The Milton Eagles and Westlake Lions have placed both their boys and girls teams in the Class 5A state final four. Both teams are in opposite semifinals in both brackets. This sets up an opportunity for an all-Fulton County final for both.
Milton has been here before. Last year the Eagles lost a heartbreaker to Wheeler in the championship game. This year they got to the semifinals in a most unusual way, by relying on an official’s call. A foul was called after the buzzer had sounded in the quarterfinal game against Norcross. With the Eagles trailing 51-50, Julian Royal went to the line and hit both free throws to give the team a fortunate 52-51 win. Royal led the team with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The call was said to be the right one by Ernie Yarbrough, the GHSA director of officials. On Thursday, Milton faced Newton, a team that has lost only one game this year.
Westlake is back in the state semifinals for the third time in five years. The Lions have dominated this year’s tournament. They have won by an average of 20 points in three tournament games. Led by Marcus Thornton and Tony Jacobs’ combined 34 points, Westlake beat Stephenson, 75-48 in the quarterfinals. The 29-2 Lions will play against another 29-2 squad, Central Gwinnett, in their own backyard at Gwinnett Arena.
It’s hard to imagine that the Milton girls would be in the position they are in now after losing two of their first three games. However, since the beginning of the year they have only lost one game and are in the Final Four. The Lady Eagles beat Mill Creek in the quarterfinals, 54-47, behind 25 points from Nikki Dixon. Unfortunately, they will have to go against Redan, which hasn’t lost since 2008. Nearly a week to prepare and rest can only help as Milton tries to pull the upset.
The Westlake girls team decided to throw a block party in the quarterfinals against Stephenson. Senior center Danielle Spencer and senior point guard Sharnea Boykin combined for 10 blocked shots in the 63-53 win. The pair also got on the boards putting up 28 rebounds between them. If that wasn’t enough, they also combined for 30 points in the game. Simone Johnson added 13 points. The Lady Lions (24-3) will go against Norcross (26-4) in the semifinals.
ON THE DIAMOND …
In baseball news, Roswell has gotten off to a torrid start, winning their first five games. Senior pitcher Andrew Smith has thrown two shutouts already. In the 2-0 season opening win over Union Grove he had 10 strikeouts. Against Redan he allowed only 3 hits in five innings in the 11-0 victory. The Hornets are ranked No. 1 in many 5A polls across the state. They were ranked No. 11 in Baseball America’s top 50 preseason poll.
Blessed Trinity has started the season inconsistently. Despite being ranked No. 1 in the 2A coaches poll, the Titans have struggled, going 3-2 to start the year. They dropped the opener to St. Pius X, 6-1. In the Georgia Dugout Club Tournament, they rebounded to beat Peachtree Ridge, 4-2.
Holy Innocents’ is ranked No. 4 in the Class A coaches poll (gasports.com). They have started 5-2, including a 15-11 win over Trinity (Va.) in their last game. Freshman Will Small struck out five and pitched a strong 3.2 innings to get the win. Travis Stout went 3-for-3 with a single, double and triple with two RBIs. The second inning was the key for the Bears, when they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs.
SPRING ROUNDUP …
In boys golf, Westminster’s Mack Leath shot an even-par 36 in the nine-hole tri-match with GAC and Blessed Trinity. The final team total for Westminster was the best of the three at 155. Blessed Trinity shot 180.
Northview and Alpharetta are the top two boys tennis teams in the 5A coaches poll. The Titans roster is made up of nearly all upperclassman, which has helped them start 3-0 on the season. Alpharetta’s roster looks much the same way and that has led them to a 5-0 overall start and 2-0 mark in Region 6-AAAAA.
Finally, in track this week, Chattahoochee’s Austin Ulich earned 10 points for his team at the Ridge Invitational by running 4:31.58 in the 1,600 meters, just .25 seconds ahead of the second-place runner. He also placed first in the 3,200 meters, running in 9:45.85. Dion Deupox ran 38.50 in the 300 meter hurdles, good enough for first place for the ‘Hooch. Despite these finishes the Cougars finished fifth in the meet with 48 points.
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