National No. 3
Milton was denied a second-straight Class AAAAA state title in Georgia on Friday night, leading to a historic double of another kind.
Norcross beat Milton 59-55 in the AAAAA boys final, while the Norcross girls also captured a state title with a 61-36 win over
McEachern (Powder Springs). The Blue Devil double-dip marked the first time boys and girls teams from the same school swept the large-classification titles in the Peach State since 1958.
Phil Forte and No. 4 Marcus will meet No. 12 Lakeview Centennial for the Class 5A state title in Texas.
Photo by Jim Redman
For the Norcross boys, Friday night's state-title triumph also ended two years of frustration against Milton. The Blue Devils were foiled by the Eagles twice during the 2009-10 season, including a season-ending loss in the state playoffs. A November meeting between the rivals also went Milton's way.
Charlotte signee
E. Victor Nickerson led Norcross in the championship game with 15 points.
That wasn't the only history made in Georgia. Powerhouse
Miller Grove (Lithonia), ranked No. 14 nationally, captured its third-straight Class AAAA state title with a 67-59 win over
Rockdale County (Conyers). Under head coach Sharman White, the Wolverines are 89-11 during that span.
Moving west, Saturday night's Class 5A state championship game in Texas will be a dandy. No. 4
Marcus (Flower Mound), a 53-41 winner over
Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City), will meet No. 12
Lakeview Centennial (Garland), who beat
Taft (San Antonio) 87-77. The team's own a combined record of 74-2.
More Xcellent 25 state tournament scores...Georgia Class AAAAA state championshipNorcross (Norcross, Ga.) 59, No. 3
Milton 55
E. Victor Nickerson, Norcross: 15 points
Texas Class 5A semifinalsNo. 4
Marcus (Flower Mound) 53,
Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City) 41
Phil Forte, Marcus: 14 points
Virginia Group AAA state championshipNo. 5
Norcom (Portsmouth) 54,
Bird (Chesterfield) 45
Dorian Finney-Smith, Norcom: 19 points, 17 rebounds
Kansas Class 6A semifinalsNo. 11
Wichita Heights (Wichita) 70,
Olathe East (Olathe) 62
Perry Ellis, Wichita Heights: 25 points
Texas Class 5A semifinalsNo. 12
Lakeview Centennial (Garland) 87,
Taft (San Antonio) 77
Chris Jones, Lakeview Centennial: 24 points
Georgia Class AAAA state championshipNo. 14
Miller Grove (Lithonia) 67,
Rockdale County (Conyers) 59
Tony Parker, Miller Grove: 21 points, 14 rebounds
Illinois Class 4A sectional championshipNo. 15
Simeon (Chicago) 64,
Lyons (LaGrange) 51
Kendrick Nunn, Simeon: 16 points
Iowa Class 4A state semifinalsNo. 16
Linn-Mar (Marion) 63,
Iowa City West (Iowa City) 48
Marcus Paige, Linn-Mar: 23 points