Tri-Cities gets its revenge on Eagle's Landing: Day 2 Georgia boys basketball championship game photos and recap
By David Friedlander | Photos by Ed Turlington
Tri-Cities got a 2-for-1 deal in its Georgia High School Association Class 5A state championship game against Eagle's Landing.
Kory Mincy finished with game-highs of 19 points and five assists as the Bulldogs held off a late rally from the Eagles and pulled away late for a 67-59 victory, capping Day 2 of championship week Thursday night at the Macon Centreplex.
Tri-Cities (23-5) not only secured its first state championship in four seasons, but also avenged an 81-69 loss to Eagle's Landing (27-4) in last year's title game.
The Bulldogs led by 11 after three quarters and 54-42 after a layup by Mincy with 4:49 remaining in the fourth before the Eagles attempted a furious comeback behind Jordan Fordyce and A.J. Barnes.
The two seniors combined for eight points to spark a 10-2 run to bring the Eagles within 56-54 after Fordyce hit a free throw to complete a three-point play with 48 seconds left.
Elijah Robinson hit a jumper to counter two Mincy free throws and pull Eagle's Landing back within two at 58-56 with 40 seconds left, but a chance at another three-point play was lost on a missed free throw, and the Eagles couldn't pull even after getting the offensive rebound.
Ryan Mathieu, who had been 0-for-4 from the foul line, banked in a pair of free throws to push the lead back to four at 60-56 with 35 seconds left.
Those charity shots were part of a theme, as Tri-Cities connected on 11 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter, including 7 of 8 in the final 35 seconds, while Eagle's Landing was just 7 of 12 from the line in the final quarter.
Simeon Cottle hit five of those seven free throws in the final minute on his way to 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, and the Bulldogs' bench outscored Eagle's Landing's 15-4, with Noricco Danner scoring 13.
Fordyce and Barnes each finished with 17 points to lead Eagle's Landing, with Fordyce adding six rebounds and a team-high four steals and Barnes chipping in a team-high 11 rebounds and three steals.
The Eagles also got nine points and eight rebounds from Kenneth Brayboy.
Class 2A
Westside-Augusta 64, Butler 55
Jalex Ewing scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Westside-Augusta (28-3) rallied past its Augusta neighbor to claim its first state title since 1995.
The Patriots trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second quarter and by 12 with 1:48 left in the first half, but cut that lead in half by halftime.
They took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Amauri Tillman — who finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists — with 2:13 left in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Westside also got 10 points and 11 rebounds from Khalon Hudson, plus nine points and five assists from Demarco Middleton.
Butler (22-7) was led by 12 points from Gemaurean Belton, while Elijah Martinez added 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists and Chance Finklin chipped in 10 points for the Bulldogs.
Class 5A photo gallery:
