GHSA State Championship Week Recap

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 3A-1A Private</h2>   Darlington 53, Holy Innocents' 50   Despite losing a key starter in the Elite Eight, Darlington (30-2) completed its championship run by knocking off defending champion Holy Innocents' (26-4) in a gritty finish. The Tigers started ice cold at 3-for-17 from the field and missed their first seven three-point attempts before finding their rhythm in the second quarter. A 6-of-13 surge flipped a 12-6 deficit into a 25-23 halftime lead.   Holy Innocents' battled through foul trouble as Belmont-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1696172' first='Devin' last='Hutcherson'] picked up his third foul late in the second quarter and didn't return until midway through the third. Still, the Golden Bears stayed afloat, even taking a 34-33 lead entering the fourth.   The game ultimately belonged to [player_tooltip player_id='2297166' first='DJ' last='Hall']. The standout guard delivered a dominant 30-point performance, adding 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 9-of-17 from the field, 5-of-8 from three, and 7-of-9 from the line. Hall scored key buckets down the stretch, including a driving finish with 2:54 left and a tough eurostep with 1:21 remaining to push the lead to 50-45.   After a late three from [player_tooltip player_id='3423714' first='Jaden' last='McCullough'] cut it to 51-49, Hall sealed the win with two free throws in the final seconds. Hutcherson's desperation three at the buzzer fell short, ending Holy Innocents' bid for back-to-back titles.   [player_tooltip player_id='2570508' first='Cam' last='Selig'] added 9 points and 8 rebounds for Darlington, while Hutcherson led Holy Innocents' with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Mays chipped in 10 points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 3A</h2>   Cross Creek 56, Harlem 51   Cross Creek (27-5) claimed its third state title by defeating Harlem (23-10) for the fourth time this season, using a clutch fourth quarter to pull away.   Harlem appeared in control entering the final period, leading 38-32 after a 12-0 run. But the Razorbacks responded behind [player_tooltip player_id='2125529' first='Frashad' last='Tisby'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2372176' first='Dontrell' last='Jackson']. Tisby scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime, adding 7 rebounds and 5 blocks, while hitting two critical threes—one to give Cross Creek the lead at 43-42 and another to extend it late.   Jackson poured in 25 points and 7 rebounds, including 11 in the fourth quarter after a quiet third. [player_tooltip player_id='2125526' first='Derrick' last='Shine'] contributed 11 points.   Harlem was dealt a major blow early as leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='2412819' first='Ty' last='Shine'] went down with an ankle injury just eight minutes into the game. [player_tooltip player_id='2436946' first='AJ' last='Williams'] stepped up with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and a strong all-around effort, while Christaan Gandy added 12 points and 5 rebounds, but the Bulldogs couldn't hold off Cross Creek's late surge.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 1A D-II</h2>   Clinch County 63, Portal 43   Clinch County (29-4) took control with a dominant second-half stretch to win its first state title since 1989. The Panthers closed the first half on a 9-0 run to lead 28-24, then extended it to a 16-1 run midway through the third quarter to seize full control.   A 16-6 third quarter broke the game open as Clinch County imposed its will inside, outscoring Portal 38-16 in the paint.   Traviian Miller led the charge with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Kamarion Johnson and Jakyri Posley each added 15 points, with Posley also grabbing 7 rebounds.   Portal (26-6) struggled from the perimeter, shooting just 3-of-22 from three. [player_tooltip player_id='3454496' first='David' last='Thomas'] led the Panthers with 16 points and 6 rebounds, while KJ Hunter added 10 points and 6 boards.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 4A</h2>   St. Pius X 54, Pace Academy 51   St. Pius X (33-0) capped a perfect season with a hard-fought win over Pace Academy (24-8), finally breaking through for a state championship.   The Golden Lions controlled much of the game, using a 13-2 run to build a 28-18 halftime lead and holding the advantage for over 26 minutes. Still, Pace never went away, tying the game at 49 late after a [player_tooltip player_id='2826748' first='Gavin' last='Fountain'] three.   Clemson-signee [player_tooltip player_id='2046360' first='Harris' last='Reynolds'] delivered in the clutch, finishing with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and key late plays. After Pace tied it, Reynolds found [player_tooltip player_id='2425856' first='Westin' last='Keppen'] for a go-ahead three with 38 seconds left, and later sealed the game at the free throw line.   Keppen finished with 13 points, while Pace was led by Jaydon Avery's 19 points, including four threes. [player_tooltip player_id='1543546' first='Hayden' last='Clay'] added a double-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 1A D-I</h2>   Rabun County 52, Southwest-Macon 43   Rabun County (30-2) captured its first-ever state title behind a dominant performance from Navy-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1861339' first='Huey' last='Blalock'], defeating Southwest-Macon (27-7) in a long-awaited No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown.   The Wildcats jumped out to a 17-5 lead and led wire-to-wire, but Southwest-Macon made multiple pushes, tying the game early in the second quarter and cutting it to one late in the fourth.   Blalock was the difference, finishing with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and just 3 turnovers despite constant double teams. With [player_tooltip player_id='2887558' first='Hayes' last='Free'] in foul trouble and eventually fouling out, Blalock carried the offensive load down the stretch.   After Southwest cut the lead to 45-43, Blalock answered with a clutch jumper, drew an offensive foul, and later knocked down key free throws to cap a 7-0 closing run.   [player_tooltip player_id='1543486' first='Chase' last='Dupree'] led Southwest-Macon with 20 points, while Caron Howard added 13 in the loss.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 5A</h2>   Alexander 81, Woodward Academy 67   Alexander (30-2) used a dominant second-half surge to pull away from Woodward Academy (25-7) and secure its second state championship.   Trailing 39-32 at halftime, the Cougars exploded in the third quarter behind Pops Dunson, who scored 11 of his 25 points in the period. His buzzer-beating three from near halfcourt gave Alexander a 56-55 lead heading into the fourth.   From there, the Cougars took control, using a 9-0 run late in the game to extend the lead to double digits.   Dunson finished with 25 points and 6 assists, while [player_tooltip player_id='2380953' first='Jayden' last='Crawford'] added 18 points and 9 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='2844276' first='Christian' last='Moore'] chipped in 15 points.   Woodward Academy had all five starters score in double figures, led by [player_tooltip player_id='2528158' first='Myles' last='Hayes'] (17) and [player_tooltip player_id='2451130' first='Jarvis' last='Hayes Jr.'] (14), but was undone by a 12-0 deficit in bench scoring.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 2A</h2>   Morgan County 53, Butler 52 (OT)   Morgan County (26-6) outlasted defending champion Butler (25-5) in a thrilling overtime finish to capture its first title since 2019.   After jumping out to a 10-0 lead, Morgan County found itself in a back-and-forth battle the rest of the way. Butler had chances to win at the end of regulation and overtime, but shots rimmed out both times.   [player_tooltip player_id='2879760' first='Zeki' last='Locus'] powered Morgan County with 20 points and 13 rebounds, attacking relentlessly and getting to the line. His two free throws with 6.3 seconds left in overtime proved to be the difference.   [player_tooltip player_id='2369504' first='Kwamane' last='Bridges'] led Butler with 22 points, while [player_tooltip player_id='2711227' first='De'Cori' last='Fleming'] added 12, including multiple clutch plays late. But Fleming's final drive at the buzzer rolled off the rim, sealing the Bulldogs' victory.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 6A</h2>   Wheeler 62, Pebblebrook 52   Wheeler (27-6) captured its 11th state championship, finishing unbeaten in Georgia play with a win over Pebblebrook (23-9).   The Wildcats set the tone early with a 13-2 run and never trailed, leading 31-23 at halftime. Pebblebrook cut the deficit to two in the third quarter, but Wheeler responded with an 8-2 run to regain control.   UConn-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1958491' first='Colben' last='Landrew'] dominated with 29 points and 12 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting, while LaMarrion Lewis added 11 points and knocked down three triples.   Wheeler's defense limited Kennesaw State-signee [player_tooltip player_id='2245699' first='Zyree' last='Brown'] to just 7 points on 3-of-17 shooting. Alex Jones led Pebblebrook with 18 points, while Donald McMillian and [player_tooltip player_id='2262493' first='Anthony' last='Moon'] each added 11.   Pebblebrook struggled from deep, hitting just 2-of-17 from three, as Wheeler's consistency proved too much down the stretch.