Duluth and Macon were the places to be for high school basketball fans last weekend. The GHSA Basketball Championships took place in the Arena at Gwinnett Center and the Macon Coliseum, and there was plenty of suspense and surprises. Gwinnett Arena hosted the Class 4A and 5A boys and girls championships, while the Class A, 2A and 3A finals were held in Macon. But if fans had trouble attending the games for whatever reason, all the semifinal and championship games were streaming live on GPB.org/sports.
The Norcross boys and girls basketball teams have had their share of success. The girls won the state title last year and the boys won three consecutive titles from 2006-2008. But could both these teams win state titles over the weekend?
Yes, and they did it in a big way. After defeating Valdosta 70-61 in the semifinals, the boys took on No. 1 Milton in the finals. Milton was the defending state champ and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the country according to three polls. Milton led by 10 points with six minutes left in the game, but Chris Bolden led the attack for the Blue Devils, scoring nine points including a three-pointer to give Norcross the 59-55 win and their fourth state title in six years.
The Lady Devils, on the other hand, did not have to make a comeback to win their second consecutive state title. Diamond DeShields scored 27 points and Norcross won 61-36 over McEachern. It was the largest margin of victory in a Class 5A girls championship game since 1998.
REPEATERS …
The Miller Grove boys won the Class 4A state title the last two years and, in order to win a third consecutive title, they would have a beat a very stout Rockdale Co. squad. But with the help of Tony Parker, who scored 21 points and pulled down 15 rebounds along with five blocked shots, Miller Grove defeated Rockdale Co. 67-59 to win their third straight title.
In Class 4A girls action, Fayette Co. won the state title they had previously come close to by defeating Forest Park 55-45. The Lady Tigers reached the finals in 2008 and 2009, only to lose to Southwest DeKalb both times. Brianna Banks led the Lady Tigers with 14 points.
The Columbia boys and the Washington Co. girls took home Class 3A titles. Columbia defeated Butler 56-37 last Saturday in Macon to win their fourth championship in six years. Washington Co. defeated Dalton 62-50 not only to end the season with their first state title, but also with a perfect 32-0 record.
Both the boys and girls teams from GAC and Buford played against each other in the finals and, when it was all said and done, the Buford girls and GAC boys came out on top. The Spartans defeated Buford 76-36 to win their second consecutive title, while the Lady Wolves defeated GAC 57-38 to claim their third straight title.
In Class A action, the Wilkinson Co. boys and the Wesleyan girls were the two teams to reign supreme. Wilkinson Co. defeated Terrell Co.75-68, while Wesleyan took care of Pace Academy 65-43 to win their eighth championship since 2002.
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