Junior guard Malachi Cooper provided a team-high 15 points off the bench in the victory.
Cooper provided a spark off the bench for the Blazers, converting 6 of 8 field goal attempts and 3 of 5 from 3-point range. He was the only player who scored in double-figures in the victory.
In a championship game that lived up to the billing, the two teams traded punches like heavyweight fighters throughout. Grayson owned a 15-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, a 29-27 lead at the half and a 44-39 lead headed into the fourth quarter.
Ridge View players celebrate their second upset victory in as many days en route to the title at the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina. (Photo: Shane Roper)
Trailing 51-50 late in the fourth quarter, freshman guard
Robert Wylie connected on a 3-pointer from the right wing to give Ridge View a 53-51 lead with 1:40 remaining in the contest.
Less than a minute later, Ridge View defenders trapped
Jacob Wilkins and turned him over leading to a
Joshua Smith bucket with 42 seconds remaining to extend the lead to four points.
Grayson responded with a layup from Western Carolina commit
C.J. Hyland to cut the deficit to 55-53 with 38 seconds remaining but was unable to convert a field goal in the final 30 seconds of the contest.
Purdue signee
Gicarri Harris
of finished with a game-high 25 points for Grayson in addition to five rebounds and three steals.
Ridge View returns to the court on Jan. 5 with a matchup against
Lugoff-Elgin (Lugoff, S.C.) while Grayson looks to bounce back on Jan. 5 against
Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.).
Korie Corbett of Ridge View rises for a jumper in his team's championship game victory Saturday night at the Chick-fil-A Classic. (Photo: Shane Roper)
Ridge View's tournament win at the Chick-fil-A Classic is sure to have major ramifications for next week's MaxPreps Top 25. (Photo: Shane Roper)
