Adonis Brown scored 16 points to lead the Houston County Sharks to a 32-13 victory over the DeKalb Silver Streaks in the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs Wheelchair basketball championship game Saturday at the Macon Coliseum.
Houston County has been the dominant program in the sport over the past decade, winning nine championships in 10 years. The Sharks had won a record eight consecutive titles before coming up short in 2021. DeKalb was seeking its first state title.
Houston County coach Christy Jones will be retiring after 14 seasons with a program that she helped launch in 2008.
“We didn’t win last year, so we really went to work this year, just working on fundamentals and getting better and better,” Jones said. “We still have a long way to go. Their defense kept them in the game today, and I was really proud of the defense they played today.”
The AAASP championship game is held in conjunction with the GHSA basketball finals each season. The wheelchair games are played in two halves consisting of three eight-minute quarters with a running clock.
Houston County led 8-0 early in the second quarter and gradually built on the lead from there. The Sharks were up 14-6 at halftime, 18-6 after the fourth quarter and 24-11 going into the final period.
DeKalb’s first points came on a Najee Smothers basket with 4:50 remaining in the second quarter that cut the Sharks’ lead to 8-2.
Smothers scored all six of his team’s first-half points and finished the game with 10. The Silver Streaks’ other points came on a 3-pointer by Cameron Smothers in the fifth quarter.
Jaquavious West scored six points for Houston County, which also got two points each from Ger’mir Gordon, Dylan Thompson, Anthony Cuti, Elianna Stevens and Dalton Crosby.
“I’m always proud of these guys, but going out with the big trophy always makes you smile a little bit bigger,” Jones said.
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