SGSC falls to Georgia Highlands in OT

Zae Wiggins’s three-point shot at the overtime buzzer bounced off the corner of the rim and backboard Wednesday night, giving the Georgia Highlands Chargers an 85-83 win and snapping SGSC’s 10-game winning streak.

Carlos Hart led the Hawks (15-4, 4-1 GCAA) with 23 points and eight rebounds. Justin Edmondson had 22 points, while Keith Lamar finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Wiggins rounded out the top scorers for SGSC with 11 points.

It was another slow start for the Hawks, as SGSC was held scoreless for the first 5:30 of the game. The Chargers built a 14-3 lead with 12:30 left in the first half, and the Hawks closed the gap to 20-13 with 8:40 remaining. SGSC then outscored Georgia Highlands 24-12, taking a 37-32 lead into the locker room.

The teams traded leads throughout the second half. The Chargers led 75-72 with less than a minute left in regulation when Keith Lamar hit a three-pointer to tie the game with 47.0 seconds remaining. Yannis Woods blocked a Georgia Highlands shot with 25.5 seconds left. The Chargers turned the ball over shortly after that, giving the Hawks a chance to win the game in regulation. Lamar found Wiggins in the corner with 1.6 seconds remaining. Wiggins’s shot missed, sending the game into overtime.

The Chargers built an 85-79 lead in the extra period, but the Hawks battled back to cut the lead to 85-83 with 22.7 seconds left. A SGSC turnover and foul with 4.0 seconds remaining sent the Chargers to the free throw line to make it a two-possession game. Georgia Highlands missed the first free throw, giving SGSC one last chance to tie or win with 2.9 seconds remaining.

With the home crowd on its feet, Lamar once again found Wiggins sprinting across midcourt. Wiggins’s shot missed as time expired.

SGSC faced Andrew College Saturday and will return home next Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. to play East Georgia State.

General admission to all regular season home games is five dollars with children five and under admitted free.