New DeKalb County Junior Varsity basketball champions were crowned last weekend at Miller Grove High School as Southwest DeKalb swept the girls’ and boys’ titles.

The Southwest DeKalb Panthers closed out the sweep with a thrilling 44-42 last second win over the Lithonia Bulldogs on a Kourtney Forrest floater in the lane with three seconds to play.

The game was tied six times in the fourth quarter after Lithonia (10-3) had grabbed a 34-40 lead at the end of the third quarter on baskets from Tyler Roseberry and Chase Champion.

Trailing 40-38, Southwest DeKalb’s Jordan Sanders made a steal and basket to knot the game at 40-40 with 2:07 to play.

Thirty second later the Panthers (11-2) got the ball back and Sanders was fouled on an offensive rebound. He went to the line with 1:21 to play to five the Panthers a 42-40 lead.

Lithonia answered with a jumper in the lane by Roseberry to once again knot the game, this time at 42-42 with 1:05 to play.

Southwest DeKalb missed a shot and Lithonia’s Styland Scott got the rebound with 26.6 seconds to play. The Bulldogs had a turnover and Southwest DeKalb called timeout at midcourt with just 7.4 seconds to play.

The inbounds pass went in to Forrest who drove into the lane and lofted a floater that found the net for the game-winner as Lithonia could not get a shot off before time ran out.

Kourtney Forrest finished with 19 points to earn MVP honors and teammate Jordan Sanders added 10. Winston Smith had 4 points and 7 rebounds for the Panthers.

Kendrick Merret had a team-high 12 points to lead the Bulldogs along with 4 rebounds. Tyler Rosebery had 8 points and 5 rebounds for Lithonia.

GIRLS
SW DeKalb 47, Druid Hills 34
Genia Hall scored nine fourth quarter points and the Southwest DeKalb Lady Panthers held previously undefeated Druid Hills to just four points to pull away to a 47-34 victory in the girls’ junior varsity championship game at Miller Grove on Saturday.

Southwest DeKalb (11-2) went into the third quarter up 35-30 on a basket by Hall with 34 seconds left in the third quarter in a game the Lady Panthers led just 23-22 at the half.

Hall would score eight points in an 11-1 run to open the fourth quarter getting nice passes from Tyler Willingham and Tamira Hunt under the basket for easy layups. The last basket came on an assist from Hunt with 33 seconds to play to extend the lead to 46-31.

Druid Hills’ Trekyia Calloway hit a late three-pointer and then Hall closed out the game hitting one of two from the free-throw line with 11.6 seconds to play.

Southwest DeKalb used an 8-1 run to open the second half to open a 31-23 lead as Tyler Willingham sank a three-pointer with 2:37 to play in the quarter.

Katherine Robinson hit two free throws and Calloway had a steal and a three of her own to close the gap to 33-30 with 1:08 remaining before Hall’s late layup for the five-point Southwest DeKalb lead going into the fourth quarter.

Druid Hills (11-1) hit six three-pointers in the first half including three by Jazmyn Curry, the second with 6:01 left in the half that gave the Lady Red Devils at 17-10 lead.

Willingham hit a three-pointer and assisted Hunt for a layup as they scrambled to close the gap. A steal by Hall and a coast-to-coast play off a rebound by Kamiah Kennedy in the final 33 seconds of the half gave Southwest DeKalb the 23-22 halftime lead.

Willingham hit for 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists to earn MVP honors in the game. Hall finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds for Southwest DeKalb.

Katherine Robinson hit for 10 points, Jazmyn Curry 9 and Trekyia Calloway added 8 points and 7 rebounds to lead Druid Hills.