Douglas County has four new middle school basketball champions.
Mason Creek swept the seventh-grade girls and boys titles, and Factory Shoals took the eighth-grade boys and girls crowns on Saturday in what was the inaugural year for the big games at Legacy Arena.
Factory Shoals’ eighth-grade girls beat Chapel Hill 48-42 in overtime behind the play of Brooklyn Johnson, whose game-high 23 points was her best game of the season.
Girls Coach Reginald Pearson also praised Chloe Thomas for her defense, Jakera Wilder for a dominating game in the post with 12 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Kambree Whitehead, who hit a crucial 3-pointer in the closing minute of the game that gave the Lady Knights the lead for good.
“This championship win will forever be a cherished memory for these young ladies,” Pearson said. “It is also special for me and the coaching staff because we continuously emphasized teamwork and complimentary basketball throughout the season. In the championship game, everything came together as a result of a total team effort from every player.”
Factory Shoals has now won four straight eighth-grade girls titles.
On the boys side, Factory Shoals defeated Stewart, 67-35, behind 19 points and 16 rebounds from Jeremiah Mathis, 11 points and 16 rebounds from Chauncey Young, and nine points apiece from Tyreece Kimbrough and Grayson Barnett.
The Knights led the entire game and defensively held Stewart’s offense in check. The Eagles had been averaging close to 60 points coming into the contest.
“Our main focus was to out rebound them and win the transition battle,” Factory Shoals Boys Coach Michael Bedell said. “Our guys were in shape and prepared to do both. We had 13 steals, and we defended their pick and roll very well.”
Mason Creek claimed both seventh-grade titles with clutch play in games that were nail biters at the end.
Aaliyah Polk tied the girls game from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds and then rebounded Journee Street’s prayer and put it back as time was running out to give the Lady Wolves a 41-39 victory over Chapel Hill.
Polk scored 12 points, Allyson Harrell had 11 and Mallory Sherrill added nine for Mason Creek in the thrilling championship. The Lady Wolves finished at 14-2 for the season.
In the boys game, Keegan Petty hit a game-winning basket with three seconds left to give Mason Creek’s seventh-grade team a 45-43 victory over Factory Shoals. Petty finished with 22 points.
Mason Creek led big early before a Factory Shoals rally that left the Wolves trailing in the fourth
quarter for the first time all season.
Cayden Gaddison and Ebubechi Samson Omekerah came off the bench to score big buckets in the final period for Mason Creek, and Kasyn Guidry played lockdown defense and scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.
Mason Creek’s boys finished this season with a perfect 16-0 record.