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By Nolan Imsande

MACON — The silence among the Deerfield-Windsor students who made the trip to watch the Knights play in the state semifinals spoke volumes.

The crowd left at a loss for words after Deerfield-Windsor’s boys basketball team fell to John Milledge Academy 59-53 in overtime in the semifinals of the Georgia Independent School Association Class AAA state tournament. at Mercer University’s Hawkins Arena.

Deerfield-Windsor watched a six-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter. The Trojans went on an 11-0 run to open the final quarter while DWS went scoreless for the first four minutes.

“We didn’t really move the ball well all night,” Deerfield-Windsor coach Gordy Gruhl said. “We were pretty stagnant. Didn’t really move the ball side to side like we normally do. That hurt us.”

Even after Ethan Shellhaas hit two free throws for the first points of the quarter, the Knights went another two minutes before making a field goal.

Deerfield’s Trey Young stepped up big in the final quarter. The senior hit a three to tie it at 42 and added another to cut the score to 47-45.

“When we got them in man-to-man, we felt like we could hurt them,” Gruhl said. “John Mileage’s 1-3-1 zone certainly hurt us.”

Young kept it going when the Knights put the ball in his hands down 48-46 with 14 seconds remaining. He drove in the lane and went behind his back before finishing a layup to tie the game. Just before time expired in regulation, a nearly full-court heave by John Milledge rimmed out.

In overtime, a floater by Chandler Matthews tied it at 50 before John Milledge scored six straight. Matthews hit a three to make it 56-53 with 1:39 left, but it was too little too late.

“I’m proud of what this bunch accomplished,” Gruhl said. “We made a trip to the final and just came up on the short end of it. The sun will come up tomorrow and the next day after that. We will feel a little better with each day that passes.”

After struggling to get shots to fall in the game’s opening minutes, the Knights closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run. The run gave them a 12-7 lead.

Deerfield took advantage of a John Milledge drought in the second quarter and went up 18-9 when Young hit a layup while getting hit.

The Trojans answered back with a run of their own. A three by Cameron Mitcham cut it to a 22-19 game.

Matthews responded with a banked three as time expired in the first half. The triple gave Deerfield a 25-19 lead at halftime.

The Trojans scored five quick points to open the second half and cut it down to a one-point game.

Tyler Lowe dialed it up from long range to help Deerfield’s offense and make it a 28-24 game. The Knights received a three each from Lowe and Harrison Cannon and two from Matthews in the third quarter. All 12 of the Knights’ third quarter points came from the three-ball.

Matthews led Deerfield with 19, while Young scored 18.

John Milledge’s Andrew Prestwood led all scorers with 23 points. Harrison Bryant and Mitcham both added 11 points.