Updated: Milton beat Cherokee 66-63 in overtime Tuesday night. L.T. Lebbeus had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Lebbeus is better known as a football player as he’s a five-star defensive end recruit and recently named the AJC’s Class 7A football defensive player of the year. Bruce Thornton scored 19 points and had seven assists. Cherokee’s Elijah Tucker scored 30 points.
Here’s the original blog:
Milton and Cherokee, two top-five boys basketball teams from Region 6-7A, meet for the first time Tuesday night.
Milton is 16-2 overall, 6-0 in region play, and riding a 14-game winning streak. The Eagles are led by juniors Bruce Thornton (point guard committed to Ohio State) and Kendall Campbell (uncommitted four-star forward) and sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle (top-rated sophomore recruit in Georgia).
Cherokee is 16-3 overall, 5-0 in the region. The Warriors have a pair of highly recruited seniors - Elijah Tucker, a 6-7 forward signed with Xavier, and Taihland Owens, a 6-4 shooting guard with several Power 5 Conference offers.
Both teams are positioned to have their best state finishes in years. Cherokee has been a frequent playoff qualifier under head coach Roger Kvam but gone no further than the second round since 1982.
Milton made the semifinals last season under Allen Whitehart and is eyeing its first state title since 2012.
The game is at Milton. They’ll meet again Feb. 2 at Cherokee.
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