Host Milton took a 35-28 lead at the half and ran away with a 73-61 victory after a 28-point fourth quarter. Milton was led by a cast of scorers, including sophomore Alex O’Connell and 6-foot-8 junior Chris Lewis.
Lewis is the son of former UGA linebacker and 3-time Pro Bowler Mo Lewis and he dunked and shot his way to a team-high 19 points to go with six blocks and four assists. O’Connell comes from a deep basketball background. His older brother Shawn is a freshman on the Georgia Southern basketball team. His father Dave O’Connell played basketball at Duke, while his uncles Mike O’Connell and Tim played at Notre Dame and Xavier, respectively. O’Connell netted 10 of his 15 points in the final quarter and ended the game with a steal and emphatic two-handed dunk as the clock ran out.
Buford was able to hang in the game with a barrage of three-pointers and cut Milton’s lead to 61-54 with a deep ball from Tre Hansbrough. Milton answered Hansbrough’s basket with a Lewis jumper and three made free throws by Charlie Nowell that would put Milton back up 66-56 with a minute to play. Hansbrough was Buford’s top scorer with a game-high 27 points while teammate Taylor Mills reached double-figures with 10 points.
Jordan Burrow (12), Keishon Kershaw (eight), Nowell (nine), Nigel White (eight) and Conrad Cummings (two) were Milton’s deep cast of scorers.
Milton opens region play as it hosts Walton on Nov. 18 while Buford opens its season competition in the Jared Cook Classic a week from Saturday.
*State-wide basketball coverage begins next week. Please report scores and stats by calling 404-256-1572 or find us via twitter at @scoreatlanta .
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