Mount Vernon Defeats Eagles Again

GISA Defending State Champs Mount Vernon Mustangs

by HS Hoops

For the second time this season, the Augusta Eagles were defeated by the Mount Vernon Mustangs in Mount Vernon's home gym in Atlanta, Georgia.  Tuesday's (January 17) 55-43 loss drops Augusta's record to 14-4 for the season.  Mount Vernon, the defending Georgia Independent Schools (GISA) AAA state champions, improve to 20-2 for the season.

The Eagles took an early 13-6 lead after early offense from Austin Crown, Dominic Brown, and Jacob Greenway.  But the Mustangs closed the initial quarter with a 7-0 run, including a buzzer beating shot from behind half court by Ty Hudson, to even the score at 13-13.  After Mount Vernon took a brief 25-21 lead late in the second quarter, Crown and Augusta's Matt Miller each made a three pointer to tie the game at 27 heading to intermission.

Both teams' man to man defenses performed well during the first half.  Points were hard to come by as jump shots were contested, driving lanes were closed, and good positioning allowed each team to keep the other off the free throw line.  After a low scoring third quarter, Mount Vernon entered the final 8 minutes with a 37-36 lead.  But freshman guards Mikell Lands (20 points) and Ty Hudson (16 points) proved to be too much for the Eagles to handle on a cold shooting night, and the Mustangs established a late 6 point advantage before converting 3 layups in the game's final minutes against Augusta's full court trap.  Austin Crown led the Eagles with 18 points.

For the Eagles, the matchup with Mount Vernon is one of a series of stiff January tests.  After opening 2012 with a win against a scrappy Curtis Baptist (Augusta, GA) squad, the Eagles fell to the defending SCISA state champion Heathwood Hall Highlanders (Columbia, SC) on January 7.

The Eagles then defeated a strong Georgia Elite Christian team, a "club" team that features 7 footer John Egbunu, 57-56 in a scrimmage in Augusta on January 13.  See highlights from this exciting contest directly below.

The string of difficult January games continues Friday night in a game at the home gym of Savannah's Faith Baptist.  The Eagles then meet GISA power First Presbyterian Saturday, followed by another contest with Curtis Baptist (Tuesday, January 24) and a home game against the Easley Guardians (Friday, January 27).  January's final contest is Saturday, January 28, against Fox Creek High School in the kickoff game (noon) of the William Avery Invitational.  This game will be played at Christenberry Fieldhouse, the home of the Augusta State University Jaguars.

Mount Vernon Defeats Augusta in Overtime

by HS Hoops

The Mount Vernon Mustangs outscored the Augusta Eagles 15-5 during the game's overtime period and won their home opener 74-64, Saturday, November 12th.

After an evenly played first quarter, ending with a 19-17 Mustang advantage, Mount Vernon controlled the second quarter before establishing a 33-23 halftime lead.  Arminas Kelmelis, a 6'6" Mustang forward showed off a broad range of offensive skills during the opening half, scoring 13 points.  Austin Crown started strong for the Eagles (14 first quarter points) before being slowed by foul trouble.

Midway through the third quarter, Mount Vernon guard Mikell Lands' mid range jump shot gave the Mustangs its largest lead of the game at 39-26.  Shortly after, while the Eagles trailed 43-33, Crown fouled out.  But Augusta rallied, going on an 18-0 run that spanned much of the third and fourth quarters, establishing a 51-46 lead late in the contest.

Augusta benefitted from hot shooting, making 10 second half 3 pointers (Matt Miller 5, Paul Jones 3, Dominic Brown 2).  Junior guard Paul Jones made the first of several timely 3 pointers in transition, giving Augusta its first lead, 47-46, since the first quarter.

But Mount Vernon regained their footing as guard Ty Hudson converted a 3 point play and Kelmelis sank 2 free throws to tie the game at 51.  After another Kelmelis free throw, Jones made a baseline jump shot to give Augusta a 53-52 advantage.  The teams continued to trade baskets and leads as Lands scored (Mustangs lead 54-53), Augusta's Dominic Brown made a 3 pointer (Eagles lead 56-54), and Hudson converted 2 free throws to tie the game at 56.

With 7.5 seconds remaining, Augusta's Miller barely missed a floater in the lane and fouled Mount Vernon's Hudson with 7.5 seconds remaining.  Eagles coach Chad Cook then received a technical foul.  After several Mustang free throw attempts gave Mount Vernon a 59-56 lead with 6.5 seconds remaining, Augusta's Miller found Jones in the corner for his biggest shot of many big shots on the night, a long 3 pointer in the right corner just before the buzzer sounded.  Jones' shot tied the game at 59, forcing an overtime period.

After Mount Vernon's Joe Sciberras opened the extra period with a bank shot, Jones made another bomb to give the Eagles a 62-61 lead.  But back to back baskets by Kelmelis and guard Keon Douglas enabled Mount Vernon to take the lead for good.

Mount Vernon, a young and talented team, was paced by junior forward Arminas Kelmelis (24 points) and freshman guard Ty Hudson (21 points).  Senior guard Joe Sciberras added 11 points, making 6 of 6 free throws in the overtime period to secure the Mustangs' lead.

Augusta's Matt Miller scored 20 points, including 17 in the second half.  Three other Eagles scored in double figures (Paul Jones 11, Dominic Brown 12, Austin Crown 14), and freshman forward Jacob Greenway added 7 points.

Coach Cook was thrilled with his players' performance, if not his own.  "Mount Vernon is a great team.  I am so impressed by the progress our players have made.  Many guys made big contributions and made even bigger shots when the game was in the balance.  I am happy that they are having these experiences so early in the season.  I failed them by playing a guy with 3 fouls in the second quarter, and, more importantly, by getting a technical foul at such a bad time.  I know better.  Our players deserve better," Cook said after the game.

The Augusta Eagles, 3-1 on the season, have a demanding schedule before Thanksgiving.  During the next 10 days, they will scrimmage 5 teams (Bethune Bowman High School, Battery Creek High School, Allendale Fairfax High School, Fox Creek High School, and McCormick High School), and they will play a regular season game on the road at the North Atlanta Flight's home in Gwinnett, Georgia (Saturday, November 19, 3:30 P.M.)

View the video below for highlights of the exciting contest.

Eagles Fall to Mount Vernon in Overtime

Mustangs after 2011 State Championship Game

by HS Hoops

The Mount Vernon Mustangs, the defending Georgia Independent Schools Association 3A state champions, defeated the Augusta Eagles Saturday, 74-64, in overtime.  Check back within the next 24 hours for a full story and video highlights of the contest.  And view the video for a sneak peek at Saturday's highlights at Mount Vernon.