Sports
Johns Creek Seniors Make the Most of Their Final Home Game in Win Over Creekview
Overholt's three-pointer at the buzzer gave Johns Creek a 61-60 win over Creekview; Lady Gladiators fall 73-38.
For Johns Creek senior guard Robert Overholt, it was a game he and his teammates will never forget. Overholt launched an 80-footer from the free-throw line that went in the basket at the end of the third quarter. Then with one second left and the Gladiators down 60-58, Overholt did it again as he nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Johns Creek a 61-60 win.
"Exciting, it was back and fourth. The last time we played them a week ago, it was the same score except the one point was in their favor," Johns Creek Head Coach Pete Goggin said.
With 36.6 seconds left and the score tied at 58, Creekview senior guard Taylor McKleskey was fouled and went to the line to shoot one and one with a chance to give the Grizzlies the lead. McKleskey missed the front end and the Gladiators got the rebound.
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However, as Johns Creek was working to score, Creekview senior guard A.J. Johnson stole the ball, went the other way and dunked to give the Grizzlies a 60-58 lead with 3.4 seconds to play.
"I told them in the time out that we only needed two points," Goggin said. "I wanted to bring a big man to the ball and then turn around and throw it right down to the basket and have our other big man lay it in, but the play broke down and the hero of the night wound up with the long shot, which won it instead of tying it, so that was nice."
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After the inbounds pass, the ball was passed to Overholt at the top of the key, where he made the three-pointer to win it for the Gladiators. Overholt, one of four seniors for Johns Creek playing in their final home game, scored 12 points, and all of them came from beyond the arc.
However, the Gladiators couldn't have prevailed without the contributions of several different players. Senior 6'8 center Valiant Hed led Johns Creek in scoring with 16 points, and his partner on the inside, senior 6'7 center Austin Biggs, had 10 points. Both Hed and Biggs had a solid performance on the inside for the Gladiators.
Senior Connor Harrington also made the most of his final home game by scoring 14 points, including four three pointers.
Creekview was led in scoring by junior guard Duncan Jones, who had 15 points for the Grizzlies. Junior forward Dylan Bergman scored 13 points in the losing effort, while sophomore Beau Blackwell and Johnson chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively.
With the win, Johns Creek finishes the regular season at 10-14 and 5-10 in Region 7AAAA play. Creekview finishes the regular season at 15-10 over all and 9-6 in Region 7AAAA play.
The Lady Gladiators were not as fortunate Wednsday night as Creekview rolled past Johns Creek 73-38. The Lady Grizzlies imposed defensive pressure early, forcing turnovers by the Lady Gladiators and turning them into points.
The Lady Grizzlies were led in scoring by junior forward Lauren Pounds with 11 points, and sophomore center Emma Cook chipped in 10. The Lady Grizzlies also got point production from junior shooting guard Madison Rice, who scored all of her nine points from beyond the arc.
Johns Creek sophomore guard McKinzie James led all scorers with 18 points. Sophomore Allie Buchalski scored eight points in the losing effor, including a three-pointer.
The Lady Gladiators finish the regular season at 2-21 overall and 2-13 in Region 7AAAA play, while Creekview finishes their regular season at 19-6 over all and 11-4 in Region 7AAAA, thus moving into a tie for second place with Forsyth Central.
