Whitefield Academy, SWAC ready for Class A title rematch

MACON - Dwight Howard II scored 24 points, blocked 13 shots and collected 19 rebounds as Southwest Atlanta Christian advanced to its second straight Class A state championship, beating Emanuel County Institute 76-62 in the semifinals Wednesday night.<br> <br> The Warriors (30-2) meet defending champion Whitefield Academy Saturday for the championship. Whitefield, which beat SACA 83-72 in the 2003 final, defeated Dooly County 79-63 in the other semifinal game Wednesday.<br> <br> Howard blocked seven shots in the first quarter and the Warriors seized control with a 12-1 run to start the second, keyed by eight points from Aljamon Alexander, who finished with a game-high 26. They led by as many as 25 in the second half. ECI got as close as 14 in the fourth period.<br> <br> Javaris Crittenton added 16 points for Southwest Atlanta Christian, making its fourth straight semifinals appearance but still looking for its first championship.<br> <br> Larry Sapp scored 14 and Brian Carlyle 12 for ECI (27-4).<br> <br> Ray Lamb scored 15 points for Whitefield (25-8), which beat its first three tournament opponents by an average of 29 points. The Wolfpack overcame a first-half barrage of free throw attempts by Dooly (22-7), which scored just one field goal in the first 1 1/2 quarters.<br> <br> Whitefield had five players score in double figures and led 30-24 at the half. The Wolfpack exploded for 29 points in the third period, leading by as many as 22.<br> <br> The Wildcats closed the quarter with an 8-0 run, but got no closer than 11 after that. John Adams scored 12 and Oscar Chaney and Dominque Duhart had 10 each for Dooly.