Region champions were crowned across the state last week, and plenty of DeKalb County teams got in on the action. The state tourney awaits for many this week. Miller Grove was crowned champions of 6-AAAA after a wild region tournament chock full of surprises. The shocker of the tournament came in the quarterfinals, when underdog Marist responded from a double-digit deficit for the second time this season to defeat Tucker 64-61. The Tigers rode the strength of a 17-1 first quarter run to take a big lead early, and led by as much as 17 midway through the second quarter. Then Marist star Kash Manzelli brought this team back by scoring 10 straight for the War Eagles, and a Jordan Snellings trey pulled Marist withing 31-25 at the half. Marist would fall behind again, this time by the score of 44-32 midway through the third. Manzelli took control once again, and Marist pulled within one after three quarters and held the lead throughout the stretch run. James Hartry’s team had two chances to tie the game with a three at the buzzer in the final 20 seconds, but failed to convert. The shocking loss means they won’t qualify for the state tournament.
But Marist would lose to a Chamblee team in the semifinals. Unlike their opponents, CHS weren’t tested in an 83-52 win over Stone Mountain in the quarterfinals behind 21 points from Langston Hall. They took advantage of the fatigued War Eagles, outscoring them 26-8 in the second half en route to a 49-35 victory.
Miller Grove qualified for the finals by beating Lakeside-DeKalb 77-61 thanks to 17 points from junior sensation Henry Brooks. Lakeside was another mild surprise of the season, advancing to their first state tournament since 2003. The Vikings needed to beat a much-improved Southwest DeKalb team in the quarters to clinch a berth, and got a double-double from Al Key to pace them to an 84-76 win.
The Wolverines won their third straight region championship easily the following day in a 61-36 win behind a great game from big-time big man prospect Donte Williams. Lakeside nearly blew a 28-point lead in the third place game, but escaped with a 51-48 win.
Now comes the state tournament. The region will match up with Region 7 on Friday for the boys, and on Saturday for the girls.
There was another shock for a DeKalb side in 5-AAA. The Dunwoody Wildcats lost in an incredible five-overtime game against Riverwood to miss out on state. RHS appeared to have things wrapped up with a three-point lead late, but senior captain Javon McKay made an incredible 75-foot buzzer beater to force an extra period. Riverwood made a last-second comeback in the fourth OT by hitting two treys in the final 30 seconds, and then outlasted the ‘Cats in the final stanza. McKay lead the way for the Wildcats with 25 in what would be his final game at Dunwoody.
Druid Hills reached the state tourney with a win over Washington, but then ran into a buzzsaw in Jershon Cobb and Columbia, who continue to dominate the region. They faced Riverwood in the final, and ran through their region rival for a 68-38 win and berth as a No. 1 seed.
In girls basketball, Southwest DeKalb took home a 6-AAAA title. Chamblee and Marist finished second and third, respectively. Alisha Andrews and Redan are still yet to lose after three blowout victories in the 2-AAAA tournament. They will be heavily favored in the upcoming state playoffs, which begin with a visit from Camden County on Saturday.
WINTER SPORTS WRAP UP …
The Marist girls swimming team took home a state title in Class A-4A last week with a dominating 325 points. The balanced team got a huge win in the 200-yard freestyle relay behind Elizabeth Pitts, Katherine Daniels, Elise Breaux and Meredith Nakano. St. Pius finished in fourth place, getting an individual title from Haley Durmer in the 200-yard IM. The two schools also finished in the top five in the boys category, with Marist coming in third place, just in front of the Golden Lions in fourth.
Tucker saw two of its wrestlers win individual state titles in the State Traditional Meet. Marist. Carey Cloud took home the title in the 152-pound level, while Kyle Stroud won in the 215-pound category. Marist finished third in the meet, the school’s highest finish since 1975-76.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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