Tag: McEachern

Grayson defeats McEachern to win first boys basketball championship in team history

Grayson won the championship over McEachern behind a double-double from Jacob Wilkins and stifling defense on Ace Bailey from Anthony Alston.

For the first time in program history, Grayson boys basketball is atop the Georgia state championship throne.

The Rams took down McEachern and five-star recruit Ace Bailey by a final score of 51-41 on Saturday night to win the Class 7A state title. Entering the weekend ranked No. 8 in the country on the Super 25 national rankings, Grayson finishes its season with a record of 30-2 — bookended with a season-opening win and championship both over McEachern.

Jacob Wilkins, a four-star wing committed to Georgia, posted 12 points and a dozen rebounds for Grayson, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. He led the charge on the glass, as Grayson outrebounded McEachern 47-27.

As important as the rebounding was 6-foot-2 guard Anthony Alston’s defense on Bailey, a 6-foot-8 wing committed to Rutgers. Bailey scored 14 in the first half before Alston told Grayson head coach Geoffrey Pierce to let him go one-on-one for defense instead of zone, according to the AJC.

“Alston was the defensive player in our region this year for a reason,” Pierce said to the outlet. “He’s one of the best defenders I’ve ever coached. He came to me at halftime and said, ‘Don’t go zone anymore. I’ve got him.’ So, hats off to him for that.”

Thanks to Alston’s physical defense, Bailey scored only four points in the second half.

McEachern led by two near the end of the first half before Grayson ended the first half on a 6-0 run and then started the second half on another 6-0 run, quickly switching the small deficit to a 10-point lead.

The Rams held on, winning the game by 10.

It’s been a long time coming for Grayson, who has advanced deep into the playoffs for years but had been unable to win the title. The Rams reached the quarterfinals six of the previous eight years, getting to the Final Four four times and the title game once, and that heartbreaking, one-point championship loss in 2020 was as close as you could come to grasping the trophy without touching it.

This year, they grabbed the trophy and would not relinquish it. The Grayson Rams have won the championship.

Highlights: Rutgers basketball commit Ace Bailey scores 32 points as McEachern advances to the Georgia state title game

Ace Bailey is dominant once again for McEachern.

It was a performance worthy of a five-star forward, which Rutgers basketball commit Ace Bailey happens to be. Bailey scored 32 points on Saturday afternoon to propel his team to the Georgia state title game.

Bailey’s 32 points and 15 rebounds pushed McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) to a 63-56 win over Wheeler (Marietta, Georgia)  in the Georgia AAAAAAA semifinals.

Bailey has been sensational in the playoffs in what will be his last dance before joining Rutgers this summer. Recently named the No. 1 player in the nation by USA TODAY High School Sports, has shown every facet of his game during the postseason.

Not only can he play above the rim, his consistent range and ability to create his own shot continue to be impressive.

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Fellow future teammate Dylan Harper, a guard at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey) also made the USA TODAY HSS Top 10. Harper, a five-star guard, was ranked the No. 6 player in the nation.

Don Bosco is coming off an impressive 67-44 win over Hudson Catholic with Harper scoring 26 points.

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They will play St. Peter’s Prep on Monday.

Elite prospect Ace Bailey just went off in McEachern’s quarterfinals win

Five-star prospect Ace Bailey recorded a double-double in McEachern’s playoff win over Norcross, setting the Indians up with a rematch against Wheeler.

Ace Bailey has spent the season asserting himself as a top-two player in the class of 2024 (and some people argue he’s not No. 2). The 6-foot-8 wing has dominated, putting his team on his back in an incredibly difficult schedule that has taken them around the country to face nationally ranked teams.

In the 7A Georgia high school playoff quarterfinals on Wednesday, he had one of his best performances of the season.

Bailey went off for 33 points and 16 rebounds, displaying his ability to score at all three levels and hitting a step-back 3-pointer. See highlights posted to SportsCenter NEXT’s account on social media platform X:

With the win, the 25-5 McEachern Indians advance to the semifinals, where they will take on 25-5 Wheeler — a chance to get revenge for last season when Wheeler knocked out the Indians in the quarterfinals.

McEachern has not won the championship since the 2018-19 season when future NBA players Sharife Cooper (five-star junior) and Isaac Okoro (four-star senior led the team to an undefeated 32-0 season.

Bailey is hoping that he can follow in their footsteps.

The wing is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2024 on the 247Sports Composite. Bailey has committed to Rutgers, where he and No. 3 recruit Dylan Harper headline an extremely formidable Scarlet Knights class.

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Watch: Rutgers commit and 5-star forward Ace Bailey shows his NBA draft potential

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey puts together a dominating performance for McEachern at ‘The Battle.’

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey was unstoppable at times on Friday night, the five-star forward putting together at ‘The Battle.’ He did so on the very same Jersey Mike’s Arena court he will call home next year with Rutgers.

Bailey finished with 40 points and 21 rebounds as McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) beat Camden (Camden, New Jersey) 77-52 in a showcase tournament hosted by Rutgers. Bailey, a 6-foot-9 forward, is a consensus five-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 3 player in the nation by ESPN.

McEachern has won four straight games and is now 9-3 on the season.

Bailey showed some good mid-range game and the ability to be a dominant force in the paint. It was a complete performance from Bailey as it mixed the sublime with some grit.

Check out this impressive dunk from Bailey, showing off the explosive side of his game:

 

Bailey featured heavily in his team’s game in ‘The Battle.’ Future Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper, the nation’s second-highest-ranked recruit, did not play due to injury.

 

High school football schedule: Top games of Week 15

Katy vs. North Shore and Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco are just two of the exciting high school football games on this week’s schedule.

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There are championships abound and playoff games to watch for, and the two most highly-anticipated rematches have rolled around: Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco in California and Katy vs. North Shore in Texas.

See those and eight other high school football games to keep an eye on this week as the season nears its close.

For many teams, this will be the end of the season.

SUPER 25: National football rankings

Katy receiver Jordan Patrick (13) catches a pass along the sidelines and is tackled by North Shore defensive back Upton Stout (5) (Photo: Joe Buvid, Houston Chronicle Contributor)

MATCHUP

No. 7 Katy (Texas) (12-0)

vs.

No. 13 North Shore (Houston, Texas) (11-1)

When: 11/29, 5 p.m. ET

Tale of the Tape: The North Shore Mustangs started the season at the No. 2 spot in the Super 25. They dropped their first game of the season, a 24-21 loss to Katy. It was revenge from the Tigers, who fell to North Shore in the playoffs last year, a 49-38 game. Now, while this is just the regionals of the six-round Texas playoffs, this could be the best game of the entire gauntlet. If running back Ron Hoff is unable to go for Katy, the Tigers will have to find production from its running back position to counter North Shore’s Zach Evans. Maybe Jalen Davis can pick up where he left off last week – a 30 carry, 219-yard, two-touchdown performance.

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