GWINNETT BEAT: Hoops squads send seven to state semis, win five titles

Gwinnett County was five for five in state championship basketball games last week as the Norcross girls, the Buford girls, the GAC boys and both Wesleyan squads all claimed titles for the 2009-2010 season. Gwinnett County had seven representatives in the semifinals and grabbed half of the 10 state titles awarded.
In Class 5A, the Norcross girls were able to knock off the defending state champion Redan Raiders 76-63 with excellent free throw shooting down the stretch. Diamond DeShields finished with 17 points and eight rebounds while Kaela Davis led Norcross with 21 points.
In Class 2A, Gwinnett County brought home both titles with Buford repeating as the girls champion and Greater Atlanta Christian winning the boys title. The Lady Wolves won a second straight title despite losing eight seniors entering this year. Sophomore Andraya Carter scored 20 points.
On the boys side of the Class 2A title game, GAC came up huge against Thomasville with a 77-65 win to finish undefeated against in-state opponents and 32-1 overall. Junior Malcolm Brogdon finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds while senior center Trent Wiedeman tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds despite foul trouble.
Wesleyan won both the boys and the girls titles in Class A. The boys won the program’s second title in three years thanks in part to Andrew Frerking’s 26 points, including four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The girls also claimed a title, its third straight. Holli Wilkins scored 17 points while fellow sophomore Jordan Frazier poured in sixteen points to help Wesleyan best Savannah Christian 65-49.