SCRIMMAGE ANALYSIS & HIGHLIGHTS: No.1 Wilkinson County 107, Central-Macon 105 (2OT)

November 18, 2016, GHSA Class A-Public No. 1 Wilkinson County hosted Central-Macon in a playoff atmosphere scrimmage game. There was a buzz in the building from the outset of the game. Both teams entered the game with a little uncertainty as to what their identities would be this season. Central was rocked by graduation and offseason transfers, while Wilco also loss some key pieces from last season’s state championship squad as well as 6-foot-8 big man, Greg Couson still sidelined until January with injury. Nevertheless, both teams quickly put those questions to rest on Friday night as they battled back and forth in a double overtime thriller. Central showed that they will still be a tough out, while Wilco proved that they are still the team to beat in the Class-A Public division.

In the first quarter Central jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead. Senior, Antarius McCoy picked up where he left off last season with 13 points in the quarter. The 6-foot-3 combo guard showed that he was more than capable of being “the man” for Central this season. Wilkinson County tried to adjust and get going with its full court press, but the Chargers handled it well and scored some easy layups off of the press breaker. At the end of the 1st, Central led 22-10.

 

In the second quarter, the Warriors regrouped and got themselves back into the game. Wilco turned up the heat defensively and made the right rotations in its full court press forcing the Chargers to make ill-advised turnovers, which led to easy baskets for the surging Warriors. Clarence Jackson and Tylan Grable also started to come to life on the boards and got themselves going on the offensive interior. However, Central point guard Tyrice Paul scored 8 points in the quarter and did enough to keep the Chargers ahead 41-39 going into halftime.

 

Coming out of the Half, Devin Jones hit a pair of three pointers that put Wilco ahead. From there Clarence Jackson took over, the 6-foot-6 guard got himself into an offensive rhythm that was a thing of beauty to watch. He was a force on the perimeter and interior and proved to be a true mismatch for the Chargers. Jackson scored 14 points in the third quarter, where he owned the boards, lived at the free throw line, and nailed a couple of deep three pointers. McCoy was held scoreless in the quarter and the Chargers went cold offensively allowing the Warriors to take a 64-53 lead at the end of three.

 

Wilkinson County continued to control the game in the 4th quarter until Kanuri Williams sparked Central with an old fashioned three point play on a hard drive to the basket with 4:09 left in regulation, cutting the lead to 73-67. In the ensuing moments, Tyrice Paul was forced to the bench after a brutal collision at the 2:19 mark. No worries, senior backup guard Justus “Duke” Williams stepped up in a major way nailing back-to-back three pointers as well as capitalizing on a three point play on a dribble drive to the basket, which knotted the game up at 84-84 with 12 seconds left. With Wilco having the ball on the last possession, Central got a key stop and forced overtime.

In overtime, McCoy came back to life scoring 10 points and kept Central within striking distance as Wilco continued to throw haymakers. The Warriors were clicking on all cylinders and seemed to have the Chargers on their heels, but the scrappy bunch from Macon, Ga would not go away quietly. Wilkinson County went up 96-93 after making a back end free throw with 3.5 seconds left in overtime, but they relaxed and did not pick up defensively allowing Central a clear inbound pass to Tyrice Paul who hit a half court buzzer beater tying the game at 96 apiece to force double overtime.

 

In the second overtime, the crowd got much of the same. Both teams kept hitting one another with blow after blow and neither would give in. However, onlookers could see fatigue setting in for both teams as time continued to tick. In fact, it became even more apparent that both teams were exhausted after a couple of misses on uncontested layups. However, fatigue struck Central the hardest as Tyrice Paul missed three out of four key free throws down the stretch. The first year starter showed the heart of a champion driving to the lane and taking the big shots all night while playing on fumes, but in the end Wilco had just enough in the tank to hold off Central 107-105 in double overtime.

Top Performers:

Wilkinson County

CJ Jackson- 37pts 16rebs 7asts

Tylan Grable- 11pts 14rebs

Devin Jones- 12pts

Jadeveon Jones- 11pts

Central

Antarius McCoy- 38pts 12rebs 4asts 4stls

Tyrice Paul- 24pts 5asts

Kanuri Williams- 14pts

Justus Williams- 12pts