Class A Private: Semifinal coverage from Buford Arena

Hebron senior Jessie Parish drained a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left to tie the game, then blocked a Galloway shot on the other end with 37 seconds left. Hebron worked the clock to 11.4 seconds and called timeout. After a missed shot, Daniel wound up with the ball and produced the winning shot.

Hebron will play No. 2-ranked Mount Paran Christian for the championship on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Macon Coliseum.

“We had the same play set up and it just fell into Nickyia’s hands,” Parish said. “And she got the job done.”

Daniel wound up with 17 points to lead No. 2-ranked Hebron (26-5). Aubrey Beckham scored 10 and Parish had nine points and seven blocks.

No. 5 Galloway (18-10) was led by freshman center Jasmine Baxter with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Kyla Cain with 15 points.

Hebron has won all three meetings between the two schools this season.

“When the ball is loose you just hope for the best,” Hebron coach Jan Azar said. “It’s the same thing we did the other night (in the third round) against St. Francis.”

Parish’s 3-pointer was the only one she hit. It wasn’t falling early, but when crunch time came, she was there to answer. And her defense never suffered.

“I just had to trust myself and I looked over at coach Azar and she gave me the green light, so it just came down to all the work I’ve been putting in in the gym,” Parish said. “And on the other end of the court, it was just instinct. It was my natural reaction, which worked out well for us.”

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half. Galloway scored the first five points of the game, but Hebron followed with a 10-5 run punctuated by a pair of 3s from Daniel. Galloway tied the game at 22-22 but Hebron’s Amiya Porter hit a late 3 and the Lions led 25-22 at the break.

Galloway caught and passed Hebron with an 11-0 run in the third quarter, with Baxter scoring three baskets during that stretch, and the Scots led 37-34 after three quarters.

“The second half was not as pretty basketball-wise, but we had to fight for is,” Azar said.

The game began on a nice note. When the public address system failed and was unable to play the national anthem, the Hebron student broke into an acapella version that drew the crowd to its feet.

BOYS

Kings Ridge Christian 59, First Presbyterian Day 57

Jack Thomas made a pair of free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining to send No. 3 Kings Ridge Christian to a 59-57 overtime win over No. 10 First Presbyterian Day and earn the Tigers a spot in the state championship for the first time.

With the score tied at 57-57, First Presbyterian missed a go-ahead shot and Thomas was fouled going for the rebound. He calmly made the two free throws and FPD threw away the inbounds pass, allowing Kings Ridge to inbound the ball and run out the clock.

Kings Ridge will play Greenforest Christian on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Macon Coliseum for the championship.

“I told my teammates I was going to make them and I got it done,” said Thomas, who scored six points. “I was really nervous. I got through it because of hard work and repetition, over and over. Every day we do it in practice.”

Thomas said he was in a similar situation in the sixth grade, although he admitted there was a bit more on the line this time.

Coach Robert Martin said the players are put through intense situations like that in practice every day and wasn’t surprised to see Thomas succeed.

“We have some pretty high IQ kids,” Martin said. “We put a lot of pressure on them in the season to make shots. It’s mental toughness. I felt confident with him up there and I feel confident with anybody up there. I feel confident in all these guys.”

First Presbyterian (23-4) got a 38-point performance from Jay King, who made three free throws with 2.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Kings Ridge was able to deny the ball from King for most of the extra period.

Kings Ridge (28-4) also got 18 points from Isaac Martin, 14 from Liam Thomas and 11 from Micah Hoover.

It’s been quite a season for the Tigers. They won their first region title, their first playoff game and are going to the championship for the first time.

“I don’t even know what it feels like,” Martin said. “I’m pretty proud. Nobody told me how tiring this was. It’s just nice to look at all the wins and all the smiles and the social media posts. I’m proud of it. It’s amazing.”