RIVERDALE, GA -- Statement made. Loud and clear. Jonesboro sophomore M.J. Walker pumped in a career high 37 points as he helped his Cardinals beat Miller Grove 73-52 on Saturday night in front of a standing room only crowd.

Walker was outstanding in his team's win in the pairing of two of Georgia's very best teams. The 6-foot-5 sophomore was incredibly efficient in the effort, too. He pumped in 14 of 24 shots from the field, and hit six three-pointers. Walker got better as the game grew older. The two-sport star scored 27 points in the second half.

"That was his best day as a Jonesboro Cardinal," Jonesboro head coach Daniel Maehlman said of Walker. "No question about it."

With a packed house at a neutral location, No. 7 Jonesboro tapped into what the defending AAAA state champs are known for - hardnosed defense. The Cardinals held No. 2 Miller Grove to five second quarter points and delivered the defensive intensity with a heavy uppercut punch to the Wolverines.

Future Chattanooga guard Austin Donaldson set the tone with his ball pressure on Alterique Gilbert, a two-time state champ and one of the best point guards in the state of Georgia regardless of class. Donaldson contributed to Gilbert's cold six of 24 shooting from the floor.

"We realized they were out of control and when they were driving, coach told us to take charges. Alterique is a crafty guard and he's going to attack going straight to the rim. So, we had to have help side defense and take those charges," Donaldson said.

Jonesboro took advantage of the free possession on the other end of the floor and delivered with Deonte Mack three-pointers (three to be exact) and crafty buckets from impressive freshman Jamari Smith.

"Ever since I've been at Jonesboro, we are 100 percent about defense. I could care less about offense," Maehlman said. "We are just blessed right now. It has nothing to do with my coaching ability. We are blessed with kids that know how to play together. They share the basketball. We do have superstars but you couldn't tell. He played out his mind tonight. Somebody else can drop 20 any night. Everyone plays their role."

Walker's role was be the game-changer. He was in a terrific zone in the second half, hitting shots from every spot on the hardwood.

"MJ Walker - incredible performance. You can't knock that individual performance," Miller Grove head coach Sharman White said. "We were not expecting him to go for 37 points and the way he got them was in all types of ways. He just showed why he's one of the top players in the country."

Walker, always humble in victory, said he tried to maintain a level head during the game and not pay attention to the spotlight, the stage or the hype leading into the match-up.

"The best thing to do in these types of situations is to humble yourself, pray about it and just go out there and play your same game. When I'm out there, I don't think about anything but my teammates and my family. They are my family," Walker said.

"This game was a respect game. Everyone knows they've won six straight state championships. I think tonight we played with a chip on our shoulders. We played with everything we had because we wanted to prove the point that we can play with anyone that steps on the floor."

Point proven.