Ranked No. 1 in Georgia for most of the season, the Wheeler Wildcats didn’t disappoint Saturday with a state championship on the line.
The Wildcats blew open a close game against Cherokee in the third quarter and roared to their third Georgia High School Association title in four years by a 78-58 score.
Wheeler was heavily favored to win the Class 7A crown, boasting Naismith national high school player of the year Isaiah Collier.
In his high school finale, Collier, a 6-foot-3 point guard who will play at the University of Southern California next season, scored 22 points, and was given the honor of running out the last seconds of the game dribbling the ball.
When the horn sounded at the Macon Coliseum, he fell to the floor, overcome with emotion. After his teammates piled on in jubilation, Collier was still in tears, embraced by coaches.
As he hugged head coach Larry Thompson, they were locked together for a good while.
Thompson said later in an interview on Georgia Public Broadcasting that memories of Khalil Hardison–a former Wheeler player who was the coach’s son and Collier’s cousin—were on their minds.
Hardison drowned last August in the Chattahoochee River at the age of 21, and Wheeler dedicated the season in his memory. He was best friends with Collier, who said his death motivated him in his final season.
“It’s been the hardest season of my life,” Collier told GPB. “Winning this championship, it feels so good.”
He was asked what he would say to Hardison if he could have had a conversation with him.
“I’d tell him I love him,” Collier said, fighting back tears.
“It’s unreal the amount of emotion and the toll that it’s taken, not just for Isaiah and me but for the whole team,” Thompson said.
“You know how many people are in your corner. The love from so many people has been amazing. I want people to know we greatly appreciate it. . . I know [Hardison] is smiling down on us today.”
Wheeler went 26-6 in winning a ninth state championship in school history. The Wildcats had to defeat Cherokee, their region rivals, four times along the way, and routed the Warriors 94-41 in the region title game.
Wheeler was ranked No. 22 in an ESPN poll of high school basketball teams nationally, the only one in Georgia, and its only losses were to out-of-state teams.
Collier, the latest star to come from Wheeler, is the school’s first national high school player of the year and is third in ESPN‘s individual rankings. His Wheeler teammate, forward Arrinten Page, will be going to USC with him.
On Thursday, Kell High School accomplished a rare feat when both the boys and girls teams won the Class 5A championships, also in Macon.
Senior Crystal Henderson scored 29 points in her last high school game as the Lady Longhorns rolled over Warner Robins 57-36.
Kell reached the finals in her freshman season, but Buford pulled out a late victory.
After that game, the boys team defeated Eagles Landing 61-53.
They were the first basketball state titles for Kell, which was reassigned to Class 5A this season after being in Class 6A for the last year years.
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