TUCKER, GA -- To win the Region 5-AAAAA tournament, teams have to be able sustain a punch. Miller Grove took plenty in a back-and-forth battle against Stephenson at Tucker High School on Wednesday night.

In a true spirit of a heavyweight bout, the Wolverines took what the Jaguars were throwing about and closed out in the final minute to claim the 60-52 championship victory.

The game was a bucket swap all contest long and with the game tied at 1:19 at 50-50, Miller Grove started the closeout down the stretch. Senior Keith Pinckney connected on a pair of free throws at 1:08 then twenty seconds later sophomore Alterique Gilbert hit an acrobatic layup to put the score at 54-50.

Stephenson's John Bradley hit a layup at 34 seconds to cut the lead to two but Pinckney and Gilbert connected on four straight free throws under 30 seconds before Pinckney capped the game off with a dunk in transition to end the game.   

As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Miller Grove players ran towards the last seat on the bench and grabbed the number 24 jersey that was draped over the chair all season long.

"We did this for Terrell," the players said as they lifted the uniform high into the air.

Terrell Coleman died in October after he collapsed on the basketball court. Coleman was a freshman on the varsity team.

Coleman's mother, Raeshones, joined the team in the post-game trophy presentation and proudly held her son's jersey with the rest of the Wolverine family.

"It was all grit and the guys would not quit," Miller Grove head coach Sharman White said. "Before the game, we wanted to play our hearts out for Terrell. One of our goals in order to try and honor him was win this region tournament. Our guys played with that kind of energy whether we were up or whether we were down."

Gilbert, who played every minute in one of the most physical contests of the year, said Coleman's memory was what spurred him forward.

"Basketball is such a mental game and that's something we realize," Gilbert said. "We had to just keep playing hard every time they made a play."

Daniel Kinchen was hot for the Jaguars, hitting four three-pointers in the game and provided his team with an emotional shot when they needed it.

Gilbert, however, always answered the call on the other end of the floor. In the spirit of "anything you can do, I can do better", Gilbert connected a three-pointer of his own on the very next possession. Gilbert's shots never let Stephenson take the step forward.

Gilbert finished with 24 points while Pinckney scored 16 for Miller Grove. Kinchen led Stephenson with 16 points. Sweat scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Bradley scored eight.

Miller Grove will play Gainesville in the first round of the AAAAA state tournament. The two teams played for the state championship last year. Stephenson will host Salem in the first round.