It was a memorable week at the GHSA basketball state championships for three Class A basketball programs – Mount Vernon, St. Francis and Greenforest.
But for one school, it was an historic ending.
Greenforest became the 22nd program in the history of GHSA basketball to win on both the boys and girls side of the class when the Division II season ended Wednesday at the Macon Coliseum.
Grayson, the 7A powerhouse, became the 23rd when both the boys and girls teams won championships Saturday.
All told, Mount Vernon (Division I boys), St. Francis (Division I girls) and Greenforest (Division II boys and girls) finished with state championships.
The Greenforest boys were led by Elijah Lewis’s 18 points in a Class A Division II boys 68-39 championship victory against Manchester. Caleb Kawela added 11 points.
The Greenforest girls defeated Montgomery County 39-28 to win the Division II girls championship. Milica Lazarevic led with 11 points; Arek Manoon added 10.
Mount Vernon’s boys and Greenforest’s girls both won program-first state championships. The Greenforest boys previously won championships in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2022. St. Francis’s girls enjoyed championship victories in 2013, 2015, 2016 and last season.
Mount Vernon upended Paideia 48-40 in the Class A Division I boys game after splitting regular-season games between the Region 6 rivals. Xavier Shegog led with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Nya Young’s 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter extended St. Francis’ lead to five points, allowing the Knights to defend last year’s title with a 74-71 victory against No. 2 Galloway. Giaunna Rogers scored 19 points, and Young finished with 13 points to lead St. Francis.
Here are the final rankings:
Class A Division I boys
1. Mount Vernon (23-9)
2. Paideia (17-13)
3. Savannah (23-9)
4. Darlington (24-7)
5. St. Francis (13-12)
6. East Laurens (22-5)
7. Mount Pisgah Christian (14-18)
8. Mount Bethel Christian (15-7)
9. Bleckley County (21-9)
10. Woodville-Tompkins (22-5)
Class A Division I girls
1. St. Francis (24-7)
2. Galloway (19-11)
3. Athens Christian (24-5)
4. Rabun County (24-7)
5. Swainsboro (19-7)
6. Lamar County (24-6)
7. Bryan County (26-4)
8. East Laurens (19-8)
9. Mount Pisgah Christian (16-11)
10. Oglethorpe County (23-3)
Class A Division II boys
1. Greenforest Christian (27-4)
2. Portal (28-2)
3. Manchester (19-9)
4. Calhoun County (25-6)
5. Macon County (27-4)
6. Warren County (24-6)
7. Christian Heritage (21-6)
8. Clinch County (18-6)
9. Mitchell County (23-6)
10. Early County (20-11)
Class A Division II girls
1. Greenforest (27-5)
2. Montgomery County (30-2)
3. Taylor County (27-4)
4. Clinch County (21-5)
5. Wilcox County (27-3)
6. Early County (22-7)
7. Seminole County (23-7)
8. Chattahoochee County (21-8)
9. Terrell County (19-8)
10. Christian Heritage (18-12)
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