High School Sports

In battle of Eagles, Georgia team prevails to take Alaska Airlines Classic tournament title

In a showdown between Eagles, a team from Georgia soared past West 83-46 to capture the championship of the Alaska Airlines Classic basketball tournament Saturday at West High.

The Columbia Eagles got big performances from Keondre Kennedy (25 points) and Lorenzo McGhee (23) to untrack the West Eagles. Kennedy hit six 3-pointers to help Columbia outscore the hosts 36-15 from long range.

Devin Mong and Diondre McMorris each scored 11 to lead West, which advanced to the title game with a dramatic 74-70 win over Planet Athlete of Arizona on Friday. Luka Wal and Mong provided baskets in the final seconds of that game to break a 70-70 tie.

Saturday's best action came in the third-place game, where Planet Athlete pulled away from Bartlett in overtime for an 82-74 win. Planet Athlete, which outscored the Golden Bears 15-7 in the extra period, won the game with free throws. They were 31 of 49 at the line, while Bartlett was 6 of 8.

Chase Thomas hit 14 of 21 free throws to lead Planet Athlete with a game-high 30 points. Bartlett got a boost from Samuel Marqueda, who sank five treys en route to 21 points, and Leroy Manogiamanu, who totaled 12 points and 14 rebounds.

In Saturday's fifth-place game, West Valley defeated Kodiak 57-48.

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