Gwinnett County, and Norcross High School, more specifically, was the host to 12 of the country’s top high school boys basketball programs last weekend as the Blue Devils hosted the Atlanta National Invitational Showcase, featuring teams from Virginia, Washington D.C., Florida, Texas, New York and Alabama to go along with five schools from the state of Georgia. Norcross rallied for a huge 69-64 win over Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson High School, ranked the No. 4 public school and No. 7 school overall in New York City. Head coach Jesse McMillan’s Blue Devils received 39 points combined from sophomore Chris Bolden and senior Jeremy Lamb to bring Norcross back from a fourth-quarter 55-49 hole. Bolden, who finished with 20 points, hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 32 seconds left to give the Blue Devils a lead the host school would not lose. Lamb had four rebounds and three blocked shots to go with his 19 points. Marty Johnson finished with 11 points and six assists and Malcolm McDonald had 10 rebounds for Norcross. With the win, Norcross improved to 14-2.
Meadowcreek also took part in the showcase and the Mustangs certainly impressed, blowing out Washington D.C. power Anacostia, 66-55. Lavon Hooks sparked the Blue Devils with 21 points, eight boards and three steals. Junior Shaquille Morris had 16 points, 10 in the second quarter, for Meadowcreek, along with eight rebounds and five assists and steals. For the Mustangs it capped off a very impressive weekend, as the squad knocked off South Gwinnett 93-73 the night before the showcase. Meadowcreek scored 35 in the opening quarter against the Comets en route to a big region win, which tied No. 10 Meadowcreek with No. 5 Central Gwinnett for first in Region 8-AAAAA. Hooks was just as big in the region game, going for 25 points and 14 rebounds. Morris came to play with 20 points and John Ruff had 17 points. For the Comets, Javonte Maynor led all scorers with 28 points. The Comets fell to 1.5 games behind Central Gwinnett and Meadowcreek in the region.
Central Gwinnett played out of the region last Saturday, knocking off Flowery Branch, 86-68. Jordan Adams had 21 points to lead the Black Knights, though Brian Williams had 16 points in the win. The night before, CGHS kept pace with Meadowcreek thanks to Adams’ 24 points in a 75-66 win over Parkview.
Mill Creek managed a split last week as the team lost to Collins Hill 50-44 but beat South Forsyth 63-40. Against South Forsyth, every player on the team scored. The going was not as easy against the Eagles of Collins Hill, though, as Saah Nimley had 18 points and Andre Allen had 13 for CHHS. Kyle Speller had 11 for Mill Creek. Finally, the drama was huge in the battle for Suwanee as North Gwinnett used a buzzer-beating three pointer to edge Peachtree Ridge, 52-49. Alex Tiller recorded the game-winning basket after the Lions had rallied with nine straight points to tie the game at 49-49. C.J. Blackwell had a game-high 25 points for the Lions, but Peachtree Ridge struggled from the free throw stripe, connecting on just 4 of 16. The girls game between these two schools was nearly as exciting as Stephanie Wheeler had 22 points to help the Lady Bulldogs knock off Peachtree Ridge, 62-59. Abby Slocumb added 11 points and pulled in 13 rebounds in the victory. For Ridge, Brittany Jack had 20 points.
As for the rest of the girls teams, Parkview ran its record to 18-0 with a 68-33 win over Central Gwinnett, followed by a 56-36 win over Berkmar. The Lady Panthers received 38 points from Lauren Coleman for both games while Katie Carroll had 14 in the win over Berkmar. Mill Creek was impressive in a win over Collins Hill as Moneshia Simmons had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Simmons was just as big against South Forsyth in a 59-44 win for Mill Creek, notching 10 points and grabbing 11 boards. Finally, Grayson knocked off Shiloh 55-50 as Taren White had 21 points and Anela Durmic had 18 for the Lady Rams. Shiloh received a 20-point effort from Paden Smith.
ON THE MAT …
County wrestling power Collins Hill, fresh off yet another state duals title, traveled up to Pennsylvania to participate in the ninth annual Final Four of High School Wrestling Championships. The field consisted of eight teams from around the country and the Eagles’ lone loss was a three-point defeat at the hands of the No. 1 team in the country, Blair Academy out of New Jersey. Collins Hill, ranked No. 14 by Amateur Wrestling News, knocked off New Jersey’s Long Branch, ranked No. 24, 27-22 before falling to Blair Academy, 33-30. The Eagles recovered by knocking out Benton (Pa.), 54-25. In the consolation finals, Collins Hill defeated Easton (Pa.), 45-12. Some of the top wrestlers for coach Cliff Ramos included Drew Ferguson, T.J. Mitchell and C.J. Collins, all 3-0 in pool play. Devante Brown, Joel Smith and Steven Brandtmueller were 2-1.
Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.
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