Mount Paran tops Walker in region tourney behind 17 three-pointer night
On Tuesday, the Georgia High School Association Class 1A Division I, Region 5 boys basketball tournament continued with a quarterfinals matchup between the Mount Paran Eagles and Walker Wolverines, as the Eagles looked to avenge their 76-61 loss the last time the two teams met late last month.
As the game got underway, the Eagles were hot from the three-point line from the opening tip connecting on seven of their three-points in the first quarter, which they would go on to close out with a 23-15 lead. "I tell them all the time, we expect to hit shots," Mount Paran head coach, Chuck Frierson, said after Tuesday's win as he credited his players for their confidence in taking a lot of shots.
And while Mount Paran's shooting confidence continued throughout the second quarter as they connected on four more shots from behind the arc, the Wolverines would be the team with momentum in the period as they outscored the Eagles 24-16 to tie the game up at 30 a piece by halftime. However, after regaining momentum in the third quarter with another three, three-point baskets, Mount Paran would regain the lead and go up 58-51 by the end of the quarter.
"Tonight, they were locked in. Our guys told me 'coach don't worry about it, we got it'," Frierson said of the message his players gave him prior to Tuesday's showdown with Walker as three more three-point baskets in the fourth quarter would help them outscore Walker 21-19 in the period in route to a 79-70 win, finishing with a team total 17 three-pointers. "They took care of business," Frierson said of his players.
The Eagles were led by freshman, Shane Goines, with a team high 21 points, including five three-pointers, followed by senior Christopher Park, who finished with 18 points, and sophomore Asher Wills adding 12 points, all coming from behind the arc. Now as the Eagles prepare for the semifinals on Thursday against Mount Bethel, Frierson says he needs his players to play with desperation to keep their season alive.
"When you're a senior and you don't know the next time you're going to play a game that matters, you have to play desperate, you have to want to get it and you have to play to the point of no return and that's what we did," Frierson said.
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