SPARTA – Ahmed Hill had a chance to win a region championship in each of his first two high school seasons.

He had a direct impact in a title game as a freshman in 2011 at Peach County, when he led a young team with a losing record all the way to the region championship against Mary Persons. Hill missed a layup at the end of regulation – he said he rushed the layup rather than trying to dunk the ball because the clock was running out – and the Trojans went to overtime and eventually lost to the Bulldogs.

“I think about that play a lot, thought about it some (Friday) and (Saturday),” said Hill, now a junior at Aquinas.

Hill didn’t let another opportunity pass.

He scored 32 points and Michael Scott added 21 to lead Aquinas to a 73-65 win over Wilkinson County in the Region 7-A championship game Saturday at Hancock Central. Torico Simmons led the Warriors with 15 points, while Derrick Trawick scored 13 and Antonio Whipple added 11.

Aquinas took the lead in the third quarter and stayed in front of the Warriors, who lead the Class A public school power rankings, the rest of the way. The Irish went 14-of-18 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to maintain a safe distance in front of Wilkinson County.

“This is special for us,” Hill said. “I played them in eighth grade and in ninth grade. I’ve been losing to them for years. It feels good to come away with a win over them, especially with a region championship on the line.”