Georgiana holds off Skyline, Advances to AHSAA Class 1A Title Game
Class 1A boys’ state championship game is set
By Josh Bean | For the AHSAA
BIRMINGHAM – Georgiana High School held Skyline scoreless for more than six minutes in the fourth quarter, allowing the Panthers to protect a slim lead and earn a 56-52 victory in Monday’s 104th AHSAA State Basketball Championships Class 1A boys’ state semifinal.
What crafty adjustment did Coach Kirk8Norris make to create such suffocating defensive pressure? Nothing.
“We just tried to defend the best we could and not give ’em any second shots,” Norris said. “We did enough to win it.”
Georgiana (27-3) advances to Thursday’s Class 1A championship game against two-time defending champ Covenant Christian, which defeated Calhoun in Monday’s other state semifinal. Georgiana is in the title game for the first time since 2018 and is trying to win the school’s first AHSAA boys state title.
Skyline’s Bryant Kennamer tied the game 47-all with a layup with 7:37 to go, but the Vikings (26-5) missed its next eight shots and didn’t score again until Scott York’s 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining. Georgiana made 6-of-7 free throws in the final 41 seconds to hold on for victory.
“I knew it was going to be a fight,” Norris said. “Skyline is a really good team. They do their stuff and do it well. We were able to make enough free throws to seal it at the end.”
Skyline was trying to win its first state title and advanced to the state tournament for the first time since the 1990s.
“It’s not how wanted it to end, but it’s where we wanted it to end,” Skyline coach Craig McGill said.
Nasir Cheatham and Kaveon Miles led Georgiana with 15 points apiece, and Jaden Stallworth added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Miles had eight rebounds and three assists.
Zeier Golden led Skyline with 16 points and seven rebounds, and York added 14 points. Kennamer had nine points and seven assists.
“It was a great season. We got to where we wanted to go,” said York, referring to the state tournament. “We just couldn’t execute.”
The Class 2A girls’ and boys’ semifinals close out Monday’s state tournament action.
All semifinal games are being live streamed over the NFHS Network’s subscriber-based platform and live on the AHSAA TV Network. Check out the cable stations on the network at www.ahsaa.com. All championship games will be televised live statewide over Alabama Public Television and will also be live streamed over the NFHS Network.
Cover Photo: Georgiana’s Jacobie Morgan (1) moves inside the lane as Skyline’s Jayten Prince (10) and Will Avans (00) defends. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)
