A late flurry of baskets helped Galax defeat Page County 49-47 in Friday's championship game of the VHSL Group A Division 1 tournament at the Siegel Center in Richmond.
Lawrence Parsons, the leading scorer for Galax (26-2) with 10 points, dunked after stealing an inbound pass to break a 43-43 tie late in the fourth quarter.
Teammate Devonte McKinney followed up with a three-point play on the next possession, giving Galaxy a lead it would keep in winning its 16th straight game and first-ever state title in boys basketball.
Galaxy, a school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, also won its semifinal in another nail-biter as Justin Hash of Galax hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left to force overtime, then made the game-winning shot in a 52-51 win over Luray.
Page County, a northern Virginia school on its deepest run in school history, raced out to an 8-0 lead, only to allow Galax to go on a 19-9 run to finish the half with a 19-17 lead.
A strong Galax effort on the boards helped coach Verl Brown win his first state title in 32 years as a head coach.
The resulting 49-21 rebounding advantage, including 25 on the offensive end, led to 15 more shot attempts for Galax.
Austin Painter led Page County with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Trevor Jenkins added 12.
Virginia Boys Finals: Galax Waxes Page County 49-47 In D-I Final
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