The penultimate day of the season is behind us. A-DI and 7A will close things out on Saturday, but before we get to that point, let’s look back on what went down in Friday’s games. 

5A and 3A have first-time champs!

6A

Champions

For the first time in school history, the Alexander Cougars are state champions with a 64-42 win over Lee County. 

Alexander took control of the game in the third quarter when they used a 13-0 run to gain separation. Braedan Lue, Noah Melson and Jay’Quan Nelson led the run. 

Expanding the scope out further, the Cougars outscored the Trojans 38-18 in the second half. 

MVP

Braedan Lue capped his 6A Player of the Year campaign with 26 points and 12 rebounds in the 6A championship game. 

He’s going to be one of the hottest prospects in the Peach State this summer, and he started that stretch with a phenomenal outing on the biggest stage. 

Lue was a force around the basket. He’s athletic, big, long and physical. He’s too much for most in the state to handle, and that proved to be the case on Friday night. Lee County had no answer for Lue. 

What makes Lue more dangerous is his ability to incorporate skill into his game as well. He stepped out and hit a 3-pointer, and he made plays happen off the bounce. 

He contributed to the second-half rout with 16 of his 26 after halftime. 

Seniors shine for Cougs

The senior guard duo of Jay’Quan Nelson and Noah Melson were catalysts that helped create separation for Alexander. When those two got going in the third quarter, the complexion of the game changed. 

Melson led the pair with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Nine of his points came in the second half. 

Nelson finished with 11 points and 7 of them came in the second half. 

While that guard duo made more of an impact on the scoreboard, a player who shouldn’t go unrecognized was Marvin McGhee IV. He only had 3 points, but he impacted the game elsewhere with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. 

McGhee played his part to perfection. He did what the team needed before anything else. That’s how championships are won. 

3A

Champions

After having been upset on the path to a 3A championship in each of the last two seasons, Sandy Creek reaches the top of the mountain and claims their spot atop the classification with a 66-37 win over region rival Cedar Grove. 

Despite a first-quarter push from Cedar Grove, Sandy Creek turned the second quarter into an 18-0 run and never looked back. 

The Patriots got the best of the young Cedar Grove Saints in all of their four meetings this season. 

Back to back?

The question now is whether or not Sandy Creek will repeat. A placeholder answer to that question is that they will be heavily favored to win 3A again. 

Look at this roster. It features mostly juniors and sophomores. Only two seniors played major minutes in this game. One of them was Vic Newsom who finished with 14 points and 5 rebounds. 

The rest of their primary contributors were guys like Micah Smith, Amari Brown and PJ Green. 

That trio of juniors combined for 43 points and 19 rebounds in the win. 

Then, think about other players taking steps forward. Jared White, Kani Rashied-Henry and Jacob Robinson will be names to monitor over the summer. 

With the returning production and the potential for other players to further in their development, Sandy Creek will be HoopSeen’s favorite in 3A going into next season. 

Green’s just getting going

Cedar Grove was one of the best stories in GHSA basketball this season. The Saints got to 20 wins and played for a 3A championship after only winning four games a season ago. 

One of the primary ingredients behind that turnaround was freshman Manny Green. The rising star announced his presence in a loud way all season. Despite this championship not going his way, Green still finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds against Sandy Creek. 

This was the brightest spotlight of the freshman’s young career, but it certainly won’t be the last time he plays on a big stage.