KENNESAW, GA — When Greenforest Christian walks into a gym, people notice. It is hard not to. The Decatur private school has one of the biggest lineups in American high school hoops.

That size mattered, no doubt, in a 78-48 win over Tattnall Square. But truth be told, the smallest player in the Greenforest lineup had the biggest shots of the game. Heck, Justin Forrest has hit the biggest shots of the season for the Eagles.  

Forrest finished with 25 points, knocking down five three-pointers in the process, to lead all scorers. He only played three-quarters of action in the Class A Private Elite 8 game at Kennesaw State University. 

Greenforest head coach Larry Thompson said Forrest was good but he could have been much better. That’s bad news for the rest of the Class A Private field. 

“The thing with Justin is his biggest attribute is his basketball IQ and how much more mature he is from last year to this year,” Thompson said. “The kid can score in a variety of ways. He can shoot the basketball. He can get to the basket. He can get people involved.”

Forrest finished with seven assists in the game, too, and shined as a catch and shoot scorer. Greenforest did a nice job of turning Ikey Obiagu blocks into baskets in transition. Precious Ayah, a Miami signee grabbed 10 rebounds. New Hampshire bound guard John Oguwche hit three threes and finished with 13 points. 

“Last year we came up short in the state championship and this year we want to make a run this year,” Forrest said. “Everyone who experienced last year knows how it felt to watch it. So, we know we have to get back in it and win it.” 

As the lead widened, Greenforest went to the second wave of talent and thrived. Junior Bebe Iyiola scored 14 points and only missed one shot from the floor. 

“We actually sat down and talked about (getting balance from top top bottom),” Iyiola said. “We said ‘Let’s just go out and dominate no matter who we play.’ Whenever we get together we know we can feed off each other and play as a team.”

Tattnall Square a little run in the third quarter with three straight baskets in the paint, a rare feet against the huge Greenforest frontline. Jimmy Marshall, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored all 11 of his points in the third. 

Senior Aubrien Kemp and junior Calvin Slaughter both had moments of production in the game. Kemp finished with 11 while Slaughter pumped in 12.