Druid Hills Nicholas Majors (4) goes to the basket in front of Miller Grove’s Daniel Brooks Jr. (10) during the Red Devils 49-39 win at Miller Grove on Friday night. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Druid Hills Red Devils picked up a key Region 6-4A victory on the road at Miller Grove hitting 8 of 9 free throws down the stretch to pull away for a 49-39 victory over the Wolverines.
Jahmil Barber had pulled the Wolverines within 41-37 with a jumper at the 2:52 mark. The Wolverines (12-7, 5-2) had chances to cut the lead to two, but a shot block by KeShawn Evans and a Wolverine turnover led to Nicholas Majors going to the line with 1:38 to play.
Majors hit four consecutive free throws in two trips to the line to extend the lead to 45-29 with 55 seconds left on the clock. Another missed shot and a turnover led to a technical foul on Miller Grove which KaRon Strickland converted both free throws with 28.5 seconds. Two seconds later Evans went to the line for two more free throws to make the final score of 49-39.
Miller Grove had won the season’s previous meeting 41-37 in a physical defensive battle back on December 7 and was atop the standings heading into the game on Friday night at home against the Red Devils.
Play was again physical with both teams blocking shots, taking charges and playing in your face defense and was tied 29-29 with 2:06 to play in the third quarter as Miller Grove’s Mekhi Mathis hit a 12-foot pull up.
Two free throws by Evans with 1:42 left in the third and following a Miller Grove turnover Strickland drove with five seconds to play in the quarter to give Druid Hills a 33-29 lead going into the final quarter.
Majors had two more drives to the basket to start the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 37-31 before the Wolverines pulled back within 37-35 on baskets by Nicholas Burton and Taison Mathis with 4:37 to play.
Druid Hills answered by converting two Miller Grove turnovers into baskets by Strickland and Joshua Jones to go back up 41-35.
Nicholas Majors finished the night with a game 20 points, 14 in the second half, as the Red Devils improved to 18-2 on the season and 5-2 in the region. KeShawn Evans had 11 points and 7 rebounds for Druid Hills.
Jahmil Barber had 14 points and 9 rebounds to pace the Wolverines.
Miller Grove’s Trinity Coleman (22) shoots over the outstretched hand of Druid Hills Katherine Robinson (21) during Druid Hills 50-23 win. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Girls: Druid Hills 50, Miller Grove 23
Kaitlyn Robinson had seven points in a second quarter, 18-0 run to fuel a 50-23 Druid Hills Lady Red Devils Region 6-4A win over the Miller Grove Lady Wolverines.
Druid Hills (11-8, 4-3) was trailing 12-9 with 5:27 left in the first half following a free throw by Miller Grove’s Lyndsey Myles. Robinson scored the next five points to put Druid Hills ahead for good at 14-12.
Iona Atwaters hit a three-pointer and a free throw to extend the advantage to 18-12 with 2:02 to play in the half. Kyia Craft followed with two free throws and Robinson scored two consecutive baskets as the clock moved under 40 seconds remaining.
Craft made it 27-12 at the half with a three-pointer in the final 14 seconds of the half. Craft who has gone over 1,000 career points this season added four points in the first minute of the second half as Druid Hills continued to pull away.
Craft and Robinson both finished with 16 points to lead Druid Hills in the win. Trinity Coleman finished with a 10-point, 15 rebounds double-double to top the Miller Grove list.