri-Cities 71, Calhoun 68
Tri-Cities was down by five with :25 seconds left and still came back to win to advance to Saturday’s semi-final against Calhoun.
So when the Bulldogs (22-5) trailed the Yellow Jackets for most of the night, and were behind by 10 late in the third quarter, there was no panic, no fear. Tri-Cities, led by the play of guards Simeon Cottle and Kory Mincy, the Bulldogs forced overtime and eventually prevailed, 71-68, to advance to the state title game for the third time in the last four seasons.
“I told our players, one team will come into this game with a dream, the other with a wish,” Tri-Cities head coach Omar Forts said. “Dreams are built from work. Wishes are built from hope. I told them we are the team with a dream because of the work we put in.”
And Calhoun forced the Bulldogs to work from the opening tip, as back-to-back-to-back buckets by seniors Peyton Law and Brenden Gray, and junior Dylan Faulkner, put the Yellow Jackets up 6-0 two minutes into the game. Tri-Cities closed to within 13-10 going into the second quarter and used a 7-2 run to close out the period to take a 29-27 lead at the half. Cottle scored all seven points during the spurt.
Calhoun started the third quarter on a 12-2 spurt, powered by two threes by Law and six points from Jaylan Harris, to take a 39-31 lead. The Yellow Jackets were able to maintain that edge thanks in large part to the scoring and shot blocking Faulkner. The 6-foot-9 forward scored six points, blocked three shots and grabbed four rebounds in the period.
When Law converted a layup at the other end following another block by Faulkner, Calhoun was up 51-41 with 1:30 left. But an 8-2 run by the Bulldogs cut the margin to 53-49 going into the fourth quarter. A basket by senior Eric Smarr tied the game at 55 before a bucket by Faulkner and a free throw by Law gave Calhoun a 58-55 lead. But the Bulldogs answered with back-to-back threes by Cottle and Mincy to take a 60-58 lead with five minutes left in regulation.
Three free throws by Law gave Calhoun a 62-60 lead with 2:38 to play, but Cottle tied the game with a bucket with 1:18 left. Those would be the last points of regulation time. Calhoun had a chance to win it in the final seconds, but freshman Emaree Winston’s shot was contested by 6-foot-8 senior Ryan Mathieu, a transfer from Norcross, and the game went into overtime. Mathieu had the task of trying to neutralize Faulkner, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
“Ryan hadn’t played much basketball, when he moved into our community and joined us,” Forts said. “He was really nervous before the game, but he did some really good things for us tonight.
“We thought we had an advantage with our guard, but we thought they had the advantage inside,” Forts said. “We wanted to try to wear them down with our quickness and pressure and I think we were able to do that a little bit.”
Still, Calhoun started the overtime period on a 4-0 spurt on baskets by Gray and Law, who led the Yellow Jackets with 24 points. But Cottle, who led all scorers with 36 points, and Mincy, who finished with 14, combined to score eight of the Bulldogs’ nine points in overtime, with Mathieu scoring the other on a free throw. Mincy converted two free throws with :08 seconds left for the final margin, as Law’s attempt at a three-pointer from near mid court was on line but just short.
“Hats off to Calhoun,” Forts said. “They’re a tough team and gave it everything they had. We’ve had close games throughout the playoffs, so our kids were prepared for a game like this.”
Girls: Woodward Academy 67, Warner Robins 35
The key to Woodward Academy’s victory was simple, War Eagle head coach Kim Lawrence said.
“We finally started guarding people. We finally started doing the things we’re supposed to do,” Lawrence said. “Fundamentals.”
After jumping out to a 16-8 after one period and pushing the lead to 20-8 early in the second after back-to-back baskets by Sydney Bowles and Kennedie Mosley, Woodward Academy took its foot off the gas and Warner Robins took advantage. The Demons closed the second quarter on a 13-6 run to pull to within 26-21 at the half.
But the War Eagles took control in the third quarter, opening the period with a 15-0 run, led by Bowles and Mosely, who had seven and five points, respectively, during the spurt. Woodward outscored Warner Robins 18-6 in the quarter to take a 44-27 into the fourth.
Woodward kept up the pace in the final period and closed the show on an 11-4 run. Bowles finished with a game-high 20 points, Mosely scored 17 and Sara Lewis added 16. Warner Robins was led by Tasia Agee’s 9 points, and Jada Morgan chipped in with 7. The Demons, the Region 1 champs, finished 25-6.
“We respect all of our opponents,” Lawrence said. “It doesn’t matter what it says on paper or what you see on film. When you get out on the court, anything can happen.”
Woodward’s win sets up a fourth meeting with Region 3 rival Forest Park, as the War Eagles try to repeat as state champs and bring the program its fifth overall. Woodward (28-2) has won all three meetings with the Panthers, including a 55-33 win in the region championship game.
“It’s hard to beat a good team multiple times in one season,” Lawrence said. “We’ll have to keep doing what we’ve been doing. The fundamentals.”
Boys: Eagles Landing 67, Jonesboro 60 (OT)
Clichés are cliches for a reason. Eagles Lading proved that again Saturday afternoon.
The defending state champions showed the “heart of a champion,” hanging around and keeping the game close before taking control in overtime. Before taking a 55-54 lead in the extra period on a free throw by David Thomas, the Eagles hadn’t led the game since the score was 8-6 early in the first quarter.
“God has just blessed us, just blessed this team,” said an emotional Elliott Montgomery, Eagles Landings’ head coach. “These kids just believe. They told me last year that we were going to be back. And here we are.”
Eagles Landing trailed by five late in the second quarter but finished the period on a 10-5 run to tie the game at the half, 31-31, after a bucket by Chris Morris with :10 seconds left in the period.
Jonesboro opened the second half on an 11-4 run to take its largest advantage of the game with a little over three minutes left in the third quarter. Kaymen Brown’s three-pointer gave the Cardinals a 42-35 lead. But the Eagles closed the quarter on a 9-2 run, to tie the game at 44 going into the fourth quarter.
Things looked bleak for Eagles Landing after Brown’s bucket put Jonesboro ahead 53-48 with just 1:38 left in regulation. Then the Eagles picked up charging calls on their next two possessions and Brown added a free throw to push the lead to 54-48 with a little over a minute remaining.
But Thomas knocked down a three, Jonesboro missed two free throws, and Barnes’ conventional three-point play after he scored on a put-back and then converted his free throw, tied the game at 54. Regulation time ended in a rugby scrum after Jonesboro missed a potential game-winning shot.
“We knew that if we could get it to overtime, we would have the advantage,” Montgomery said. “Before we broke the huddle, we said ‘Champs on three.’”
Thomas’ free throw and a triple by Elijah Robinson gave the Eagles a 58-54 advantage they wouldn’t give back. Even though they missed seven-of-15 free throws in overtime, they were able to hold on for the win and a chance to repeat as state champions.
Thomas led all scorers with 20 points, while Brown led the way for Jonesboro with 17.
“We missed too many free throws today but give credit to Jonesboro. That’s a really gutsy team and they make it hard on you,” Montgomery said. “[Jonesboro head coach Dan Maehlman] does a great job, and he had those guys well prepared. We were just blessed to get this win tonight.”
Girls: Forest Park 60, New Manchester 38
It was business as usual for the Panthers.
Forest Park, the No. 2 seed from Region 3, methodically took apart New Manchester, the No. 2 seed from Region 6, and advanced to the state title game for the third consecutive season.
After a tight first quarter, where Forest Park held a 13-12 lead, the Panthers’ offense got rolling in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Jaguars 38-18 over those two periods. Sophomore guard Yasmine Allen led the charge with eight points in the second quarter, as the Panthers took a 33-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the third period, Forest Park turned up the defensive intensity, holding New Manchester to just eight points while putting up 18 on the other end for a 51-30 lead going into the fourth quarter.
“Defense is very important to us,” Panther head coach Steve Cole said. “We play a zone that sometimes morphs into man, but we maintain the same intensity.”
Cole and his staff have built one of the state’s top programs. Since 2010, the Panthers have made it to the state semi-finals nine times, winning a state title in 2020.
“We have a total program and we prepare our team to win a state championship every year,” Cole said. “We set standards and expectations for our team. We have an expectation of how we perform in the classroom. We have an expect our young ladies to walk down the hallway. We have a 3.3 team gpa. We’ve sent 30-40 young ladies to college.”
Allen, senior Aaishah Barry and junior Jayda Brown all scored 14 points, while senior Janiya Simmons added 13 for the Panthers. Kharyssa Richardson paced New Manchester with 18 to lead all scorers.
Cole and his squad are right where they expected to be.
“Being in that 1-4 after the region tournament is where you want to be,” Cole said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re one or four. What matters is you give yourself an opportunity and you build from there.”
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