The most anticipated game across all classification's in the Georgia state tournament lived up to the billing as No. 11
Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) upended No. 10
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 66-53 in the AAAAAA state semifinals on Saturday at the Macon Complex.
Wheeler (28-3) avenged its 77-68 loss to Grayson on Dec. 7 and snapped the Rams' 49-game win streak against Georgia opponents.
The Wildcats were led by a balanced effort as senior forward
Mansur McClain led the way with 18 points and five rebounds, four-star sophomore
Kevin Savage pumped in 14 points, four assists and two steals, and four-star Mississippi signee
Tylis Jordan chipped in 12 points and four rebounds.
Wheeler senior forward Mansur McClain came up big in the 66-53 state semifinal win over Grayson. He finshed with a team-high 18 points as the Rams advanced to the AAAAAA title game on March 8. (Photo: Corey Jones)
Grayson appeared to be gaining momentum in the second quarter after pushing ahead 22-14 early in the period, but a personal 9-0 run from junior guard
Lamarrion Lewis gave Wheeler a 23-22 advantage midway through the quarter. Lewis, who averaged 4.1 points on the season coming into the contest, contributed 13 points and five rebounds off the bench to provide the ultimate spark in the victory.
Grayson held a 32-29 halftime lead, but the Wildcats flipped the momentum with an 8-0 spurt to take a 39-34 lead at the midpoint of the third after back-to-back 3-pointers from junior guard
Kota Suttle Jr. and McClain. Wheeler would never trail again.
The Wildcats maintained a 49-43 entering the final period before closing the game on a 13-4 run to leave no doubt. A stifling Wildcats defense suffocated the Rams in second half and held the defending state champions to 21 points over the final 16 minutes of the contest.
With the loss, Grayson (28-3) falls shy of their bid for repeat in Georgia's highest classification after making a run to their first state crown last season.
Five-star junior
Caleb Holt scored a team-high 18 points while piling up double-digit rebounds in the loss for Grayson, but he was sidelines for parts of the final period due to leg cramping.
