March 19, 2026 — When the Wheeler Wildcats won the 2026 Class 6A Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Boys State Championship, it marked the 17th boys basketball title for Cobb Schools. In doing so, Wheeler had to knock off another Cobb team, the Pebblebrook Falcons. This was the fifth time in the history of the GHSA that two Cobb teams faced off for the champion’s trophy. Forty years earlier, Sprayberry and Wills delivered one of those matchups, a 1986 final, which remains one of the most memorable games in county history.
“I remember being excited to play that game,” recalled Cecil Blount, a point guard on that ’86 Sprayberry team. “Knowing that we could beat them, knowing that we had all the confidence in the world, I think Wills was kind of spooked.”
Where Is Wills High School?
Wills High School may be unfamiliar to many, but its campus later became the home of the new Campbell High School—bringing together two schools that, in decades past, had been longtime rivals because of their proximity in Smyrna. Wills and the “old” Campbell High School merged three years after Wills reached the historic 1986 basketball title game.
In its heyday, though, Wills was a basketball powerhouse. They were not a team that was easily “spooked.”
Coach Ken Clouse of the ’86 Sprayberry team put it this way. “Wills was in a class by themselves in basketball.”
Surveying the Stars
Charlie Neal was the coach at Wills for nearly two decades, and he kept the Tigers fast, athletic, and relentless on defense. Neal led his team to the State tournament six times in the 1980s alone. Wills’ real superpower, though, was the student-athletes, and in 1986, the Tiger King was Brian Oliver.
“Brian Oliver was an amazing player,” Coach Clouse said recently when reminiscing about the 1986 championship game. “He could just do it all. He could single-handedly beat you.”
In that 1985-1986 season, Oliver averaged 29.4 points and 13 rebounds per game for the Tigers. Averaging a double-double was one of the reasons the 6-foot-4 star was named a McDonald’s High School All-American. Scott Bailey and Dale McCullough were certainly major factors offensively, too, but Oliver was the clear leader for Wills.
Sprayberry, on the other hand, was a well-balanced team. Short on All-Americans, they were tall on the court. In Tod Miller, Steve Grant, and Mike Ellis, the Yellow Jackets had a frontline of three players at least 6-foot-6. Shooting guard Pat Gallagher was also 6-foot-6.
“We looked like a college team when we came on the floor,” Coach Clouse said proudly.
The respect went both ways.
“I remember their team well,” the All-American Oliver shared. “It was Steve Grant and Tod Miller down low, and we didn't really have any ‘bigs’, so I remember Sprayberry, collectively, being maybe a better overall team than we were.”
These two teams came into the season desperate to avenge their 1985 postseason disappointments. Wills had remained undefeated until the ’85 State quarterfinals, ending their season with a 29-1 record. Meanwhile, Sprayberry’s ’85 team had been upset in the region semifinals by a plucky North Cobb team on an unlikely buzzer-beater. In an era when only the top two finalists from region tournaments advanced to the State playoffs, the Yellow Jackets had been denied a chance to fulfill expectations.
“We had almost everybody coming back for the 1985-86 season,” Sprayberry center Tod Miller remembered. “So, we knew we were coming back strong. Did we know we were going to be as good as we were? I don't know. It all just kind of came together.”
The Yellow Jackets and Tigers were on a collision course for the 1985-1986 school year.
The Championship Collision Course
“We ended up playing them three times that year,” Sprayberry’s electric point guard, Blount, explained, “and each time was for a title. The first time we met was for the Christmas Tournament title. They beat us by 10. I think we were nervous with Brian Oliver and the mystique that he had.
That set the stage for a very different second meeting.
“Then we played them again in the Cobb County Tournament for the region championship,” Blount continued. “I think our confidence had grown throughout the year, so when we faced them again, we were like, ‘You know what? They put their pants on just like us.’ We won that game by one.”
Two regular-season championship games had been split, setting up a run to a possible third title matchup to come. In the State Playoffs, both teams sailed through the first two rounds before facing tough competition in the semifinals. Sprayberry eked out a one-point win over Central Macon, and Wills avenged their only loss from the previous season, upsetting Southwest Macon by three. The stage was set for Sprayberry versus Wills in the 1986 Round Three. Both teams entered the contest with just three losses.
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Welcome to the Stage
“We knew we couldn’t stop Brian Oliver,” Coach Clouse admitted. “We just tried to contain him, like we had done somewhat in the region tournament. We let him have his shots, but tried to make sure he didn't get a second shot going to the basket.”
Oliver, though, was feeling good as they played in the old Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the Georgia Tech campus, his soon-to-be college home court.
“I had committed to Tech in the early signing period because I wanted to enjoy my senior year,” Oliver explained. “I was excited. I remember that I had a little bit of everything going. Getting to the basket, mid-range shots, long jump shots.”
Despite Oliver having a big game, Sprayberry built an early lead and controlled most of the game. The Jackets led by as many as 14 in the third quarter. With 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, Coach Clouse’s team led by 10.
“People started leaving Georgia Tech,” Sprayberry’s point guard Blount remembered, “because they were like, ‘this is a blowout.’ And then, of course, when Brian fouled out, the place started emptying.”
With 1:55 remaining, Miller drew an offensive charge against Oliver, sending the Tigers’ best player to the bench with five fouls. Oliver would not be able to add to the 25 points he had amassed in the game. While those in attendance may have felt the game was over at this point, the Sprayberry lead had already dwindled to five points.
“Dale McCullough really put the team on his back when I fouled out,” Oliver said, crediting his 5-foot-9 teammate. “He was a phenomenal player. Sprayberry had been beating us, but I think we closed out the game on a 14-to-2 run.”
That late-game surge was just as memorable for Blount.
“Dale McCullough went berserk,” Blount confirmed. “He scored 14 points by himself in the last three minutes.”
More importantly, McCullough went on a personal 8-to-1 scoring run after Oliver fouled out. Sprayberry shot poorly from the free-throw line, and that opened the door for McCullough to tie the game at 66-66 with under a minute to play. On the ensuing inbounds play, Wills again ignited their typical pressure defense, despite it having been mostly ineffective against Blount’s speed and ball-handling. On this occasion, it created a traveling call and a turnover, giving the ball back to Wills with a chance for their first lead of the game.
Without a shot clock in 1986, McCullough casually dribbled the ball out front, running down the game clock. After a timeout to set up their final play, the Tigers again put the ball in McCullough’s hands.
“If I were Coach Neal,” Sprayberry’s opposing coach admitted, “I would have done the same thing. Dale could certainly make things happen. He took the final shot, and honestly, we had two guys in his face. We played it well defensively. It’s just one of those things that happens, like in March Madness, the shot just went in.”
McCullough’s shot was an off-balanced 20-footer, but it touched nothing but nylon with just 3 seconds on the game clock. The Tigers’ 68-66 lead was their first of the game and would prove to be the final score.
A Finish That Endures
“It still irks me,” Miller said honestly. “That State Championship game, we had it in control. In the fourth quarter, we let our guard down. We missed some free throws, but Dale McCullough is the one who ended up beating us.”
McCullough had a game-high 28 points, with 14 coming in the final quarter. It was an epic finish and a fantastic all-Cobb County Championship game. One that the significant contributors remember well.
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For some, this game could represent an ultimate accomplishment, but these men continued having great success beyond it. Sprayberry’s Coach Clouse eventually turned in his coach’s whistle to begin a career in Administration, becoming a principal and superintendent in neighboring counties. Cecil Blount was the Jackets quarterback on the court and in football. He went to Jacksonville State and played on the gridiron before working for Coca-Cola. Tod Miller played basketball for four years at Georgia Southern. Then he took the lead role in the family business, heading up the North Georgia State Fair and other local events. Steve Grant (Vanderbilt) and Mike Ellis (Belmont Abbey) also played college basketball. Pat Gallagher went to Georgia Tech and then to Boise State on High Jump scholarships.
Sadly, several of the main characters on Wills’ team have passed on, including Dale McCullough and Scott Bailey, who played at Gordon College and Mercer, respectively. Coach Neal is also missed. Brian Oliver, though, remains to honor their memory. After high school, he continued his stardom in college, scoring 21.3 points per game his senior season at Georgia Tech, before being drafted in the 2nd Round of the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played eight seasons professionally and is now a studio analyst for his hometown Atlanta Hawks. He’s still connected to Cobb County athletics, too. On occasion, you might catch him at the Gwyn-McClure Gymnasium on Campbell’s campus. Cobb roots run deep.
Four decades later, the names, the moments, and that final shot still echo across Cobb County gyms. The memories of that 1986 championship game are fading, but it’s more than just one result in a long-past history. It’s a reminder of a time when Cobb County basketball took center stage and never really gave it back.
Newspaper photos and articles Courtesy the Marietta Daily Journal and the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Other photos courtesy of members from both 1986 teams
