Southwest DeKalb sweeps Miller Grove
Southwest DeKalb High School’s basketball teams swept Miller Grove in Region 6-4A action with a 49-35 victory in the boys’ game and a 50-16 win in the girls’ game at Southwest DeKalb on Dec. 6.
In the boys’ game, Miller Grove’s Javon Terrell grabbed an offensive rebound and drove under the goal for a reverse layup to tie the game at 19-19 with 4:53 left in the third quarter. The Wolverines (4-3, 0-1) had battled back from down as much as 12 points in the second quarter.
Southwest DeKalb (3-1, 2-0) responded as Josh Clemons hit a short jumper to give his team the lead for good at 21-19.
Turnovers were costly for the Wolverines as an inbounds pass was stolen by Jon Turner for an easy layup. A push-off was called against the Wolverines on the next inbounds play gave Southwest the ball again, and Savion Mathishit one of two free throws to make it 24-19.
A steal by Mathis and pass up the floor to Turner for another easy basket made it 26-19 with 3:24 left in the third quarter.
Marion Hopkins completed an old-fashioned three-point play on Miller Grove’s next possession to trim the lead back to 26-22 only to have Southwest DeKalb end the quarter on a 6-0 run. The run was started by a Clemons’ three-pointer followed by two free throws from Isaiah Taylor and Mathis to make it 32-22 with one quarter to play.
Clemons hit for six consecutive points in less than a minute in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 40-24 with 4:44 left on the clock.
Miller Grove ended the game with a 7-2 run on a pair of free throws by Taison Mathis, a basket and free throw by Seydina N’Diaye and a bucket by Xavier Lewis.
Clemons led the Panthers with 16 points. Hopkins had eight points to lead Miller Grove while Lewis finished with seven points. N’Diaye had five points and nine rebounds.
Girls: Southwest DeKalb 50, Miller Grove 16
The Southwest DeKalb Lady Panthers forced 31 turnovers against the Miller Grove Wolverines as they ran to a Region 6-4A win in the opener at Southwest DeKalb.
Miller Grove scored first on a free throw by Jalisa Payne-Wright, but Southwest DeKalb (2-2, 2-0) scored 14 consecutive points to take control of the game. Jah’Neasia Spiers had four points in a 9-0 run to end the first quarter. The four points included a basket on an assist by Bailee Canty in the final two minutes to send Southwest DeKalb into the second quarter up 9-1.
Spiers had an offensive putback and Janiya McCoy had a three-pointer to open the second period with five quick points to push the lead to 14-1 with 6:58 remaining in the half.
Back-to-back three pointers by Londyn Durden and Saniya Rice helped Southwest to a 24-6 lead at the break.
Canty had a three-pointer and a three-point play on back-to-back trips down the court as the lead ballooned to 35-7. She added a steal and layup with two seconds left in the quarter to make it a 39-10 advantage with the final quarter to play.
Payne-Wright had a three-point play with 1:33 left in third period to get Miller Grove into double digits at 10-37.
Spiers finished the game with 13 points to lead Southwest DeKalb, and Canty had 10 points. Payne-Wright led Miller Grove with eight points on the night, and Jaylen Clark had three points and 17 rebounds.
