SANDERSVILLE, Ga. - Most coaches consider free throws to be the difference in close games. Between wins and losses. Between region titles and runner-up finishes. Between making the playoffs and the end of the season.

They were the difference in Glenn Hills' 61-54 victory Tuesday at Washington County. They also meant something else. Glenn Hills junior Reggie Middleton said as much afterward.

Middleton made all six of his free throws during the final 1:41 of a game his team never trailed.

"Those were for Jerel," Middleton said. "Jerel Stephenson. Today's his birthday. All those free throws I made was my birthday gift to him. He better not say I didn't get him anything."

Stephenson did his fair share of the work to make sure the 17th birthday was a happy one. He scored a game-best 24 points against the top team in the sub-region and added 15 rebounds.

"I haven't had any cake," he said. "Or gotten to blow out any candles. So a big win will have to do. I wasn't going to be much for celebrating unless we won."

Stephenson had another word for the night's effort.

"Payback," Stephenson said. "That was what tonight was. They ran us out of our gym at home the first time we played them. They made every shot that. So we had to come and take one from them."

The difference between a 10-point loss and this result was junior Chris Reynolds. Reynolds had to sit out the first meeting to serve out the second game of a two-game suspension. Washington County (16-6, 7-1 in Region 3-AAA North) saw the differences down low tonight between that squad and a team finally playing with what Middleton called "a full deck of players."

"He's definitely our best rebounder and a lot of people don't understand how good of an interior defender he is," Glenn Hills coach Richard Wallace said. "The other thing is leadership. Chris Reynolds is a winner."

The Spartans got off to a hot start and never looked back. Glenn Hills (20-3, 6-2) sank eight of their first 12 shots, including three from 3-point range to open up a 21-10 lead.

The Golden Hawks never made it any closer than a 35-33 game early in the third quarter.

"We played catch up all night," Washington County coach Carlos Hope said. "Glenn Hills definitely played like the number four team in the state tonight. Chris Reynolds is a key part of what they do. They were the better team."

The Golden Hawks still hold a one-game lead over Thomson and the Spartans with two region games left to play.