In boys hoops, Centennial defeated Milton 77-55 in the second game between the two schools in less than a week. The Knights held the lead for most of the game and got key contributions from Devonta White and Adrian Rogers, who scored 40 combined points in the victory. The win propelled Centennial into first place in Region 6B-AAAAA and a No. 2 ranking in the latest AJC poll. The Knights also got a win against Alpharetta the night before, 62-33. They were led by 27 points from Rogers and 17 from White. They now control their own destiny in the region and will be looking to capture the number one seed in the region tournament when they take on Roswell this Friday.
The Centennial win shook up the rankings this week and when all was said and done, Westlake became the top ranked team in 5A. The Lions captured the top seed in the Region 4-5AAAA tournament by beating Newnan 63-54 last week. Besides a loss to Morrow earlier in the year, Westlake has defeated every state opponent they have faced, including Centennial. They have an outstanding overall record of 21-2 and have been the hottest team in the top 10 of late, winning six in a row.
Milton’s chances of a return to the state finals took a hit when they lost to Centennial last week. The loss put them behind the eight ball in the region and could have a significant effect on their state playoff seeding, should they qualify for the state tournament. The most disappointing thing about the loss was that it was at home, where they had not lost all season. The second most glaring aspect of the game was the margin. Losing by 22 points is certainly something the Eagles are not used to. In order to get anywhere this postseason, the Eagles will have to get back on track against Alpharetta and Campbell in order to recapture the momentum they had earlier this year.
South Atlanta picked up a key win over Spalding 79-41 last week to secure the regular season championship in Region 4-AAA. It was their fifth consecutive win by 20 or more points. The Hornets will now concentrate on finishing the season strong against Jackson and Rutland.
GIRLS HOOPS …
On the girls side, Westlake is ranked No. 5 this week in the AJC rankings. Their record stands at 16-3 after blasting Newnan, 74-27 last week. The Lady Lions will be the top seed in the region tournament by virtue of their first-place 15-1 region record to date. They finish the regular season against Lovejoy on Friday.
Following only their third loss of the season, the Holy Innocents’ Lady Bears recovered with a 58-25 decisive road win against North Cobb Christian. Senior shooting guard Alex Williams scored a game-high 17 points and contributed on the defensive end with two steals. Mckenzie Bolden had 12 points and three steals of her own. Head coach Tony Watkins described the effort on the team’s website: “The game was a great team effort, Nikki Herzog did some great things to get us going in the first half. Defensively, Bailey McDearis and Bailey McBride were great. Also, Lexy Kepano dominated the boards and Alex Williams and McKenzie Bolden shot the ball well.” The Lady Bears are 21-3 and are in first place in Region 5A-A. They are No. 10 this week in the AJC rankings.
SECTIONALS SET …
The Lovett Lions captured the Area 6-AA traditional wrestling championship last week. The eight Lion wrestlers who won individual championships were Jonathan Kopelman (103), Rich Neihaus (112), Brooks Young (140), Brooks Cowles (145), Ricky Nunez (152), Patrick Emerson (160), Zach Wolfe (189), and Hunter Rich (285). A champion at nearly every weight class shows a team that totally dominated the Area 6 meet. Among the other wrestlers on the team, 13 qualified in the top four and advanced to the state sectionals next week. Should they win there, they will go on to the state finals the following week.
Deighton can be reached at jdeighton@scoreatl.com.
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