Mary Persons knocks off Perry in Region 2-AAAA Tournament
Mary Persons turned the ball over and missed enough shots to last much of the GHSA Region 2-AAAA Tournament.
But Perry did more of both.
The Bulldogs took advantage of some breakdowns in all areas to gain control and take a 51-35 win Thursday in a boys semifinal.
Neither team was remotely sharp on offense, going through stretches of turnovers and misses. Mary Persons went the final 2:55 of the second quarter without a point and an 11-point became three at halftime.
Perry got within one twice early in the third quarter but hit a funk and went nine possessions without a bucket. Mary Persons wasn't on fire but led 32-23 after the Panthers broke the drought. Que Perkins and Cameron Holden hit key 3s for the Bulldogs during that stretch.
The margin was 12 after three quarters, and the Panthers managed to cut it to nine twice in the fourth before the Bulldogs, who had a rough night at the free-throw line, slowly took control.
FIVE WHO MATTERED
Roger Akins: The senior came off the bench, immediately drew the wrath of head coach Greg Nix, but settled down for a solid night with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Damion Bagley: The versatile senior had been battling illness the past week and managed 10 points and five rebounds for the Panthers.
Cameron Holden: The 6-foot-5 sophomore did it all, with 15 points, three 3-pointers, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Chris Clerkley: Perry's problems were inside and outside, and the 6-foot-9 senior bound for Georgia State was held to just four points but did have 10 rebounds and two steals.
Que Perkins: The smallest player on the floor was big, helping the Bulldogs run clock once they got a solid lead, scoring 14 points and adding three assists and two steals.
TURNING POINT
Both teams struggled from the floor, but Perry continued to after the Panthers pulled within one. The Panthers turned the ball over seven times, not including a tie that went to Mary Persons, in the dry spell. The Bulldogs twice scored on consecutive possessions -- something of a rarity all game -- in the third to take a 14-point lead.
WORTH NOTING
Snapping the streak: Not only did the win get the hosts into the championship game, but it broke an 0-for-9 stretch against Perry since Nix took over. It may have been inevitable, since the Bulldogs lost a 58-57 heartbreaker in the last meeting.
OBSERVATION
Maybe a blowout: Mary Persons could have won by 20 or 25 points, but the Bulldogs were only 8-of-18 from the line, including misses on the front ends of bonuses. They also missed a fair amount of close-in shots, not taking full advantage of a respectable night on the offensive glass.
ALSO THURSDAY NIGHT
Upson-Lee held off Howard to win the other boys game for a 61-57 win. Tye Fagan led Upson-Lee with 22 points, and O'Qualon Harris had 10. Joe Johnson led Howard with 17.
West Laurens scored only one point in the first quarter, but got back in the game with a 17-point second quarter. Still, Baldwin kept the lead for a 40-38 win. Courtney Butts led Baldwin with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Tykeasia Williams and Bria Reeves had six rebounds each, Williams adding four steals. Dinah Jackson topped West Laurens with 11 points.
Howard stayed close and took the lead in the third quarter, but Veterans took it back and ever-so-slowly eased to a 41-29 win. The Huskies trailed by six after three, but could only score four points in the fourth quarter. Veterans' Anna Nicholson and Howard's Zoria Chatman had 11 points each.
THEY SAID IT
Perry head coach Brett Hardy: "We just got hammered. We didn't play well on Tuesday. You've got to hand it to Mary Persons. They played well. They defended well, kept us from getting the ball in the basket."
Nix on the magnitude of the win: "When you're trying to get over that hump. ... I felt like (Thursday) we were trying to get over that hump."
Hardy on the basic difference: "We settled for shots that weren't good shots. If you don't work against good teams, it's hard to get it into the basket. And you've got to be smarter. We run out like mad men to guard (Dre Evans), and he throws it to (Holden), who puts it in the bucket. We've got to know where their good players are."
Nix on a major bright spot: "Perry specializes in getting loose balls, 50-50 balls. (Thursday), we got our share. That's the difference in the ballgame."
Nix on Akins' responding to a chewing out: "The thing about it is is that after I got on him, he didn't hold on to that. That shows maturity on his part."
WHAT'S NEXT?
Perry plays Howard in Friday's consolation, while Mary Persons gets Upson-Lee in the championship.
This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Mary Persons knocks off Perry in Region 2-AAAA Tournament ."