Houston County Sharks bring home 10th state wheelchair basketball title with 49-30 win

The Houston County Sharks finished their season with a perfect 7-0 record, capped by a commanding 49-30 victory over the DeKalb Silver Streaks at the Macon Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

The title is nothing new for the Sharks, who have won 10 out of the last 11 AAASP/GHSA Wheelchair Basketball championships.

Steve Roberson, one of the head coaches for the Sharks, said he told his players to breathe and enjoy the game.

“We wanted to have a good game,” Roberson said. “A fun game.”

The first half was tight, starting with a defensive-lead first period with the Silver Streaks, who came into the championship with a 4-2 record.

The first points of the game came with 2:30 left in the first period, a coast-to-coast layup by DeKalbs’s Najee Smothers. Houston County’s Adonis Brown scored the first points for the Sharks with less than a minute left in the first, quickly followed by another Sharks basket off a steal, ending the half up 4-2.

The second and third periods remained tight with several lead changes with swapping buckets. DeKalb’s Najee Smothers gained momentum early, scoring all but one basket in the first half including two “and-one” plays.

Any time the Sharks scored, Najee Smothers had an answer. By halftime, it appeared to be anyone’s game as both teams left the court with a 15-15 tie.

Roberson said the message at halftime was more the same: slow down, breathe and have fun.

The Silver Streaks came out of halftime hot, scoring a basket within the first minute. The momentum was short lived, as the Sharks took over with an early and-one basket by Jaquavious West followed by coming out of a late timeout in a full court press.

By the fifth period, it was all Houston County, with pushes by McKayla Moody, Ger’mir Gordon and Dalton Crosby. DeKalb’s leading scorer, Najee Smothers, fouled out with 3:56 left, and the Sharks outscored the Silver Streaks 16-4 for the entirety of the fifth period.

The Sharks continued to push, moving the ball quickly from teammate to teammate. Silver Streak’s Cameron Smothers had two late threes, but the lead was already decided. Houston County won 49-30.

The win was a full team effort.

“Adonis Brown really showed out today. He did a great job for us. JW [Jaquavious West] did a great job for us. Dalton [Crosby] was fantastic on defense for us,” Roberson said. “But everybody contributed in their own special way on our team today.”

And even though Houston County is used to winning, that championship feeling is never dull.

“It means a lot. It means the guys are still hungry. We try not to rest on what we’ve done in the past, but we try to keep that fire going. So it just means a lot that they still want to compete at this level,” Roberson said. “And they do compete at this level.”