Gwinnett Daily Post

MILTON -- With Robert Carter and Trayvon Reed on their roster, Shiloh's boys have enjoyed plenty of star power during the high school basketball season.

But the No. 3 state-ranked Generals found themselves confronted by a whole galaxy of stars in Wednesday night's second-round game of the Class AAAAA state tournament with Milton.

Division I-bound signees Charles Mann (Georgia), Evan Nolte (Virginia) and Shaquille Johnson (Auburn) combined for 37 points and 19 rebounds on the evening.

But it was the as of yet uncommitted senior prospect -- Tevin Glass -- who was the brightest shining star as the top-ranked Eagles jumped out early, withstood a third-quarter Shiloh run and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 72-52 win at Milton.

The 6-foot-8 power forward, who transferred from Meadowcreek last summer, struck for 15 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and pulled down 10 rebounds, and was a force the Generals (25-5) simply had no answer for, especially with Reed saddled with foul trouble much of the evening.

"'With our big fellow in foul trouble, that was key," Shiloh coach Kim Rivers said. "We had to go small, ... we really didn't have any match-up for (Glass) because we had Carter guarding Nolte. He was able to use his size to his advantage.

"They've got four or five Division-I players. You've got to take your hat off to them. They were the better team (Wednesday) night."

While Glass shattered the Generals' hopes in the second half, it was Mann who did much of the damage for Milton (25-4) in the early going.

The 6-6 senior was able to get plenty of penetration in the lane to score eight of his 12 points on the evening and dish out three of his five assists in the first half.

And it was Mann's penetration that often led directly to Reed's foul trouble, with the 7-0 sophomore picking up his second foul with 1:14 still left in the first quarter and his third with 1:56 left in the second. Reed eventually fouled out with nine points, most of which came after the issue was no longer in doubt.

But Shiloh was able to stay close most of the half with the help of its biggest star -- Carter.

The 6-9 Georgia Tech signee, who pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and blocked two shots on the evening, scored six of his 10 points during a span that saw the Generals rally from an eight-point deficit and pull to within 23-18 after a 3-pointer from the left wing by Jordan Gaither with 6:02 left in the first half.

Milton answered quickly with a pair of jumpers by Glass and a 3-pointer by Nolte for seven quick points to push the lead into double digits, and the Eagles' lead was that margin at 37-25 at the break.

Still, Shiloh wouldn't quit, as Christopher Keyes came out quickly out of the lockerroom with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to cut Milton's lead to 37-30 just 1:37 into the third quarter.

It looked like the Generals might have an opening after Gaither's driving layup with 3:46 remaining in the quarter kept his team within striking distance at 43-35 before drawing Mann's fourth foul with 3:26 left in the period.

Milton coach David Boyd then left Mann in the game after a timeout, but the Generals could never force him into the fifth foul.

And the Eagles made them pay as Johnson finished an acrobatic three-point play and Glass followed by corralling a loose ball in the lane for a layup to key a 7-3 run over the final 3:26 of the quarter to leave Milton with a 50-38 lead heading into the final frame.

"There was a smaller opponent (after Reed left with his fourth foul early in the third quarter) with the guy coming off the bench," said Glass, who also blocked four shots on the night. "I knew I had a size advantage, and I could use my speed."

Shiloh pulled as close as 50-40 after Cordell Rhymer and Kyle Lewis each hit 1 of 2 free throws in the opening 1:03 of the fourth.

But Glass began to heat up, following a blocked shot by Carter in the lane for a layup and adding a dunk off a pass from Evan Coleman to spark a 7-2 run that pushed the Milton lead to 57-42 with 4:31 to play.

Glass then added seven more points over the next two minutes before Johnson added the exclamation point with a thunderous alley-oop dunk with 2:18 left to push the lead to 66-47 and seal the win for Milton, which advanced to Saturday's quarterfinal matchup with North Gwinnett at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.

Johnson joined Glass in posting a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Mann added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Keyes was the only other Shiloh player besides Carter in double figures with 10 points, while Gaither chipped in eight points, four assists and three steals.