SUWANEE, GA – Like two teams playing knockout and trading shots for shots with each other, the 15U Best of the South championship had everyone on the edge of their seats.

In the end, the Upward Stars beat the Georgia Stars 57-51 to win the title at Suwanee Sports Academy on Sunday. Collin Hill led South Carolina-based program with 17 points.

“We knew they were a touch team,” Hill said. “We had to play defense and rebound against them.”

Upward Stars did that and it also had to knock down some shots.

Both teams made their runs. The Upward Stars made a run in the third quarter and early fourth. Leading the charge during the run was Hill, who nailed several three-pointers as he had open looks.

Upward was getting into a rhythm and the defense clamped down. The anchor of that defense was Jordan Bruner, who had four block shots in the fourth quarter.

Many of those defensive stops led to empty offensive trips for the Georgia Stars. The Georgia-based program tried to climb back into the action when Keith Gilmore hit a 3-pointer late. However, it was not enough against a team like the Upward Stars.

“It was nerve-raking,” said Georgia Stars forward Kevon Tucker, who finished with a team-high 15 points. “They are some good shooters that even when we closed out they knocked downshots.”

The game opened up with Niles Felton knocking down a 3-pointer and Brent Duncan slamming down a one-handed dunk, which got everyone fired up on the Georgia Stars bench.

Each team proceeded to have its runs and droughts. Upward just managed to make a few more shots in the end. Brevin Galloway finished with 14 points.  Travis Scott added 22 points. The Georgia Stars’ Gilmore had 11 points.

“We pride ourselves on our defense,” Georgia Stars coach Darrell Brown said. “We just lost to a really good team.”