Top-ranked Greenforest got a stellar performance from guards Justin Forrest and John Ogwuche, who combined for 49 points, and swept their way into the state championship game.
The Eagles (29-2) got 25 points from Ogwuche 24 from Forrest, who each added four 3-pointers, in a 78-62 win over Stratford Academy in the Class A Private boys semifinal at Kennesaw State.
Greenforest will play the St. Francis-Whitefield winner for the state championship on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. at the Macon Coliseum.
The No. 1-seeded Eagles also got 12 points off the bench from Jandan Duggan.
No. 4 seeded Stratford (21-6) was led by Quintez Cephus, who knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 34. Cephus has signed to play football at the University of Wisconsin.
Stratford also got 12 points from O’Showen Williams and nine from James Mitchell.
Greenforest took an early lead by hitting three consecutive 3-pointers, one by Ogwuche and two by Forest but Stratford came back to tie the game at 11-11 on back-to-back baskets by Cephus, the latter a trey. Greenforest responded with six straight points and led a 17-13 lead after the first quarter.
Greenforest stretched its lead to 21-15 but Stratford’s Cephus answered with five straight points to tie the game at 21-21. Cephus had 19 in the first half and Forest had 14, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave Greenforest a 31-27 lead at the break.
Greenforest had a big third quarter to take command. Ogwuche scord 10 in the quarter, including a pair of momentum-shifting 3-pointers. An 8-1 run and a 9-0 run helped Greenforest up its lead to 57-41 after three quarters.
Just when it looked like Stratford was about to get left behind, the Eagles would claw back into the game. Stratford trimmed a 17-point margin to nine with three minutes to go, but could get no closer.
“They made some really big shots in the third quarter, a lot of them with hands in their faces,” Stratford coach Jamie Dickey said, “I felt our guys proved a lot. Greenforest isn’t untouchable. They’re a very good team but a couple breaks go our way …”
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