
South Atlanta won the 2017 Georgia High Schools Association state basketball championship with a 68-33 win over Swainsboro, Saturday at McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech.
The South Atlanta boys began the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class AA top 10 poll. Saturday at McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech, the Hornets proved that ranking was spot on.
South Atlanta (29-1) led from start to finish and put an emphatic exclamation point on its season with a 68-33 win over Swainsboro (Emanuel County) in the Class AA state title game. The Hornets led by 14 points at halftime and never looked back. South Atlanta was led in scoring by Devonta Pullins with 20 points and Jalen Stegall added 15.
The Hornets sealed the deal this season after coming up a bit short previously. They lost to Morgan County in the state semi finals last season and again to Morgan County in the 2015 quarterfinals. But this year, South Atlanta would not be denied.
“We have great kids, great talent in the community,” head coach Michael Reddick said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution afterwards. “I’ll say it again, it’s not the coaches. I know a little bit about basketball. I’ve been at the school for 19 years, but I have very talented players and I want those college coaches to stop reading the scouting reports and come and recruit these guys because we have some talent at South Atlanta High School.”
2017 South Atlanta Roster: Seniors Frank Bailey, Acey Brown, Antonio Gay, Freeman Jordan, Devonta Pullins, Demontay Roberts and Tyler Thornton; juniors Dondre Barnes and Jalen Stegall; and freshman Ja’Quavian Florence.