Four DeKalb Basketball Teams Advance to Class AAAA Final Four

Five DeKalb County high school basketball teams entered Friday night's
Class AAAA quarterfinals with an opportunity to advance to the state
semifinals and four came away with victories to make up half the Class
AAAA Final Four next Wednesday at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

The first quarterfinal game at the University of West Georgia Coliseum in
Carrollton matched No. 5 ranked Chamblee and fellow DeKalb foe Southwest
DeKalb in a girls' game won 55-52 in overtime by Southwest DeKalb.

The second half of the game featured nine lead changes and eight ties as
the game seesawed back and forth.

Nicole Razor gave the Lady Panthers (20-11) a short-lived lead with 55
seconds to play, but Chamblee (28-3) tied the game on Georgia Tech signee
Bre McDonald's drive just 10 seconds later and the game went into overtime.

Nekia Sockwell gave Southwest the lead for good on a pull up jumper with
2:01 to play for a 50-49 advantage. McDonald pulled Chamblee within one
with a basket as the clock ticked down to 16 seconds, but Sockwell got
away for a layup to seal the win at 55-52.

Nicole Martin and Sockwell had 15 points to lead Southwest DeKalb with
Martin adding 17 rebounds. McDonald hit for a game high 27 points and
grabbed 13 rebounds for Chamblee. The Lady Panthers move onto their fourth
semifinal appearance in five years to face No. 7 ranked Jonesboro (25-5)
which knocked off No. 1 ranked and defending state champ Fayette County
47-46 on Friday at Fort Valley State. The teams meet at 4 p.m. at the
Gwinnett Arena on Wednesday.

The No. 4 ranked Southwest DeKalb Panthers (21-9) held off No. 6 ranked
Chattahoochee 68-63 as four players hit double figures to offset a
32-point, 10-rebound performance by Chattahoochee's Jeron Blossomgame.

The game was a one-point (32-31) lead by the Panthers at halftime and took
a 10-3 run midway in the fourth quarter for the Panthers to get a cushion.
Jordan Price's offensive rebound for a basket and a foul to complete a
three-point play started the run followed by a Justin Hollimon
three-pointer (one of four in the game) and two easy layups by Kenneth
Lewis on passes from Price and William "Shaq" Goodwin for the 64-57 lead
with 3:01 to play.

Blossomgame pulled Chattahoochee within three twice in the final minutes,
but a miss and a basket by Kadarius Turner with 13 seconds to play sealed
the trip to the Final Four for the Panthers.

Price had 19 points to lead the Panthers while Goodwin added 14 points and
10 rebounds, Turner 13 points and Hollimon 12. Southwest takes on No. 10
North Clayton (20-10) which upset No. 2 Alcovy 84-62 to advance to the
5:30 p.m. semifinal on Wednesday.

The next two games featured the No. 4 ranked Miller Grove Lady Wolverines
and the No. 1 ranked Miller Grove Wolverines who also pulled a double trip
to the Final Four with victories.

Class AAAA Results From Carrollton

GIRLS
SW DeKalb (20-11) 55, Chamblee (28-3) 52 (1 OT)
Miller Grove (23-4) 67, Rome (22-9) 38

BOYS
SW DeKalb (21-9) 68, Chattahoochee (25-6) 63
Miller Grove (22-9) 60, Marist (20-8) 51

CLASS AAAA SEMIFINALS

The Arena at Gwinnett Center
Wed., March 7

GIRLS
SW DeKalb (20-11) vs. Jonesboro (25-5), 4 p.m.
Miller Grove (23-4) vs. Alcovy (27-4), 7 p.m.

BOYS
SW DeKalb (21-9) vs. North Clayton (20-10), 5:30 p.m.
Miller Grove (22-9) vs. Jonesboro (26-4), 8:30 p.m.