GHSA championships: Creekside completes perfect season, North Oconee repeats, Butler breaks drought, Hardaway wins first (first two days’ coverage)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Thursday
Class AA Girls
No. 3 Hardaway 47, No. 1 Murray County 34
A 20-4 first quarter put Hardaway on the way to its first state title.
The game was even after that, Murray County outscoring Hardaway 30-27 the rest of the way but unable to mount any rally.
Rhianna Boynton led Hardaway (26-6) with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Mikayla Johnson added 13 points and Akilah Shelton 11 rebounds and five assists. Only four Hawks managed to score for the champs.
Bayleigh Winkler had 14 for Murray County (30-2) and Callan Ledford 10 to go with a team-high eight rebounds.
The Indians suffered their first loss since Jan. 17, 50-48 to Sonoraville. The Hawks ended the season on a 16-game winning streak.
Class AA Boys
No. 4 Butler 57, No. 6 Union County 49
Kwanane Bridges had 13 of his team’s 33 first-half points as Butler took control early and maintained it en route to its first state championship in more than 50 years.
He finished with a game-high 22 points, De’Cori Fleming adding 11. Both had double-doubles, Bridges with 10 rebounds and Fleming with 14, Butler taking a 46-28 advantage on the glass.
Union County (26-6) was led by Hayden Hughes’ 17 points, Houston Henry chipping in 12 and Vince Marevka 10. The Panthers shot only 28 percent from the floor, to 36.8 percent for the Bulldogs.
Both teams struggled from deep, 6 for 26 for Union County and 5 for 22 for Butler.
Butler led by seven entering the fourth, but Union County rallied to get within one early on Henry’s 3-pointer. Butler’s defense bowed up and surrendered just one score from the floor in the final seven minutes.
The Bulldogs didn’t necessarily pull away, but weren’t really threatened the rest of the way.
Class AAA Girls
R4/1 Creekside 57, R4/3 Jackson-Atlanta 37
The first and fourth quarters were pretty even. The middle two quarters? That’s why Creekside is the state champ, capping a perfect season at 32-0.
The Seminoles outscored the Jaguars 32-14 in the second and third quarters to gain control for their first state title.
` C’India Dennis led Creekside with 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Jacy Mitchell added 14 points, Lia Mooore 10 rebounds and Sydnee Hunter nine boards.
Aaliyah Weaver’s 20 points accounted for 54 percent of Jackson’s points. Janiyah Weaver was scoreless, but had nine rebounds.
Jackson (20-8)won the 5A title last year, but suffered its third loss of the year to Region 4 rival Creekside (65-53 and 58-38).
Class AAA Boys
R8/1 North Oconee 60, R4/1 Pace Academy 51
In a battle of the last two Class 4A state champions, North Oconee took control in the third quarter to make it two in a row.
Justin Wise went off for 27 points on 9 of 14 shooting – 3 for 7 on 3-pointers – to lead North Oconee. Thrash Wilkins had 14 and Khamri Brooks 10. Bank Pourchier grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, with nine from Brooks.
Eric Chatfield Jr. led Pace with 20 points whiel Chandler Bing added 15, on 5 of 10 shooting.
North Oconee finished 30-2, Pace 27-5.
All five Titan starters played the entire game, shooting 41.7 percent to 37 percent for Pace.
North Oconee led 27-23 at halftime, Pace getting only five points in the final 4:31.
It was a three-point game until North Oconee went on a 10-0 run for a 41-28 lead at the 2:38 mark of the third quarter, with Wise scoring half of its points.
The fourth-quarter margin peaked at 14, and Pace wasn’t able to get within striking distance untili it was a six-point game with 1:36 left.
Wednesday
Girls Private
No. 1 Holy Innocents’ 57, No. 3 Hebron Christian 39
Holy Innocents’ stormed out toa 19-5 first-quarter lead, Hebron Christian crept back in a sluggish 9-5 second quarter, but that was it.
The Bears had plenty of cushion and put it away with a 19-10 fourth quarter.
Stanford-bound Hailee Swain went 10 of 27 from the floor in 32 minutes en route to 30 points, adding 10 rebounds. Danielle Osho had 16 and Mia James 12 for Hebron Christian.
Hebron Christian head coach Jan Azar, a former assistant at Mount de Sales, was going for a third straight state title.
Boys Private
No. 3 Holy Innocents’ 84, No. 1 North Cobb Christian 45
This was over by halftime, Holy Innocents’ turning a 30-5 lead into a 42-18 advantage at halftime.
The gap grew to 42 points in the fourth quarter.
North Carolina bound Caleb Wilson scored 33 points on 14 of 22 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and three blocks. Brock Bass-Bonner had 15 for North Cobb Christian.
The Holy Innocents’ sweep is the 27th in GHSA history.
Girls 3A
No. 4 Cherokee Bluff 66, No. 7 Baldwin 58
Boys Class 3A
No. 1 Sandy Creek 39, No. 3 Cedar Grove 38
Amari Latimer hit one of two free throws to put Sandy Creek up one with 14 seconds left, and then – after three timeouts between the teams - Cedar Grove worked the ball around only to force up a 3-pointer at the buzzer that missed, to seal and seal Sandy Creek’s third straight state title.
Avohn Florence led top seed Sandy Creek with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Manny Green had 13 points and Javonte Floyd 12 rebounds for third seed Cedar Grove.
Sandy Creek had one more rebound, outshot Cedar Grove 36.2-34.1 percent, both teams had 11 turnovers, and they teamed for only 17 free throws. Sandy Creek was 2 for 8 and Cedar Grove 2 for 10 on 3-pointers.
There were eight ties and seven lead changes, Sandy Creek being on top for three more minutes. Each team won two quarters, and the largest lead was seven for Sandy Creek in the second quarter.
The Saints (28-4) were held to eight points in the second and fourth quarters, the Patriots (29-3) to eight and seven in the first and third quarters.