MILLEDGEVILLE – Greene County faced a setback in the fourth quarter of last week’s Final Four matchup against McIntosh County Academy, enabling the Bucs to clinch a 49-41 victory and move on to the state title game.
The Tigers were ahead 38-33 after three quarters, but McIntosh played nearly flawlessly in the fourth to secure the victory.
The Bucs intensified their defensive pressure, and Greene County struggled to advance the ball up the court. The senior duo of M.J. Quarterman and Jayden Ellis led the Bucs, who outscored the Tigers 16-3 in the fourth quarter.
“The moment seemed like it was too big for the guys, so playing on that stage, being that it’s pretty much uncharted waters, the guys imploded a little bit,” Greene head coach Mark Wright said. “Once that lead disappeared, we just couldn't find the rim or basket.
"It seemed like the guys had a hard time overcoming adversity. We came in with the mindset that we were going to win. We felt like we were the better team, but for whatever reason, the ball just didn't fall like we wanted it to, and that was frustrating for the guys.”
The game was closely contested throughout the first half.
McIntosh quickly took a 6-1 lead before Jesse Broadus brought Greene back into the game midway through the first quarter with four consecutive points on two straight possessions. The Tigers got contributions from several others, but the Bucs maintained a slim one-point lead as they entered the second quarter.
The second was a defensive battle, and when one team threw a punch, the other responded. The Tigers limited Quarterman and Ellis, but they struggled without Laryous Burt, who sat out most of the second quarter in foul trouble.
The first half ended with both teams tied at 23-23, but the third quarter was a different story.
Wright called a timeout with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter as McIntosh clung to a 30-29 lead. The Bucs hit a layup out of the timeout, but the Tigers responded as RJ Monford dialed up a 3-pointer from long range.
Greene got a turnover and took the lead as Ivan Porter sunk a floater off the backboard. The Tigers extended the lead as Broadus and Corey Brown also found the basket. They ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run.
Wright told his players during the timeout that if they “win the quarter,” they’d be close to making the state title game.
“We felt real confident about it at that time. The guys never thought for a second that losing was an option,” Wright said. “We felt good about pushing past that opportunity. So, the guys were motivated. They were locked in.”
However, Greene’s magic ran out in the fourth against a tough McIntosh squad. The Bucs took over late in the game.
“It didn’t go our way this time. That’s all,” Wright added. “Credit to McIntosh. They're a really, really good team.”
Greene ended the season with a 22-8 record, but even after the loss, there’s still much to celebrate. The Tigers won their first region title in a decade and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in over 30 years.
“Hats off to our boys. They played a heck of a season,” Wright said. “They did everything we asked of them. We played a very battle-tested schedule, and they stepped up to the plate every single time. We had a couple of personal goals. We wanted to get 20 or more wins since we got 19 last year.
" We were able to accomplish that. We wanted to win the region. We wanted to dominate the region as much as we could, and we wanted to go deep in the [playoffs] and give ourselves the opportunity or chance to win, and I think we did that.”