MACON — In a heavyweight battle between the past two Class 4A state champions, No. 2 North Oconee rallied from an early 10-point deficit and knocked off top-ranked Pace Academy 60-51 for the championship Thursday night at the Macon Coliseum.
North Oconee’s Justin Wise, the Region 8-4A player of the year, scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and had seven rebounds.
If North Oconee felt pressure coming into the game, it didn’t show, even when trailing 16-6 in the final minute of the first quarter.
Despite playing all season with a target on its back as defending champion, North Oconee won its 28th consecutive game and finished 30-2. The Titans’ record over the past two seasons is 60-5.
“Even though most of our roster is sophomores and juniors, it was good to see that our guys were mature enough to handle this type of situation the last two years,” said North Oconee coach Rick Rasmussen as the cheering North Oconee fans took photos of their team holding the trophy. “But our guys have been here before. and they were confident and comfortable in this environment. They looked at it as ‘business as usual.’ I think they showed a lot of maturity and focus this season and they did a good job of preparation and execution. This season has just been a real blessing and I’m so proud of our guys.”
As the lone senior on the team, starting guard Thrasher Wilkins. said it was bittersweet knowing that Thursday was his last high school game — but that there was no better way to close out his prep career than with back-to-back titles.
“This is such a great feeling, because this was the goal we’ve worked for all year,” Wilkins said. “We really focused on doing what it takes to get back here again. I thought about it all day, with this being my last game, but to go out with a championship with these guys is the best feeling in the world. It’s a good way to end my high school career.”
Pace Academy (27-5) had won state championships in 2020, 2021 and 2023 (all in different classifications), and the Knights got off to a hot start in Thursday’s title tilt in pursuit of their fourth. Pace led 16-9 at the end of the first quarter.
But North Oconee’s Wise, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, took over in the second period, scoring 12 points and turning the early deficit into a 27-23 Titans lead by halftime.
It was a three-point game midway through the third quarter when a 10-0 surge by North Oconee gave the Titans a 41-28 lead and some breathing room. Wise capped off the run with a driving layup and free throw.
North Oconee led by 10 entering the final quarter before the Knights made one last run. An 8-0 run by Pace cut the gap to 54-48 with 1:36 left. However, North Oconee was 6-of-8 from the free throw stripe in the final minute to secure the win and a second consecutive title.
Wise led three Titans in double figures. Wilkins scored 14 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line, and had four steals. Khamari Brooks had 10 points and nine rebounds, and center Banks Pourchier added nine points and 11 rebounds.
For Pace, senior guard Eric Chatfield Jr., a Georgia Tech signee, scored 20 points in his final game for the Knights, while senior Chandler Bing finished with 15 points.
Pace had lost only once to in an-state opponent, McEachern of Class 6A, and had beaten its first four state-tournament opponents by an average score of 79-42. Pace also had a regular-season victory over Class 4A champion Holy Innocents’, another reason for its No. 1 ranking.
The loss marked the first time that Pace coach Sharman White had been beaten in a champion game. His teams at Miller Grove in DeKalb County won seven state titles, and his career record in finals had been 10-0.
North Oconee became the ninth school in GHSA history to win football and boys basketball titles in the same academic year, the first since Sandy Creek in 2022-23. Pace coincidentally was the next most recent in 2015-16.
Five North Oconee players are on the football and basketball rosters. One played Thursday night, and that was Brooks, a blue-chip linebacker recruit. North Oconee’s last basketball defeat, to Habersham Central, came on Nov. 30, before the football players were done with their season.
North Oconee — 9-18-18-15 — 60
Pace Academy — 16-7-12-16 — 51
North Oconee (60) — Blake Bracco, Justin Wise 27, Khamari Brooks 10, Thrasher Wilkins 14, Banks Pourchier 9, Luke Lawson.
Pace Academy (51) — Bentley Lusakueno 4, Eric Chatfield 20, Chandler Bing 15, Jackson Ferry 6, Hayden Clay 5, Brielen Craft, Gavin Fountain, Gavin Jeffries 1.
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