Chamblee takes down Dunwoody in regional play

Key three-point shooting propelled the Chamblee Bulldogs past the Dunwoody Wildcats 71-62 in Region 4-5A boys’ high school basketball region tournament action at Chamblee on Feb. 10. 

Dunwoody (13-12) showed the Bulldogs (16-9) the way, as Mason Sharf hit back-to-back threes in the final 1:52 of the opening quarter to take a 50-43 lead.  

Chamblee answered when Ryan McCord hit back-to-back three pointers in the final 55 seconds of the third quarter to pull the Bulldogs within 50-49 going into the final quarter of play. 

McCord opened the fourth quarter with his third consecutive three pointer to give the Bulldogs a 52-50 advantage and the first lead since halftime. 

Following a basket by Cato Ryles, the Bulldogs put three more three pointers on the board off the hands of Octavius Gresham, Ryles, and Eston McDow to up the lead to 63-54 with 3:17 to play. 

Free throws by Gresham, McDow, and Maddox Thomas brought the game to a close. 

The first half had eight lead changes as Dunwoody pulled ahead 20-15. A three-pointer by Emerson Mitchell and a layup by Jackson Vankeon a pass from Mitchell gave Dunwoody the lead heading into the second quarter. 

Chamblee trailed by as many as eight points in the second quarter before a barrage of three pointers by McDown and EJ Coley gave Chamblee the 32-31 halftime lead. 

McCord led the Bulldogs with 24 points and seven rebounds, followed by McDow with 13 points and six rebounds, and Gresham with 10 points and seven rebounds. 

Mitchell had a game-high 25 points to go with seven rebounds to lead the Wildcats, and Holden Verlander added 16 points and seven rebounds. 

Chamblee moves on to the semifinals with a state playoff berth in tow to take on No. 3 ranked Woodward (19-6) on Feb. 13 at 8:30 p.m. at Chamblee. 

Arabia Mountain gives Decatur a scare before defeat 

A scoring draught of almost six minutes ruined the Arabia Mountain Rams’ upset bid of the No. 4 ranked Decatur Bulldogs in a 56-43 Region 4-5A boys’ tournament game on Feb. 10 at Chamblee. 

Trailing just 37-39 going into the fourth quarter, the Rams (7-19) went scoreless for the first 6:35 of the final period of play while the Bulldogs (22-4) went on a 13-0 run. 

Decatur’s run featured four drives to the basket by Bryce Howson that led to seven of the 13 points while Isaiah Wright scored four points. By the time Howson finished his fourth drive, the Bulldogs had taken a commanding 52-37 lead with 1:41 remaining. 

Rance McKenzie broke the scoring drought for the Rams with a drive to the basket of his own as the clock ticked down to 1:25. 

Arabia Mountain got out of the gate early in the game hitting five three-pointers, including back-to-back treys by Brandon Armstrong on the way to a 19-8 first quarter lead. 

Jakier Caines made it a 21-8 game in favor of the Rams with 7:18 to play in the first half as he got to the basket for a layup off a pretty assist by McKenzie. 

Arabia Mountain cooled off in the second period but still held a 10-point lead with 56 seconds remaining in the half on a Jalen Lowemandrive to the basket. 

Kaden Richards beat the buzzer to end the half by hitting a three-pointer from the right corner to close the gap to 27-20 at the break. 

A 12-0 run by the Bulldogs to open the second half gave Decatur its first lead since the 5:17 mark of the first quarter (4-3) to go up 29-28 on a four-point play by Jason Wellborn as an intentional foul was called on hits steal and layup. 

Colby Johnson’s three-pointer at the buzzer had the Rams in striking distance trailing just 37-39 with a quarter to play. 

McKenzie led the Rams with 10 points, and Johnson added nine as Arabia Mountain’s season came to an end. 

Howson hit a game-high 21 points to lead the Bulldogs while Wellborn and Richards both knocked down 10 points in the game.