Eagles fail to retain late lead in region tourney loss

Elijah Payne scored 19 points Tuesday night in Excel's region tournament loss at The Walker School.

The Excel Christian Academy boys took a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter Tuesday night but failed to convert on several key possessions and missed some critical free throws late in the game falling at The Walker School in Marietta 53-50 in the opening round of the Region 7-A-Private tournament.

The host Wolverines led 11-8 after one quarter and held a 29-23 lead at halftime. Excel narrowed the margin to 40-39 by the end of the third quarter and briefly grabbed a 43-40 lead at the 5:40 mark. From that point, Walker outscored the Eagles 13-7 to escape with a three-point win.

Ricky McKenzie led Walker and all scorers in the game with 25 points. Jackson Evans added 12 points for the Wolverines.

Elijah Payne led Excel with 19 points. Jacob Taylor followed with 15. Comari Nettles contributed 11 and Jakaden Barkley added five points for the Eagles.

Walker (18-7) earned a state tournament bid and advanced to the region semifinals at Christian Heritage Thursday night against the host and top-seeded Lions. Excel Christian had its season come to an end with an 11-14 record.