MACON – Zeki Locus delivered when it mattered most.
The Morgan County senior point guard recorded a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds in the Class 2A state championship game, knocking down two clutch free throws in the closing seconds to lift the Dogs to a 53–52 overtime victory over defending champion Butler on March 14 at the Macon Coliseum.
Locus was named the game’s MVP.
“I did not foresee this,” Locus told the Lake Oconee News with a smile. “Personally, I’ve faced a lot of adversity, and as a team, but over the last four years, I’ve grown as a person, and we’ve grown connected as a team. That’s what allowed us to be where we are now.”
Despite the heroics, Locus struggled at times. He committed five turnovers and shot 8 of 15 from the free-throw line.
He felt he personally could have made more free throws, noting that he missed quite a few during the game. While the team wasn’t very effective from three-point range, its focus is on driving to the paint and getting to the free-throw line, which is the strategy it will rely on when the three-point shot isn’t falling.
Morgan County shot just 9.1 percent from three-point range, making only 1 of 11 attempts, but the Dogs found success inside the paint, converting 11 of 24 layups.
Locus’ two free throws with six seconds remaining in overtime ultimately sealed the victory.
“I was stressed,” he said. “I prayed both of them would go in because I had been missing the whole game. When the first one went in, I felt like the second one was good.”
Defensively, Locus also made an impact. Ten of his 13 rebounds came on the defensive end, and he forced several turnovers before pushing the ball in transition and drawing contact at the rim.
“Defense is where we live,” he said. “We try to play in transition because teams can’t really set their defense. We try to get stops, run, and just do it over and over the whole game.”
Locus and his teammates now join former Morgan County standouts such as Tookie Brown, Jailyn Ingram, and Tyrin Lawrence as Dogs who have helped bring state championships back to Madison.
“I could have played selfish, but a ring is better than individual points,” Locus said. “I like being on that list, but it’s a team sport. I’d rather get a team win than an individual award.”
Morgan County head coach Cody Anderson said Locus’ growth over the past four years has been just as meaningful as the championship.
“When my wife Gabby and I made the decision to leave college basketball, we were excited about the opportunity to invest in young people in a new stage of their lives,” Anderson said. “These high school years are so impressionable and really do form the foundation for the rest of their lives.
“While our exact obstacles may be different, every person has faced their own set of challenges and adversity. Zeki is no different. Life hasn’t always been easy to him or for him. These last four years, I have had a front-row seat to his character growth journey. He has gone from a young man trying to survive to one who knows he can thrive with a future and a hope.
“I love basketball and have enjoyed winning a lot of games, region championships, and a state championship with Zeki, but more than all of that, I’ve enjoyed watching him grow into a young man who is ready to conquer his biggest and wildest dreams.”
Following the championship, Locus was also named the GHSA Class 2A Player of the Year. He hopes to continue his basketball career at the college level.