The Houston County Sharks defeated the West Georgia Wolverines 24-21 in the AAASP/GHSA state wheelchair basketball championship Friday at the Macon Centreplex.
Braxton Robinson led all scorers with 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Ja-Que Billingsley assisted on four of Robinson’s five second-half buckets and finished with 11 rebounds, four points and two blocks.
The Wolverines led 13-10 at the half and were captained by Eugene Layne and Douglas Johnston. Layne finished with 10 points, and Johnston scored nine points while checking in five rebounds three blocks and four steals.
The sixth man for the Sharks was the outlier. Jeff Sweeny put in six points to outscore West Georgia’s bench 6-0.
Houston County’s Jordan Kozloski scored her two points to start the final quarter and pushed the Sharks’ lead to 20-17. The teams traded baskets, and with Houston County’s lead still at three points, Johnston’s desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed wide right.
“Going undefeated feels incredible,” Billingsley said. “It was a lot of hard and took a lot of support from each other.”
West Georgia won the title in 2007, and Houston County (7-0) becomes the fifth champion after receiving its first crown.
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