After trailing at halftime to Temple High School in their first ever appearance in the Elite Eight, the Mustangs dug their heels in and surged their way to victory in the second half, defeating the Tigers 68-38 on Wednesday, March 1 at the Temple Gymnasium.
Mount Vernon now advances to the GHSA Class-A DI Final Four on Friday night.
The Tigers led 15-12 after the first period and 26-25 at halftime.
But Mount Vernon forged a 20-8 run in the third quarter to take a 45-34 lead into the final period of play.
The Mustangs continued their torrid pace, outscoring the Tigers 23-4 in the fourth frame to punch their ticket to the next round.
Xavier Shegog finished with a game-high 20 points for the Mustangs, 12 coming in the pivotal second half.
The junior also had a team-high 14 rebounds.
AJ Patterson netted a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists while teammate Dennis Scott III totaled 11 points and seven boards.
Keith Williams posted a double-double as well with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Alexander Banks and Ezekiel Jacobson each finished with 12 points for Tigers.
The Mustangs (23-8) turn their attention to the Final Four on Friday, March 3 where they will take on a familiar foe in the King's Ridge Tigers.
King's Ridge (20-10), a member of Region 6-1A like Mount Vernon, advanced on Wednesday night by defeating Woodville-Tompkins on the road 62-54 in their Elite Eight contest.
King's Ridge defeated Mount Vernon in the regular season 73-63 on on Dec. 9 but the Mustangs returned the favor by besting the Tigers 53-48 on Feb. 16 in the Region Tournament Semifinals.
Friday's Final Four contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be played at the Centennial Center on the campus of Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Ga.
Check @MV_Athletics on Twitter and @mvschool_athletics on Instagram for further updates as the Mustangs embark on the Final Four.
For the updated GHSA Class-A DI State Tournament bracket,
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Established in 1972, The Mount Vernon School, serves over 1,200 students in preschool through grade 12 on our 40-acre Atlanta campus. As a leading visionary independent school, Mount Vernon’s brand of innovation and entrepreneurship has emerged over the last decade, impacting schools in the US and across the globe through Mount Vernon Ventures, a research, strategy, and consulting division of the School. In addition, in 2021 the School launched a global online program for grade 9-12 to meet the needs of today’s flexible family. Through established partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and civic environments, our mission is to design a better world...together.
