Making history is what the Raiders set out to do, and they did it. #5-ranked Habersham Central won a barn-burner, 76-68, in front of the home crowd on Valentine’s Day to win their first-ever region title.
The Raiders (24-3) won their eighth straight game while snapping #4-ranked Winder-Barrow’s 16-game win streak in the process. The legendary game went down to the wire, with Habersham hoisting the golden region trophy. It was never a given and didn’t come easy.
Winder-Barrow started out quick, thanks to the sharp shooting of Jerrin Samuel, who drained three shots from downtown in the opening quarter. Jalen Davis had eight of his own, including a couple of triples to keep Habersham close at 18-15 after one.
Jojo McCurry and Judge Wilbanks put the Raiders ahead briefly with back-to-back shots. Samuel connected on his fourth trifecta to put Winder back on top. Late in the half, Davis tied the game with a deep shot and gave them the lead with a free throw. McCurry then had a layin at the buzzer to take the game to the break at 35-34 Raiders. At that point, Samuel had 14 points and Jeremiah Shealey had 13 for Winder, while Davis led Habersham with 12.
Winder opened the second half on a 9-3 run to retake the lead. That lead changed hands several times throughout. Jake Mihalick and Shealey each had big 3-pointers near the end of the quarter. It was a 2-point lead for the Bulldoggs heading into the fourth.
Judge Wilbanks got the Raiders an early lead with just under seven minutes to go. True to form, the game continued to be a see-saw battle, though. Mihalick had a dozen points in the second half, knocking down several emphatic triples. One came with just over a minute to go, putting the Raiders up 70-68.
McCurry banked one in with around 40 seconds left to go up four, and Davis sealed it at the line with a pair of free throws. After a loose ball picked up by Habersham came a thunderous dunk by Mihalick to put the exclamation point on it. The region championship is the first in history for the Raiders.
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McCurry ended with 19 points and was followed in double figures by Davis and Mihalick, both with 17 and Enzo Combs with 14. Wilbanks had seven and Justus Gober two. Shealey led all scorers with 30 points for Winder, and teammate Samuel added 17, while JD Estime had nine.
