Wheeler Edges Walton; Lassiter's Next

Although both teams qualified for the state tournament by winning on Wednesday, the Wheeler and Walton boys basketball teams found a way to make their third meeting of the season meaningful. 

The Wildcats were missing starters Elijah Staley and Kejuan Johnson, both given two-game suspensions for their role in altercation in the final seconds of Wheeler's 51-37 win over Cherokee in the Region 5-AAAAA quarterfinals. 

And with Wheeler big man Charles Mitchell struggling with just one point after three quarters, Walton was primed for an upset Friday in their semifinal contest at Marietta High School. 

Even after Mitchell got untracked with three quick baskets in the fourth quarter, the Raiders hung close in the final minutes. Rico Overall trained a 3-point basket to cut Wheeler's lead to 55-53. 

But the Wildcats made their foul shots down the stretch to claim a 61-55 win and a berth in Saturday's finals at 7:30 p.m., also at Marietta, against Lassiter, which upset top-seeded Marietta 64-57.

It also helped Wheeler's cause that Overall (28 points) and Sean Morgan, charged with guarding Mitchell most of the night, fouled out. Austin Smoak led Wheeler with 19 points and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the waning seconds.

The Wheeler girls rallied from a double-digit deficit close to within five points against Marietta in the fourth quarter of their semifinal game on Friday. But the Lady Wildcats fell 52-42. They've earned a state tournament spot and will meet Cherokee at 3 p.m. Saturday in the region third place game. 

The Walton boys will play Marietta at 4:30 p.m. in another third place game, while the Marietta and Woodstock girls meet at 6 p.m. for the region title.