Southwest wins overtime thriller 62-60 over Model to reach Final Four

In an overtime thriller that hinged on turnovers and timely shooting, the Southwest Patriots eked out a clutch 62-60 win over the Model Blue Devils in Macon on Wednesday to advance to the Final Four of the GHSA Class A-Division I tournament.

It’s the second straight trip to the semifinals for the Patriots, who lost in the state championship game last season. The quarterfinal win was fueled by defense and rebounding that made the difference down the stretch, as Southwest held off Mode on the last possession of regulation, then forced a bad shot for another stop at the end of overtime to get the win. 

The second of the two defensive holds was a dramatic affair. After Model mounted an impressive comeback in the fourth to force overtime, the Patriots were clinging to a 62-60 lead with about 9 seconds left in the extra period. The Blue Devils drove inside off the inbounds pass, but a wall of Southwest defenders forced a tough running shot that missed and grabbed the rebound, forcing Model to foul.

Even after Southwest missed two free throws, Model’s halfcourt heave was offline to seal the win for Southwest.

“I’m so excited for the city of Macon, these young men and everybody that came out to root for these young men today. Ironically we had to get two defensive stops to win this game. That’s a hell of a team we just beat in Model,” Southwest head coach Monquencio Hardnett said. “I’m just so proud, because everybody said we couldn’t go to the Final Four. Now we’re in our second in a row, and we’re gonna try to finish the deal this time.”

Chase Dupree, who reached the 2,000-point milestone in the game, led the Patriots with 19. CJ Howard, despite an uncharacteristically cold night shooting, still notched 13 points. Chadon Woodley led the Blue Devils with 22 points, while Bryson Denson and Dominic Fraley followed with 12 points each.

The Patriots will continue their quest for a state championship in the Final Four at Fort Valley State on Saturday, where they will face No. 1 Vidalia at 3 p.m.

“I just know it’s gonna be fun for us. We played in it last year but it was at Georgia College, so we’re excited to be going to Fort Valley and have all these fans come out and enjoy it again. I think we may be the only team here in Middle Georgia that’s still playing, boys-wise. So I think that’s gonna be a lot of excitement. We won’t have to be worried about energy. The guys’ll be ready to play,” Hardnett said.

The head coach lauded his squad and their maturity, citing it as the reason Southwest was able to defeat a talented Model team despite less-than-stellar performances from Dupree and Howard, the team’s two star shooters.

“We’ve been through a lot fo stuff. This is my first senior class, and I’m gonna cry when they leave because it’ll be like starting over again. The maturity — they’ve played in so many games,” Hardnett said. “Nobody said they would all be easy. It was great for us to come win a tight one today. … We’ll enjoy the win tonight, and tomorrow we’ll start watching film on Vidalia.”

For a squad with so much offensive explosiveness, Southwest’s defense in the opening half was perhaps more impressive. The Patriots locked up Model’s shooters at the perimeter, forcing turnovers before the Blue Devils could even think about driving into the lane.

The turnovers allowed Southwest to open up a 13-2 lead in the first quarter, but the Patriots had a bit of their own sloppiness on offense to contend with. After throwing it away a few times and committing some reckless fouls, Model climbed back into the game to make it 17-10 at the end of the first.

Both teams looked more crisp closer to halftime, with Southwest getting a few smooth jumpers from Jonathan Hurley and solid passing from Dupree to open things up inside. Denson found a bit more success in the lane for the Blue Devils as well, but the Patriots matched his scoring to keep the lead. Even after it put Model in the bonus with about four minutes left in the second quarter, Southwest still had a decisive 31-22 advantage at the break.

Model looked sharper after halftime, capitalizing on some Southwest turnovers to go on a run and tie the score at 35-35 about halfway through the third quarter. 

The Patriots regained a bit of composure and carried it into the fourth quarter to take a 6-point lead with about three minutes to play, but Southwest’s shooting struggles allowed Model to creep back into the game with clutch scores from Denson and Woodley. A slick pass on an inbounds play with only 40 seconds left let Denson hit the easy layup to tie the game at 52-52.

After shutting down Dupree on his drive to the basket, it looked a bit bleak for Southwest as Model had possession and called a timeout to draw something up with about 20 seconds. But even after chewing clock to get the last shot, the Blue Devils could not get a decent look against Southwest’s defense and settled for overtime.

It looked like the Patriots might run away with it in the extra four minutes after Howard picked Model’s pockets twice for easy scores, but Woodley and Fraley hit some timely 3-pointers to keep it close.

With Southwest ahead 62-60, Model got one last shot but couldn’t convert, ending the Blue Devils’ season and sending Southwest on to the semifinal.

The Patriots will face No. 1 Vidalia in the semifinal Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Fort Valley State University.