Greyhounds Fade in Final Seconds

Pope led early, and Pope led late in a first-round AAAA boys state basketball tournament game at Chattahoochee on Saturday afternoon. But a three-point play with 3.1 seconds left gave the host Cougars the win and ended the Greyhounds' season.

"We played well; we just got beat by a point," Pope Coach Pat Abney said. "Chattahoochee has a really good team. It was a great high school ball game."

The Greyhounds led by as many as four points in the final minute, and after Pope junior guard Myles Everett made one of two free throws with 12.6 seconds left, the lead was 56-54.

On Chattahoochee's last possession, junior guard Nadale Fowlks fed Jamie Frost the ball. Frost drove to the basket and was fouled as he made a short shot from the right of the basket with 3.1 seconds left to tie the game at 56-56. Frost coolly made the free throw, and the Greyhounds' last desperation shot was no good.

Pope got off to a good start, took an early 10-5 lead and still led 23-20 at halftime. The second half was a back-and-forth affair, setting up the drama in the final minute.

Pope senior guard Garrett Brown put on a tremendous show, scoring 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Junior Matt Polyne chipped in 13 points for the Greyhounds.

Junior guard Jaron Blossomgame led the Cougars in scoring with 16 points, and Frost had 13. Junior guard Ryan Peary and sophomore guard Markus Terry each had 10 points, and Fowlks also chipped in eight points. 

"We're really excited to get a win ... to get in the Sweet 16. It's a goal we've had all year," Chattahoochee Coach Kacey Martin said. "With our backs against the wall, our guys never gave up. They never lost their poise. We stayed together and finally ended up having a break that went our way. It was a good win for us."

Pope ends its season at 21-8, while Chattahoochee improves to 25-4. The Cougars will play at Southwest DeKalb on Wednesday night.

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