MACON — It came down to a final few breathless moments, but the Sandy Creek Patriots are still kings of the Class 3A mountain.
In a battle of classification’s highest-ranked boys teams, No. 2 Sandy Creek held off the No. 1 Cedar Grove Saints 39-38 at the Macon Coliseum on Wednesday night to win a third consecutive state championship.
The outcome was in doubt until the final seconds, when Cedar Grove’s potential game-winning shot missed wide at the buzzer, and the Patriots players and coaches spilled on to the arena floor to celebrate.
“Our defense really got us through this game when our offense struggled,” said Sandy Creek coach Jon-Michael Nickerson. “I think we were tight on offense for most of the game, but I just told our guys to be more of a force down the stretch. I said if we’re going to go down, let’s go down being aggressive. But our defense has always been the foundation of what we do. If you don’t play great defense, you don’t have a chance to win big games.”
After Sandy Creek’s Amari Latimer hit one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, Cedar Grove rebounded and called timeout. Cedar Grove then moved the ball to midcourt, and the two teams traded timeouts to plan their strategy for the final possession.
Cedar Grove inbounded in front of its bench with eight seconds left, and after working the ball around, guard Yusef Bowyer wound up on the right elbow and launched a long jumper at the buzzer that just caromed wide to the right.
Sandy Creek’s Avohn Florence finished with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Manny Green, a national top-100 junior prospect, was Cedar Grove’s top scorer but was limited to 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Javonte Floyd scored nine points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
The game was an offensive struggle for both teams, with Sandy Creek shooting 36% from the floor and Cedar Grove shooting 34%. Cedar Grove held a slim 10-8 lead after one quarter, but Sandy Creek had pulled in front 21-18 by halftime.
Cedar Grove had a 12-5 surge to open the third period and held a 30-28 lead heading to the fourth. But Sandy Creek allowed only three field goals over the final eight minutes and took the lead for good on a Latimer layup with 1:16 left.
Sandy Creek became the 13th GHSA boys program since World War II to win a third straight championship, the first since Westside-Augusta (2022-24).
“It’s so tough to win multiple championships because you’re every team’s Super Bowl whenever you play them,” Nickerson said. “We get everybody’s best shot every night, but our guys are built for it. Everyone said this year would be a rebuilding year for us because of some of the players we graduated last season, but our team showed how tough they are. These guys are a dynasty now.”
It was a disappointing end to the season for Cedar Grove (28-4), which saw its 20-game winning streak come to an end. Cedar Grove was seeking its first title since the 1997 team — led by future Georgia Tech and Atlanta Hawks player Dion Glover — beat Greene-Taliaferro in the Class 2A championship game.
Sandy Creek also beat Cedar Grove in the 2023 Class 3A final but was heavily favored in that one, having already beaten Cedar Grove three previous times that season, all handily.
As the No. 1 team in every Class 3A poll, Cedar Grove was probably favored this time. The only other Georgia teams to beat Cedar Grove were No. 1 Grayson and No. 2 Wheeler of Class 6A.
Sandy Creek (29-3) won its final 14 games after a Jan. 20 loss to Mays.
Cedar Grove — 10-8-12-8 — 38
Sandy Creek — 8-13-7-11 — 39
Cedar Grove (38): Manny Green 13, Yusef Bowyer 7, Dontavius Stringfield 2, Keith Gillespie 7, Javonte Floyd 9, Nahzir Mitchell.
Sandy Creek (39): Jared White 7, Antonio Rivers, Avohn Florence 18, Kingston Hawkins, Amari Latimer 8, Osakilo Okeke 6, Braylon Robinson, Evan Harvey.
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