Harris, Fagan lead Upson-Lee to Region 2-AAAA tournament title
FORSYTH -- It was a fairly normal game for Upson-Lee.
A young team made some mistakes, but played with energy and smarts, enough of both to overcome what they did wrong.
Mary Persons was on the verge of getting knocked out late in the first half, but came back to within a bucket in the fourth quarter only for Upson-Lee to find that higher gear and regain some measure of control for a 58-52 win Friday night in the GHSA Region 2-AAAA boys tournament championship.
The Knights delighted a huge crowd from Thomaston with what head coach Darrell Lockhart believes is the program's first region tournament title.
He got huge games from senior wing O'Qualan Harris and sophomore wing Ty Fagan, who scored 23 and 20 points respectively.
Mary Persons pulled within 45-43 early in the fourth on Quin Alford's baseline score, but Fagan upped the lead to four with a putback of his own miss.
Then Harris buried a 3-pointer after a turnover for a 50-43 lead, which grew to 55-46 until Que Perkins hit his own 3 for Mary Persons. A three-point play by Alford pulled the Bulldogs to within 56-52 with 31 seconds left, but the Knights (22-3) were able to finish.
FOUR WHO MATTERED
Fagan and Harris: They're similar in size and game, able to drain 3s - they teamed for five - or take it to the hole. Harris also had at least three blocks and nine rebounds, while Fagan was credited with five rebounds and three assists.
Que Perkins and Cameron Holden: The Mary Persons duo is not like Upson-Lee's in physical stature as a pair -- Perkins is 5-7 to Holden's 6-5 -- but they had a big impact, Perkins with 1 points and Holden with 18. Holden unofficially had three steals and Perkins hit clutch 3-pointers in the third quarter to bring the Bulldogs back.
OBSERVATIONS
Could have been different: Both teams had trouble finishing at the rim, missing some layups and other makeable shots. The active defense by the other team was one reason, but there was some flat misses. Had Upson-Lee turned in a decent night, the margin would have been double. If Mary Persons had a tolerable night in that area, the Bulldogs would have won.
Dandy duo: When Upson-Lee needed something, it seemed like Fagan and Harris came up with the play. They scored six straight buckets late in the second quarter and four straight to open the fourth, including when Mary Persons pulled to within two.
TURNING POINT
A 7-1 run early in the fourth quarter was the difference, the Knights getting the putback from Fagan and 3 from Harris along with a runner from Fagan gave Upson-Lee a 52-44 lead and put the pressure on Mary Persons, which then scored on two of its next nine possessions.
THEY SAID IT
Upson-Lee head coach Darrell Lockhart: "That was about a normal game for us, a little bit of a roller coaster. We've played this way all year. This is how we want to play every game. I've got a bunch of young guys that like to get out and go."
Mary Persons head coach Greg Nix: "I thought we just kind of hung in there. We had a really good first quarter. When they went to the zone, that kind of slowed us down. That's happened to us before, in our first game with them. I thought our players fought and fought and fought."
Nix on a key difference, Fagan and Harris: "They have two elite players that can flat out score. They would go down there, (Fagan) and (Harris) and score. Not because of a lack of defensive effort. They just made a great play."
Lockhart on what he particularly liked: "We stopped shooting so many jump shots. We took the ball to the hole, and I think that made a difference."
Lockhart on Upson-Lee fans perhaps outnumbering Mary Persons fans: "People in Thomaston love basketball. They go wherever we go. People love basketball in Thomaston."
UP NEXT
Both teams will host next week in the GHSA Tournament.
This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 12:39 AM with the headline "Harris, Fagan lead Upson-Lee to Region 2-AAAA tournament title ."