McEachern upsets McIntosh in LCC semifinals

There might not be a hotter team in Georgia right now than McEachern, who is off to a 10-1 start and has won seven in a row. The Indians are a well-rounded bunch who doesn’t have too many weaknesses.

That showed today in the semifinals of the Mellow Mushroom bracket at the Lake City Classic in a 75-68 upset win over McIntosh that took an extra frame to be decided.

The standout for McEachern was freshmen Isaac Okoro, who is showing the makings of a very special player. Okoro finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, & 3 blocks.

McEachern also got great play from its senior backcourt. AJ Jones ran a tremendous point, scoring 7 points and dishing out 11 assists, while Darius Jones scored 20 points.

The Indians also got some key buckets from freshman Isaac Martin and strong play on the interior by big man Bryce Smith.

They held off a very strong McIntosh team, who was led by Jordan Lyons with 18 points. Dishon Lowery added 14 points & 10 rebounds, and point guard Will Washington added 7 points & 7 assists.

However, losing Lowery and Washington to fouling out in overtime was too much for the Chiefs to overcome, and McEachern came out victorious in overtime.

Allatoona defends its way to LCC finals

Allatoona has become known as one of the most consistent and steady programs under head coach Markus Hood.

If there’s one thing that this year’s team should be known for, it’s getting after it defensively. The Buccaneers fly all over the floor on defense and employ a defense that confuses and frustrates opponents.

That was apparent again today in the Lake City Classic Mellow Mushroom bracket semifinals against Berkmar, who could not get anything going offensively.

Allatoona got an offensive spark from guard Tyler Jackson, who knocked down a number of perimeter shots. They also got steady play from their backcourt of Ephraim Tshimanga, Dylon Ramsey, and Trey Doomes.

Berkmar made a run late on the backs of Lane Foster and Al Durham, but Allatoona’s swarming defense was too much in the end, as the Buccaneers came out victorious 55-46. They advance to play McEachern in the Mellow Mushroom bracket finals, while Berkmar will take on McIntosh.

Dual-sport athletes lead Calhoun past Kell

Certain teams just have a look of toughness. Calhoun is certainly one of those teams, with a number of high-level football players making contributions on the hardwood. Those guys helped lead Calhoun to a 64-50 win over Kell in the Lake City Classic Smile Generation semifinals.

One of those players is Mercer football commit Kaelan Riley, who has come up huge so far at Lake City Classic. He led the Yellow Jackets today with 21 points and made some very eye-opening plays.

He isn’t the only one, however. Wofford football commit and Calhoun point guard Jireh Wilson has also had a big tournament. He scored 20 points of his own in the victory.

They were able to overcome the size of Brian Thomas in the middle for Kell, who continued his shot blocking ways, totaling 9 blocks. Thomas is emerging as a big time presence in the middle.

Calhoun advances to play Carrollton in the finals of the Smile Generation bracket.

Webb & Rowe lead Carrollton past Riverwood

Riverwood has been one of the most impressive teams around Atlanta in the early going of the season, getting off to a 13-0 start.

However, Carrollton and head coach Tim Criswell are always going to be a factor and play teams tough.

That proved to be true in the semifinals of the Smile Generation bracket of the Lake City Classic.

Carrollton was led by senior wings Desmond Webb and Jarel Rowe, who both shot the ball very well, scoring 15 and 13 points respectively to lead the Trojans to a 47-38 win.

Credit the defense for Carrollton, as Riverwood standout big man Kohl Roberts was never able to get into a rhythm offensively, a frustration which permeated throughout the Riverwood team.

Carrollton advances to the Smile Generation bracket finals to take on another undefeated team in Calhoun, while Riverwood will play Kell.