GREENFOREST HOLDS OF PROVIDENCE, HINTON
The Greenforest-Providence game was supposed to be the best game on the four game slate at Wesleyan on Tuesday at the 7-A region tournament. And it certainly was.
Paced by the 17 second half points from Region 7-A player of the year Jamel Jones (pictured), Greenforest held off a pesky Providence team for a 72-57 win. Greenforest is now guaranteed a spot in the class A state playoffs.
Jones hit a big three in the left corner with 2:30 to play to help give Greenforest the eventual lead. The 6-5 junior said he did not want to make the trip back to Decatur without the win and the punched ticket for the state playoff.
“We felt like we had to go out there and prove to ourselves and everyone else that we are good enough to be in the state tournament. We didn’t do that last year and we lost in the same round and just missed out. We didn’t want to go out early again,” Jones said.
“We had to dig deep and calm ourselves down but, at the same time, play Greenforest basketball.”
Jones finished with a game high 23 points.
While Jones and fellow junior Joe Chase (16 points) had it rolling, it was the play of Providence’s Westley Hinton that had the gym talking. The 6-7 senior had a dazzling game, scoring 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the floor.
Hinton made four straight buckets in the fourth quarter and challenged Greenforest in the paint time and time again. He was dazzling in defeat. Hinton also ripped down 11 rebounds, blocked five shots and handed out four assists.
PAIDEIA, ECLA, WESLEYAN ALSO ADVANCE
Paideia cruised past Mt. Pisgah 49-30 to move into the final four of the 7-A region tournament. Sophomore E. Victor Nickerson led the way with 14 points.
The Pythons will play Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy on Friday. ECLA beat St. Francis 64-55 in overtime to advance.
Wesleyan beat W.D. Mohammad 60-55 thanks to 30 points from sophomore Andrew Frerking, who hit eight of nine three-pointers in the victory. Wesleyan will play Greenforest on Friday.
MEADOWCREEK SURVIVES THREE-POINT BARRAGE FROM PARKVIEW
Meadowcreek’s Thomas Hines hit a huge three-pointer with less than 15 seconds left to play from the left corner to give the Mustangs the go ahead score in a back-and-forth game. Meadowcreek won 54-49 despite giving up a number of three-pointers to Parkview.
Jarvis Brown led Meadowcreek with 21 points. Rachard Lofton was huge down the stretch for Parkview, scoring on a driving lay-up and hitting a deep three to keep the game tied.
MCDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN TEAM ANNOUNCED TODAY
The 2009 McDonald’s All-American team will be announced on Wednesday at 6 p.m. EST on ESPNU. South Atlanta’s Derrick Favors will be one of the announced players for this year’s team. The game will be held April 1 in Miami, Florida.
