The opener at LaFayette High School saw the Tennessee girls get a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the game at the end of regulation before pulling away in overtime for a 85-78 victory.
In the nightcap, the two squads combined for 22 3-pointers before Team Georgia came away with a 94-89 win.
The girls’ contest looked like a runaway early as Tennessee used a 14-4 burst in the second quarter to help open up a 48-33 lead at intermission.
The lead grew to 17 points midway through the third quarter when the Georgia offense awoke.
Spurred by Chattooga’s Jheri Booker and the Northwest Whitfield trio of Vanessa Jackson, Brinkley Knowles and Larkin Logan, the Peach State stormed back to take a 72-71 lead on a Logan lay-up with a little under a minute to play.
Georgia would tack on a pair of free throws to take a 3-point lead with 6.8 seconds left, but it turned out to be plenty of time for Chattanooga Christian All-Stater Juanisha Hansford.
The Georgia College and State University signee drained a 25-foot trey to beat the buzzer and send the game into overtime.
In the extra frame, Tyner’s Katrich Williams and Brainerd’s Nakisha Strickland combined for seven of Tennessee’s 11 points to give the Volunteer State a 3-1 lead in the series.
“We had to get something going in that fourth quarter and we did,” said Georgia head coach Matt Swanson. “We stopped subbing and we played well that fourth quarter. Maybe we hit a free throw late and that three at the end doesn’t matter. But like I told the girls at the start of overtime, if you had told me that we were going to be in overtime after being down 17, I would have taken that.”
Hansford, Tennessee’s Most Valuable Player, set a new Classic record with 22 points while Strickland established a new mark with 16 rebounds to go with her 19 points.
Williams, who is headed to Alabama A&M, added 11 points while Central’s Ragan Elliott had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Booker was the Georgia MVP. The Tennessee State signee scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while adding six steals, three assists and two blocks.
The Northwest trio, held scoreless in the first half, combined for 34 second-half points, including 18 from Logan. Jackson finished with 10 points.
“ It was a good event and I though we (at LaFayette) pulled it off,” Swanson added. ”I think the players had a great time and I know we as coaches had a ball.”
The boys’ game saw Tennessee jump out to a 48-43 halftime lead before scoring the last seven points of the third quarter to go ahead 75-66.
But Georgia MVP Stephen McClellan would make his presence known in the fourth quarter.
McClellan, who scored over 3,600 career points at Dalton’s Christian Heritage School, poured in 15 of his All-Star record 26 points in the final eight minutes. He was a perfect 5-of-5 at the line in the fourth, including four big shots late, to help seal the win and even the series at two wins apiece.
“I thought if (Tennessee) went on another little run we could be in trouble,” said Georgia head coach Chris Edge. “We put our starters back in and they really got after it defensively. Defensive intensity is one of the things you worry about it an all-star game, but we really played well on that end.”
Southeast Whitfield’s Nic White had a big game with 20 points and a record nine rebounds.
LaFayette big man Matt Overby was solid with 12 points and five boards. Teammate Taylor Sumrall scored just five points, but played outstanding defense with four rebounds, two steals and two key second-half blocks.
“I’m real proud of the effort they gave,” Edge said. “They really wanted to win. Tonight was a lot of fun. You give me those kids in the regular season and we could have a lot of fun. They would really make me look good.”
Tennessee put five in double figures led by McMinn Central’s Blake Derrek. Derrek had 16 points to garner Tennessee MVP honors.
Grace Academy’s Davis Eldridge had 14 points. Red Bank’s Brandon Moon added 12 while two more McMinn Central Chargers, Julian Boyd and Beau Brown, had 10 each.
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe’s Courtney Brown won the 3-point shootout while Brown took home the slam dunk trophy
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