The HIES athletic department will have to rent a couple more buses for this Wednesday, as the boys' hoops squad will follow the girls' team to Macon as Coach Mario Mays & Company whipped Walker 63-47 Friday in Athens to also advance to the state finals.
 
They will take on Darlington in Macon at 3 p.m. 
 
It was quick and it was a more than pesky HIES defense that was the calling card right from the opening tip, as the Bears forced several Walker turnovers and forced shots in building a 16-9 lead after a quarter.
 
From there, the Bears outscored Walker 15-4 in the second period to take a 31-13 lead at half and though the Wolves would cut it to 11 at one point in the third with a 9-0 run, HI quickly regained dominance in the victory.
 
Jaden McCullough, Devin Hutcherson, and Kai Worthy were our big stat leaders. Jaden had 19 points, seven rebounds, and three steals; Hutcherson also put in 19 points to go with eight rebounds and four steals; and Kai netted 13 with four blocked shots, and three steals. 
 
King Araujo, Jordan Mays, and Sean Smith also contributed in the scoring department. 
 
Looking at this bunch, and regardless of how Wednesday's game turns out, these seniors will graduate as the most successful hoopsters in school history, with three Final Fours, a state championship last year, and gunning for their second straight title when they tip off Wednesday.
 
Friday's win was the team's 26^th on the season and left them thus far unbeaten on neutral floors.