By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Girls

GIAA Championship, Class AA

No. 3 Central Fellowship 56, No. 5 Trinity Christian 49

          The first quarter was one of balance for Trinity Christian, but not Central Fellowship.

          The second quarter was more to the Lancers’ liking. But the fourth quarter was much better.

          Up one entering the final eight minutes of the season, five different Central Fellowship players scored and the Lancer maintained en route to the GIAA Class AA state championship at Columbus State’s Frank Lumpkin Center.

          The Lancers end the season 24-4 and the Crusaders 19-12.

          Maleyah Hines led Central Fellowship with 19 points, while Kennedy Bradshaw added 15 – all on 3-pointers – and Morgan Riley 10. Bradshaw had nine the second quarter, which went to CFCA 20-10.

          Central Fellowship survived a 9-for-17 night at the free-throw line, to 13 of 19 for Trinity Christian.

          Maddie Grace Allgood had 15 for the Crusaders, eight in the third quarter with Maddy George adding 12.

          The Lancers finished a perfect 26-0 season in 2021-22 with the championship, beating Sherwood Christian 63-34. Along the way, CFCA edged trinity Christian 59-55 and 45-41 in the regular season.

          Riley was an eighth-grader and Avery Queen a freshman on that team. Both were maintstays for the championship team, and part of six straight Final Fours.

GHSA

Semifinal

Class A/Division I

No. 1 Fannin County 72, No. 5 East Laurens 63     

          East Laurens turned a three-point first-quarter defcit into a 30-25 hafltime lead, but the top seed started playing like the top seed in the fourth quarter and took control.

          Fannin County scored six straight, leading to an East Laurens timeout at the 6:39 mark.

          The Rebels (28-2) went up by 10, but Eastl Laurens kept hanging, and cut it to 48-44 when Jameria Bing drained a long 3-poitner with seven seconds left after a turnover.

          But the rally stopped there, the Rebels opening up a 10-point lead at the 6:29 mark of the fourth quarter. The margin was single digits for less than 15 seconds. It was 64-54 with 1:55 and stayed that way until a Falcon bucket with 47 seconds left.

          A flagrant foul with 40 seconds left led to a point, and then a free-throw parade as Fannin County won its 19th straight..

          Junior Deanna Lowther led East Laurens with 17 points, 12 in the second half. Jayla Givens added 11.

Boys

GHSA

Semifinals

Class A/Division I

No. 15 BEST 75, No. 14 East Laurens 58

          The Falcons were in good shape at halftime, down only 37-36, and that was because of a score off glass with two seconds left from the Eagles’ Jacob Mickell.

          But the third quarter belonged to BEST, now 24-7 after its sixth straight win. The margin was 44-40 after 3 hit three free throws with 5:09 left in the third quarter.

          The Falcons (20-8) couldn’t get anything going on offense, and the deficit grew to 50-40 at the 3:15 mark of the third. Then after a loose-ball scramble, East Laurens Kemario Mitchell drew a technical for sideline antics after no foul was called and he was pulled.

          BEST made one of two free throws, scored on the ensuing possession – it had the ball when the technical was assessed – for a 53-40 lead with 2:45 left in the third.

          The Falcons couldn’t get within single digits again.

          Rushund Washington Jr., a 6-6 wing headed to Illinois-Chicago, finished with 21 points, going 6 of 7 at the line to go with three 3-pointers. Tylan Snead, bound for Georgia State for football, added 14.

Xion Evans had 19 for BEST, and Mickell had 17

 

No. 1 Southwest 65, No. 5 Toombs County 54

          For awhile, the dream of playing – finally – in the Macon Coliseum was hazy for Southwest.

          The top-seeded Patriots trailed Toombs County by three at halftime and were quickly a hole three times as big early in the third quarter.

          But Southwest took the lead for good at the end of the third quarter and gained control in the fourth en route to a double-digit semifinal win.

          Now, the program that brought so much attention to Macon and Bibb County decades ago is back in the Coliseum playing for a state title.

          For the first time since 1989, when Southwest head football coach and athletics director Joe Dupree played. Now, his son Chase is leading the resurgence.

          Chase’s dunk and free throw gave Southwest a 52-43 lead with 6:05 left in the game. Toombs County rallied to within 55-52 with 3:40 left, then Dupree scored on a left-handed layup 39 seconds later.

          The Patriots did nothing with two turnovers and amiss, but a 3-pointer from Brandon Ashley in transition off a nice feed from C.J. Howard and then Dupree’s layup just inside the two-minute mark sealed it for Southwest.

          The Patriots (18-12) got a little revenge for Region 2-A/I. Toombs County topped Northeast in the state football championship in December.

          For a half, it appeared a repeat might be in the cards, Toombs County leading 30-24, the Patriots getting a pair of free throws with a half a second left.

          The Patriots went from trailing 34-25 to finally tying it on Dupree’s lane bucket off glass and free throw with 2:08 left in the third.

          Dupree hit two free throws after an offensive rebound and Howard popped a 3 in the final seconds for a 42-40 lead after three.