AISA CLASS AAA SEMIS: Macon East staves off Springwood's early upset bid with an added bonus
Jacob Wilson gets to the basket for a lay up over Springwood defenders in Macon East’s semifinal win at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex on Thursday. (Graham Dunn)
By GRAHAM DUNN
With a win and a trip to the AISA Boys Class AAA state finals well in hand, the Macon East Knights had one more job to take care of before the final buzzer.
Cancel Coach Cody Berry’s Anatomy test scheduled for Friday.
But to accomplish that feat, a reserve forward had to do something he hadn’t done all season - score a basket.
The Knights got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as eight points in the first quarter but went into its patented defensive mode to squash any ideas of an upset with a 53-26 win over Springwood at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex on Thursday.
They move into the finals to face Glenwood, an upset winner over Lee-Scott in the first semifinal game on Thursday.
And - there will be no Anatomy test Friday thanks to a last-second basket by junior Luke Stabler. That got the biggest ovation of the night from the Macon East student section, but there was no “Rudy” ride on the teammates’ shoulders after the game.
“Yeah, that’s why we kept feeding (Luke) the ball,” guard Jacob Wilson said with a grin. “And he got it so no test.”
While Stabler’s bucket may have fended off a quiz, the biggest score of the game came with 5:09 left in the first half on a steal and lay up from Wilson to give Macon East a 20-19 advantage.
Springwood would not lead again or score much, for that matter. The Knights’ defense kicked in holding Springwood to a single point in the third quarter and a total of five points in the second half.
“We came in with a lot of confidence,” stated Macon East coach Lincoln Glass. “But (Springwood) played hard and took a lead. There may have been some jitters - some didn’t want that experience as last year. We got a lot done on our assignment and settled down and finished strong.”
While last season’s disappointing loss in the Elite 8 was fresh on the minds of the Knights, it was evident they were not going to allow a letdown against the Wildcats. Once the lead was secure, Macon East scored 11 unanswered points before a Springwood free throw ended the run with 3:31 left in the first half.
It was more of the same after the break with Keagen Roney doing most of the damage inside the paint. He finished with a game-high 20 points, including 10 in the second half.
“We have to come out strong and sometimes we are a second-half team but we usually get it done,” Wilson said.
“This team could have played for the Final Four last year and I had a couple back from last year and they had a bittersweet moment,” Glass said. “From Brandon Williams to Jacob Brown to Deonte Powell, they’ve been the leaders of this team. This is a player-coached team. They hold people accountable which makes my job easier.”
Gunner Justice added eight points including a 3-pointer while Wilson had 10 points to lead the Knights (25-6).
Eli Westbrook was the top scorer for Springwood (11-15) with 10 points.
Macon East will face Glenwood on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Multiplex for the Class AAA title. The Knights won two out of three meetings against the Gators during the season.
It’s playoff time,” Glass said. “It’s one of those things… If a call doesn’t go your way or ball doesn’t go in, anything can happen. You have to be mentally prepared for that. I expect our guys to be ready.”