Swainsboro Boys fall short in Final Four
By Justin Gray
The Swainsboro Boys Basketball Team knew they had a tough week ahead if they wanted to keep their run going. They led off the week against Athens Christian, on the road, which is never easy. The Tigers got off to a slow start and found themselves down 19-8 at the end of the first. The Tigers heated up in the second quarter as they battled back to make it 32-26 at the break. Whatever the coaches told the team at halftime worked, because the Tigers came out rolling in the third quarter as they defended well and took the 46-44 lead. The fourth quarter was all Tigers as they just ran away with it, scoring 24 and picking up the win 70-55, and punching their ticket to the Final Four. The leading scorer for the Tigers was Dorien Foots with 15 points.
Their matchup for the Final Four was a tough one as they were set to play Mount Pisgah Christian School at Georgia College in Milledgeville. MPCS were 22-8 on the season coming in and had some talented players. The game got off to another slow start for the Tigers as they found themselves down 14-1 at one point and 16-6 after the first. In the second quarter, the Tigers got some things working, but MPCS matched everything and the Tigers went into the half down, 29-16. The third quarter was all MCPS and they took a 19 point lead on the Tigers after the third. The Tigers proved it wasn’t over as they were able to storm back and cut the lead to only four points, but there just wasn’t enough time for the Tigers and they fell 53-49. The Tigers had a great game from Freshman LJ Morgan who led the way scoring 15 points, and Junior Demello Jones picked up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tigers accomplished so much this season. At the beginning of the season it didn’t seem like the Tigers would accomplish all they did, but they found their groove and rolled all the way to a Region title and a Final Four berth, two major feats of the sport. The Tigers are a young team, but will need to fill some holes as Seniors Jakari Nobles, Dorien Foots, William Boynton, and Jayvis Woods will be missed. Congratulations to these guys on their outstanding season!
Tigers defense on the prowl
Adams dribbles up the court