By Robert Alfonso Jr. Jonesboro, Ga. — Daniel Maehlman has never been one to campaign for attention. He doesn’t need to. On a game night at Jonesboro High School, his presence does the talking. It carries in a coach’s bark that cuts through the gym, in a standard that never wavers, and in a program that has become synonymous with […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. High school basketball teams spend months preparing for the postseason. Film sessions. Scouting reports. Travel plans. The quiet belief that everything comes down to the next game. For Upson-Lee’s boys, that next game vanished overnight. Less than 24 hours before the Knights were set to make the 70-mile trip to Cedar Grove for the Class 3A […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The mission began months ago with a quiet edge and a lingering sense of unfinished business. On Thursday night, Gainesville took the first major step toward redemption. The Red Elephants captured their second straight Region 7-5A championship with a commanding 58-46 victory over Johns Creek at Chattahoochee High School, extending their unbeaten season to […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. Suwanee, Ga. — In February, style points disappear. Possessions tighten. Seasons hang in the balance. On Wednesday night, Peachtree Ridge didn’t chase perfection. The Lions chased survival — and earned another chance to play for a championship. Behind timely stops, clutch shot-making and a game-sealing alley-oop that rattled the gym, Peachtree Ridge outlasted rival North Gwinnett […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. Savannah, GA — Long before the milestone, before the banners and the streaks, Mel Abrams Jr. understood the assignment on his life. For Abrams, basketball has never been just about the scoreboard. The game is a vehicle — a classroom where young men are shaped, challenged and prepared for the future. The wins, as he’ll tell you, […]