Jordan Loyd is the least known of Milton's fab five, the starting lineup that remained intact this season for the defending boys basketball champions in Class AAAAA. Shaquille Johnson is the sixth man.
The depth of Milton's weaponry was scary Thursday night as Loyd scored 27 points while Johnson had 21 -- five on dunks -- in a 75-53 victory over Tift County in the semifinals at Gwinnett Arena. Milton will play Norcross at 8:45 p.m. Friday for the title.
Loyd, a senior guard, has signed with Furman, while Johnson, a junior, has committed to Auburn, but those hardly are the first names that come to mind on a team with three major Division I signees: Julian Royal (Georgia Tech), Shannon Scott (Ohio State) and Dai-Jon Parker (Vanderbilt).
Royal, a 6-foot-9 forward, wasn't much of a factor. His first points came on a dunk in the half-court offense with 5:47 left in the third quarter. By then, Milton led 49-27.
Parker scored seven points. Scott had six. Neither scored in the second half. They didn't need to.
Evan Nolte, a 6-8 forward and three-year starter, left the game with 5:51 left with an ankle injury that didn't appear to be serious. Also a top college recruit, Nolte finished with four points.
Tift County had leads of 6-0 and 9-3 and was within 17-14 after the first quarter, when Tadric Jackson scored eight of his 15 points. But Milton held Tift County to one field goal in the second quarter and led 43-22 at halftime.
Loyd scored 11 in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
Johnson's best work came when he scored eight points during a 12-3 run in the first quarter that gave Milton the lead for good. Noted for his spectacular dunks, Johnson saved his best for last, when he slammed home an alley-oop pass from Scott for a 25-point lead in the fourth quarter.
