Mays boys advance to AAAA final

About three minutes before it was too late, Mays’ boys figured out that Bainbridge forward Devon Baulkmon could break their hearts Wednesday.

They called a timeout to have a talk about No. 34 and the seven-point lead that disappeared during his 10-point assault in the fourth quarter.

“No. 34, I’m not sure of his name, he hit some big shots down the stretch,’’ said Mays captain Alloys Cabell. “We called a timeout and said, ‘OK, he can shoot, we’ve got to get out there on him and make him shoot from longer.’ Defense again won it.’’

Cabell scored six critical points in the final three minutes as Mays (22-4) defeated Bainbridge 50-46 in the Class AAAA semifinals in the Gwinnett Arena. Mays reached the finals for the first time since it won the second of back-to-back titles in 2005.

Baulkman, a 6-foot-2 junior, finished with 21 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and another jumper in the fourth, but was scoreless after his 3 tied the game at 42 with 3:45 left.

While Cabell, a 24-points-per-game scorer, was held to 12 points, Mays survived on free throws, blocked shots and tough defense. Mays has held six consecutive opponents to fewer than 50 points.

From the free-throw line, Mays made 20 of 24, including pairs from Cabell and Arya Strong (10 points) in the final minute after Bainbridge (27-5) had tied the score 46-46.

Strong also made four free throws in one sitting during a 10-0 run in the third quarter that put Mays up 34-25. That came after a technical foul on Bainbridge coach Rickey McCullough.

Through three quarters, Mays’ top performer was Colin Cook. The 6-6 center failed to score but blocked 13 shots, including seven in the first five minutes of the game. Cook, who averages more than six blocks per game, credited his mother.

“Coming up, I was bigger than other people but not as coordinated, so I worked on my defense and practiced that with my mom,’’ Cook said. “She’s 6-4.’’

For Bainbridge, it was the end of a 20-game winning streak and a satisfying season in which the school made the semifinals for the second consecutive year despite graduating all five 2009 starters.

Mays also is a bit of a surprise. Only guards Cabell, Acey Palmer and Homer Causey were on the varsity last season.