Wilkinson County boys basketball wins ninth state title

ATHENS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Down five points at halftime of Wednesday’s GHSA Class A Public Championship Game, Wilkinson County’s boys basketball team could have just thrown in the towel and let Calhoun County cruise to the buzzer.

But that wouldn’t be the Wilkinson County way.

The Warriors, who had won eight state titles since Aaron Geter took over as head coach in 1999, added another to their total, outscoring the Cougars 20-6 in the third quarter on their way to a 66-53 win at UGA’s Stegeman Coliseum.

Clarence Jackson (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Tylan Grable (15 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles for the Warriors.

“You talk about Wilkinson County, particularly under the guidance of (coach) David Moore when he first got it, it was just a solid foundation for basketball,” Geter said after the game. “There have only been four head coaches in Wilkinson County and we talk about that with our kids, and we really try to represent what those guys got started in the 60s, and they work hard every day to try to maintain and put their building block into that foundation.”

Wilkinson County finishes the season 25-7.

Telfair County girls fall to Pelham

Telfair County, the top seed in the Class A Public bracket, couldn’t overcome a sluggish start against Pelham. The Hornets led 20-8 after the first quarter thanks in part to a 15-0 run.

The Hornets led by 14 at halftime and won 60-42.

“The girls have played a long season,” Telfair County coach Shalonda Troupe said after the game. “They’ve fought hard. They’ve played defense and they’ve played together. They’ve got a lot of supporters here. I feel like we gave it our best effort, we left it out there on the floor, and we look forward to being in this position again next year.”

The Trojans finish the season 27-3.