Dublin comes up short against Swainsboro
The teams were clearly quite even. But the crowd impact belonged to Swainsboro, and in the end, so did the game.
Jaylan McKinney won the battle of the guards over Kameron Pauldo and led Swainsboro to a 68-64 win Saturday in a GHSA Class 2A boys semifinal game at Georgia College.
McKinney scored 32 points to 27 for Pauldo as the Tigers seemed to have just a little more energy in holding off the Irish.
“It was like a car that was sputtering,” Dublin head coach Paul Williams said. “We kept waiting for it to click in. It never clicked in, for some reason. I don’t know. I’m not sure why.”
Dublin finally got a lead in the third quarter, thanks to a 9-0 run. The Irish took a 47-45 lead into the fourth quarter. And they were actually up by four after a bucket inside with 7:02 left.
“We took the lead and felt like we had it,” Williams said. “But a couple of bad decisions, in this environment …”
But the Tigers scored seven straight for a three-point lead. A 3 from Devin Durham tied it with 5:05 left only for Swainsboro to go on a 7-0 run. Neverthless, Dublin clawed back from a 61-56 deficit and was withing 62-61 after two free throws by Javen Culbreath with 1:14 left.
McKinney, who scored on dumpers and circus drives and reverse layups, scored inside, and that was countered by one Malik Jones free throw. The Tigers added two free throws with 23 seconds left, and Pauldo matched it, but Jamil Watkins sealed it.
Pauldo had 27 points for the Irish, who finish at 26-6. The Tigers, boosted by a strong and loud following, seemed to have a little more spring in their step than the Irish in keeping misses alive and chasing down the ball.
“This time of year, it’s about loose balls, who gets after the loose balls,” Williams said. “And free throws.
Swainsboro got 11 points from Justin Harris. Culbreath had 10 for Dublin.
“It came down to second chances and loose balls,” Williams said. “(But) our guys kept battling and battling.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 7:27 PM with the headline "Dublin comes up short against Swainsboro."