Holy Innocents’ to defend state title against first-time challenger Darlington

Selig, who started his high school basketball career in Nova Scotia, Canada, helped Darlington build an early lead with scores at all three levels.

“We’re feeling great. We’ve got no pressure,” Selig said. “It’s what we worked for. … It was a great game for the program, a great game for the team, and we’re very, very excited for the next one.”

Selig threw down several dunks, including a jam that helped stop Mount Vernon’s best scoring run of the game.

The Tigers led 18-7 roughly three minutes into the second quarter when the Mustang offense caught fire. Mount Vernon took its first and only lead of the game in less than two minutes with a 12-0 scoring run.

Darlington regained a slight 23-19 lead going into the final minute of the first half. That was when Selig reclaimed the momentum for the Tigers.

Selig grabbed an offensive rebound with one hand over several Mount Vernon defenders. The 6-foot-7 forward took two steps and went back up with the same hand, throwing down a one-handed dunk for the final points of the half.

Darlington never trailed again.

“It was everything,” Selig said of the dunk. “Every bucket matters. It was a close game, and they’re a great team.

“I played my hardest. I’d do anything for these guys, so I thought it meant the world for me and for the team.”

Mount Vernon continued to chase the Tigers, who led just 50-44 with 1:30 remaining. Selig scored his final basket to put the game out of reach, and the Tigers sealed the win at the free-throw line.

Darlington also avenged its 70-57 regular-season loss to Mount Vernon. The Tigers were 0-2 all-time against the Mustangs before Friday, another benchmark of the program’s improvement under coach Nathan West.

“We just continued to work and get better and really believe in what we could do,” West said.

Jaden McCullough and Devin Hutcherson led Holy Innocents’ to a statement 63-47 win over Walker. Hutcherson and McCullough both scored 19 points and combined for 17 rebounds.

The duo led the Golden Bears to a 31-13 lead by halftime, combining to score 19 points in the first half. Holy Innocents’ mixed in several 3-pointers with a physical attack, and Hutcherson and McCullough shot a combined 6-of-7 from the foul line in the first half.

“Man, they just kept flying around, and we preach defense, defense, defense,” Holy Innocents’ coach Mario Mays said. “We were competing, flying around on a high level, and when you do that, it’s a fun thing to watch.”

Holy Innocents’ never looked back from there, expanding its lead to as much as 21 points.

Walker’s best comeback attempt came with a 9-0 scoring run in the third quarter, cutting its deficit to 42-30. Then Jordan Mays drained a 3-pointer — his first points of the game — right before the buzzer for a 15-point lead.

The Wolverines slightly outscored the Golden Bears in the second half, 34-32, but couldn’t overcome the rocky start.

Walker’s historic postseason run included two top-10 upsets. The Wolverines knocked off No. 7 Hebron Christian in the Sweet Sixteen and toppled No. 4 North Cobb Christian in the Elite Eight.

Holy Innocents’ is making its third-consecutive state championship game.

“It feels amazing to be headed back to state,” McCullough said. “This team is satisfied, but we’re not complacent until we win again. To be here, to be able to compete at the best level for our division is just a blessing.”

The Golden Bears will try to repeat as state champions, this time without the help of projected first-round NBA draft pick Caleb Wilson.

Wilson, now a 6-foot-10 freshman forward at the University of North Carolina, led Holy Innocents’ to its first state championship last season. Mays and the Golden Bears want to prove that they’re built on more than one elite player.

“We’re trying to build a program that’s about a total program, a total team, and that’s where we are,” Mays said. “We’re back again because the team stepped up, they made plays together, and they played for each other.”