ALPHARETTA, GA – Going into its season-finale, Milton High boys’ basketball team was not concerned about its overall or region record. The Eagles were just trying to get back on the right track.

It took Milton a little more than three and half quarters to find its rhythm. The Eagles knocked down some critical baskets, including two consecutive three-pointers by Mo Lewis, to upset Wheeler High 48-41 on Saturday.

This victory was a timely one for the Eagles, who were falling short on the latter end of the season in some games.

“Our record was not what were focused on,” first-year Milton coach Matt Kramer said. “The biggest thing that it did was to break a string of games that we consistently couldn’t put together.”

Kramer’s message on Senior Night was not to just focus on the accomplishments of the players leaving this season. He wanted his Eagles (15-8 overall, 10-3 Region 5 AAAAAA) to play for each other.

“We wanted to come out of this game, win-or-lose, to be a better team, a more focused team and be ready to take the next step next week.”

Milton secured the third-seed of the region tournament before tip-off but there was a different energy in the air on Saturday. The Eagles were not going to be denied and were going to sacrifice individual glory for the teams success.

All game, Milton fired up shot after shot and nothing was falling. The Eagles were holding onto a slim lead after a three-pointer by senior Zach Hodskins and Wheeler looked like it was on the brink of making a run the rim opened up. Lewis, a Naval Academy commit, nailed a three-pointer in front of Milton’s bench. Almost a minute later, from the same spot, he nailed another giving the Eagles a 41-32 lead. He finished with a game-high 15 points.

Half the gym was electric about Milton’s lead while the Wheeler faithful was stunned by the recent run.

“Throughout the first two and half quarters of the game we had some looks that normally go in for us,” Kramer said. “We not to harp on percentages. When we get on a run hitting two or three in a row, regardless of how many we had missed up to that point, it’s damaging in a close game.”

Wheeler, ranked No. 2 in the Hoopseen.com Power Poll, attempted to mount a comeback to close out the game with its full-court pressure and nearly pulled it of. Junior Jaylen Brown quieted the crowd with a dunk that shocked the entire gym.

Brown stole the ball on one end of the floor and raced toward the gym. He left the floor before emphatically dunking the ball over a Milton defender, who was contesting the attempt. The gym was stunned as Brown capped off the play with a free throw. Milton led 41-35, which is the closest the Wildcats (20-5, 13-1) would be for the rest of the game.

While a lot of Wheeler’s struggle was getting into a rhythm, it also had foul trouble. Brown fouled out seconds later finishing the evening with 12 points.

Milton capped off the its upset with its trip to the free throw line.

“I felt if we could stay in touch and hit that one run, that was probably how we were going to win the game,” Kramer said. “That just happens to be the way it played out.”

The game got off to a solid start for Milton.

It took the action to Wheeler with sophomore Chris Lewis. The 6-foot-8 youngster battled inside on the offensive end, finishing with a few dunks of his own inside. He finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Georgia Southern signee Shawn O’Connell had nine points, while Hodskins added seven for Milton.

Daniel Giddens finished with nine points. Elijah Staley had seven. Avery Patterson chipped in with six.

Wheeler heads into the region tournament as the No. 1 seed. However, Kramer is not ready to count his Eagles out.

“We want to enjoy this,” he said of the win. “I have tried to stay the course with these guys. Going forward if we can keep that focus our talent will take us where we can go. I am not making any predictions but until someone counts us out we will keep swinging.”