MACON - Kevin Brown scored 18 points and Thomasville used a late run in the fourth quarter to upset East Hall 85-74 in the Class AA boys semifinals on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Chris Wright scored 25 points in the nightcap to lead Dublin by Buford, 72-65. Each team will be going after its first title in school history.
Neither Dublin nor Thomasville has ever won a state title. They will meet Saturday at 4:45 p.m. in Macon in the championship game.
Thomasville gained momentum in the third quarter when Ken Dixon dribbled behind his back, split two defenders by halfcourt, then dished it off to Ty Scott for a layup. Dunnell Webb had a breakaway dunk to give the Bulldogs a 51-47 lead in that period.
Late in the fourth, Thomasville went on a 10-0 run as Ladarius Hall, Dunnell Webb and Brown scored all the points during the surge. Brown put the game away with a two-hand dunk with 12 seconds left.
Webb scored 15 points and Hall added 14 for the Bulldogs. Thomasville knocked off Manchester, another state powerhouse, in the quarterfinals.
Frank Davis scored 20 points for the Vikings (28-3), who were defending champs and had won three titles in the last five years. Walter Hill added 14 points in the loss.
The Fighting Irish (29-2) set a fast pace and overwhelmed Buford with a 23-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Wright just before time expired in the first half. Dublin highlighted the period when Jaroy Stuckey drove into the lane for a dunk, then Ronnie McGirt caught an alley-oop slam from Stuckey.
Wright hit a jumper right after halftime to give the Fighting Irish a 44-24 lead. But the Wolves (24-6) put together a couple of runs in the second half, rallied from 20 points down and took the lead at 57-56 on a free throw by Mark Swanson.
Dublin responded with six straight points from Wright and a layup by Ben Smith to extend its lead to 64-58 in the fourth. Stuckey hit a couple a free throws and Smith added a four more to seal the victory.
Smith scored 15 points and Stuckey added 11 for Dublin.
David Hendrix led Buford with 13 points, while Terrance Birdette and Swanson scored 11 points apiece in the loss.
(by The Associated Press)
Tuesday
March 25th, 2025
4:29AM
