5 Takeaways: How Meadowcreek won Georgia’s Class 7A State Championship
Meadowcreek defeated Norcross High School 56-43 to take home its first ever boys basketball state championship. Because of Class 7A powerhouses such as McEachern, Pebblebrook, and Wheeler (just to name a few), I did not even have Meadowcreek advancing to the Final Four. To the surprise of many, Meadowcreek was the last team standing. Below are 5 key factors in how they secured the class 7A state championship:
Kedrick Green
The 5’9 freshman guard led the charge for Meadowcreek. Green played well ahead of his years and displayed great poise and the ability to be a floor general for the Mustangs. His signature behind the back pass to Jamir Chaplin (pictured) for a dunk sealed the game in the 4th quarter. Green is definitely a crowd favorite and one to watch for years to come.
Meadowcreek on the attack
The Mustangs settled for very few jump shots, but instead aggressively attacked the basket and drew fouls against Norcross. Norcross had 5 team fouls at the end of the first quarter, 3 on Brandon Boston and 2 on Issa Muhammad. Boston had trouble guarding Meadowcreek’s guards, thanks to the aggressiveness of Chaplin and Dequiarius Nicholas, and fouled out with 6:10 left in the 4th quarter. Once Boston fouled out, Meadowcreek went on a 17-3 run to end the game and never looked back.
Amari Kelly’s 1st half
Amari Kelly singlehandedly kept Meadowcreek in the game during the 1st half. He set the tone and brought the energy that Meadowcreek desperately needed in the state championship game. Kelly was active and finished at the rim through contact with multiple and-one conversions. He ended the first half with 10 points, 3 rebounds and an impressive block on UGA commit, JoJo Toppin. In short, the senior showed up to play in his final high school game.
Free throw shooting
Meadowcreek, not known as a great free throw shooting team, closed the game in the 4th quarter by converting free throws. As mentioned before, Meadowcreek got Norcross in early foul trouble and earned many visits to the foul line. The Mustangs made 11 of 16 free throws in the closing minutes to secure the win.
Head coach Curtis Gilleylen
Meadowcreek head coach Curtis Gilleylen, or Coach G as many call him, designed the perfect game plan to defeat Norcross. Previously, Meadowcreek lost to Norcross three times in a row (twice in regular season and region championship). Meadowcreek played a much slower tempo this game and limited Norcross to a season-low 43 points as a team. When Norcross went on runs, Coach G settled his team with time-outs and appropriate play calling. Last, he keyed on Norcross’s dynamic slasher, Kyle Sturdivant. As a result of help defense in the paint whenever he attacked the basket, Sturdivant ended the game with 3 charges called on him. Give credit to Coach G for making the necessary adjustments to finally slay Goliath and bring Meadowcreek its first state championship.