All good things come to an end and for the St. Pius X Golden Lions boys basketball team, that ending couldn't be any more perfect as they defeated Pace Academy 54-51 for the Georgia high school association boys basketball class for a state championship, their first state title in program history and the win marking an unbeaten season as they finished 33-0.
"It means the world," St. Pius X head coach, Will Cloyd, said after the Golden Lions' win on Thursday night at the Macon Centrplex. "It just doesn't happen. It's not real life, that's a movie, that's fantasy," Cloyd said of never imagining he would lead a team to a perfect championship season, praising his players for being "the best kids" on and off the court. "To get it done with them means more than anything," Cloyd said
And on the court, the Golden Lions would lead Pace Academy throughout majority of the game, nearly 27 minutes, and would take a 10-point lead into the locker room at halftime as they led 28-18. However the second half would see momentum shift into the favor of Pace Academy as they outscored the Golden Lions 15-10 in the third quarter to cut the St. Pius Lead down to five points as they trailed 38-33 by the end of the period.
Pace Academy would keep momentum in their favor as the fourth quarter began as they would open the period outscoring the Golden Lions 16-11 to tie the game at 49, but with less than one minute to play in regulation, St. Pius X's Westin Keppen, who finished with 13 points, would connect on a three-point basket to give the Golden Lions a 52-49 lead and go hold on for the win.
"We were really just trying to figure out just what we could do to put ourselves in the best position to be successful," Cloyd said of the Golden Lions conversations during the late timeouts as the game got close late, crediting his coaching staff for "helping me plan stuff," Cloyd, who played for the Golden Lions from 2004-2008. The Golden Lions were led by Clemson commit, Harris Reynolds, who finished with 23 points.