Rockdale falls to Miller Grove in AAAA state final

DULUTH, Ga. -- All good things must come to an end.

Miller Grove's Tony Parker recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds and three other players scored in double figures Friday as the Wolverines defeated Rockdale 67-59 in the Class AAAA state championship game at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

The DeKalb County school claimed its third consecutive title, and it's the first three-peat in Class AAAA since Westover won four consecutive titles from 1990-93.

Rockdale, which hadn't lost since Jan. 19, was in the state title game for the first time since 1987.

"Great season. I'm proud of my team," said Bulldogs coach Alvin Williams, whose team finished 26-6. "They battled like soldiers tonight."

Miller Grove (32-1) led just 49-47 heading into the final quarter and the game was tied at 53-53 with 4:37 remaining, but the Wolverines took the lead for good on Brandon Morris' field goal. Miller Grove built its lead as high as 65-56 on a pair of free throws by reserve guard Christian Houston, and with 19 seconds left, Rockdale got a 3-pointer from Darius Mitchell to get it to 65-59, but didn't score again.

The defending champions came out flying in the third quarter to build a double-digit edge. Morris, who finished with 11 points, made two field goals, Devon Provost (12 points) connected on a 3-pointer and Thomas Marshall had a steal and layup to give the Wolverines a 15-point advantage at 48-33 and force a Rockdale timeout.

Then Miller Grove went cold and Rockdale fought back valiantly, finishing the quarter on a 12-1 run, aided by C.J. Wilson's long ball and a dunk by Deshaun Sunderhous that pulled the Bulldogs to within two points at 49-47.

"I think we did the very best that we could in the second half," Williams said. "That's a fight. Fights -- you win some, you lose some."

Miller Grove's 8-0 run in the first quarter turned a two-point deficit into a 12-6 lead before the first television timeout. During the run, Justin Colvin and Devon Provost nailed 3-pointers, both off Rockdale turnovers.

Rockdale cut the deficit to 14-9 on Wilson's 3-pointer, but the Wolverines' hot shooting continued as Devon Provost hit two field goals and Davante Provost connected from behind the arc to give Miller Grove a 21-14 lead after eight minutes of play.

Rebounding hurt Rockdale during the first 16 minutes. In the second quarter, the 6-foot-8 Parker, who has more than a dozen Division I offers, had two putbacks and Tony Evans added another to make it 29-21.

"They have a very good rebounding team," Williams said. "I think Miller Grove is a fine team, they're well-coached."

Colvin, who scored all 11 of his points in the first half, buried two more 3-pointers, the last of which made it a 37-28 game, but Wilson, who had nine first-half points, knocked down a trey at the buzzer to cut the Wolverines' cushion to 37-31.

Bernard Thompson, playing in his final game in a Rockdale uniform, led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Wilson and Darion Clark chipped in with 12 points each.


Story link