ACWORTH, GA – In a game of 32 minutes of back and forths, the little things matter down the stretch.

The final minute of the Mellow Mushroom bracket championship game between Allatoona and McEachern at the Lake City Classic was nothing short of entertaining.

Allatoona sophomore Trey Doomes made a big block on McEachern freshman Isaac Martin, who was off and running for a transition layup with 16.2 to play and the go-ahead score. On the next play, AHS senior Kevin Perry made a steal on the beginnings of an Isaac Okoro shot in the paint that lead to a breakout layup attempt from Ephraim Tshimanga to seal the win.

After the foul, Tshimanga toed the foul line with 3.7 seconds left to play and sunk both free throws to give Allatoona the insurance for a 64-61 win.

“I’m so proud of these guys. It was a great team win for us,” Allatoona head coach Markus Hood said. “Our guys are battle-tested. We’ve played a lot of tough games up in Kentucky and this tournament here. I can’t be more proud of that defensive stand there late. Event when we were down late, our kids never gave up and never lost hope.”

Doomes, the MVP of the Mellow Mushroom bracket of the LCC, finished with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in the game. He capped off a tremendous week of work at the Lake City Classic.

Playing alongside the always-steady Tshimanga, Doomes has developed into quite the player. One of the things the sophomore has gleaned from the senior is Allatoona’s defensive attitude. That mindset came through in the clutch on Wednesday night.

“We look up to our defense a lot. They pressure the ball really well. They have good hands out on the perimeter and play hard. You just have to take care of the ball when it comes down to it,” Tshimanga said.

Also playing a part in Allatoona’s win was the shot-making ability of senior reserve Kevin Perry. The long-armed wing drilled a couple of perimeter shots that proved to be a big spark for his team.

“He was a big spark off the bench. He hit some deep threes. I’m not sure if he was on their scouting report or not,” Hood said. “When they closed out long on him, that created some driving lanes for us and we were able to get into the paint.”

McEachern wouldn’t go down without a fight. The Jones backcourt of A.J. and Darius combined for 34 points and played terrific off of each other. The duo made the All-Tournament team.

A.J. Jones was terrific all week at the point, directing this fun Indians offense and gluing all of the talent together. Darius Jones was one of the most versatile players in the field.

Big man Bryce Smith was active as usual inside and provided big minutes off the bench while freshman Isaac Okoro continues to show off his immense potential as a long term player.

Allatoona improves to 12-0 while McEachern falls to 10-2.