Sports

Harrison Boys Roll into Semifinals

But the state basketball tournament ends for North Cobb.

One of the two surviving teams from Region 4-AAAAA made the Georgia High School Association state AAAAA Final Four, but it wasn't the region champion ranked second in Georgia.

, which tied for first in Region 4-AAAAA during the regular season but finished third in the region tournament, grabbed a spot in the Final Four, while fell one game short.

Harrison 69, M.L. King 59

In a battle of teams unranked in the PrepCountry/Georgia Athletic Coaches Association AAAAA top 10, Harrison jumped out to a 21-5 lead after the first quarter in Fort Valley and rolled into the Final Four.

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Ryan Blumenthal led the Hoyas with 27 points, The Marietta Daily Journal and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Also in double figures were Jay Bowyer with 13, Marshall Guilmette with 12 and Subby Adetujoye with 10.

Harrison (23-7) never trailed M.L. King (21-10) after opening the game on a 9-0 run, the AJC said. The Hoyas’ biggest lead was 19 points at 34-15 in the second quarter, but the Lions pulled within five twice in the fourth quarter, the MDJ said. 

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The Hoyas’ 10-point win avenged a 68-57 loss to the Lions on Dec. 28. More important, it moved Harrison into the state AAAAA Final Four for the first time.

The Hoyas will play top-ranked at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

Milton won’t have starting point guard Charles Mann, who is suspended for the rest of the year after being ejected in an 80-58 win over North Gwinnett on Saturday, the AJC said.

Savannah 59, North Cobb 43

Second-ranked North Cobb and sixth-ranked Savannah played a back-and-forth game in Fort Valley until Lee Moore fouled out with just under four minutes to play and the Warriors trailing, 42-41, The Marietta Daily Journal said. Then the Blue Jackets took over.

Saxon Steele made a free throw with 3:07 left to tie the game, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, but the Blue Jackets scored 17 of the final 18 points.

Savannah outscored North Cobb 21-7 in the fourth quarter, the Savannah Morning News said.

The Warriors led 23-21 at halftime and last led 41-40 before the final Blue Jacket onslaught.

Steele led North Cobb with 17 points, and Moore had 10, the AJC said.

North Cobb finished the season 26-5, including a 13-game winning streak that ended Saturday. Savannah improved to 29-2 and advanced to the AAAAA Final Four to play on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

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