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2023-24 GHSA Basketball State Championship Recaps


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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6

CLASS A D-II

Greenforest EaglesR7 #1 No. 1 Greenforest 39, R3 #1 No. 3 Montgomery County 28: A 10-0 run spanning the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter gave Greenforest (27-5) the separation needed to pull away from a scrappy Montgomery County (30-2) team, giving the Eagles their first state title. Greenforest trailed 8-5 after one and led 14-12 at the break as both teams struggled from the field, a combined 9-58. In the third quarter Greenforest began to establish 6-foot-6 UCF-signee Arek Angui inside, seeing the lanky post score with her turnaround jumper. The Eagles outscored Montgomery County 26-8 in the paint after being tied 4-4 at the half. Greenforest only won the rebounding battle 46-45. Angui finished with 10 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks while Milica Lazarevic added 11 points and 5 rebounds. Montgomery County was held to 9-62 (14.5%) shooting. Star senior Marley Bell ended her career with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Amire Banks added 7 points on 3-22 shooting.

Greenforest Eagles R7 #1 No. 1 Greenforest 68, R6 #2 Manchester 39: Greenforest (27-4) captured their fifth state title using a 22-7 third quarter to bury Manchester (20-9), outscoring the Blue Devils 38-20 in the second half. Up 30-19 at the half, Greenforest’s size and sharpshooting proved too much for the Blue Devils to contend with. Elijah Lewis dropped in 18 points to pace Greenforest. The Eagles held the Blue Devils scoreless for nearly three minutes as Greenforest soared ahead on a 7-0 run. Caleb Kawela provided the Eagles with 11 points and 11 rebounds as Greenforest outrebounded Manchester 56-29 and outscored the Blue Devils 34-20 in the paint. Daniel Daramola totaled 9 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block. Greenforest shot 39% from the field compared to Manchester’s 27.5%. The Blue Devils were led by Treylin Jones who finished with 14 points. Daryus Bryant collected 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

CLASS 4A

Baldwin BravettesR2 #1 No. 1 Baldwin 47, R1 #1 No. 2 Hardaway 39: After seeing a state title slip away last year, Baldwin (29-2) rallied from down 27-11 in the third quarter to stun Hardaway (27-5) for the school’s fourth state title, first since three-peating between 1986-88. With both teams playing 1-3-1 zones, points were hard to come by, especially in the first half. Hardaway led 15-9 at the break, holding the Bravettes to three points in the second quarter. The Hawks got momentum early in the third quarter building a 27-11 lead at the 5:18 mark riding a 12-2 run, forcing turnovers and getting balanced contributions offensively. Baldwin stormed back with 16-2 run highlighted by a 13-0 spurt to close the gap to 29-27 with 6:55 to play in the fourth quarter, but Hardaway would respond and drew Janaye Walker’s fourth foul at the 5:17 mark up 32-29. Mount St. Mary’s-signee Madison Ruff converted a tough And-1 to knot the game at 36 with 3:22 to play. Walker fouled out at the 1:31 mark tied at 39, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Ruff struck again at the 1:14 mark, finding Kassidy Neal for a hoop to give Baldwin their first lead since 2-0 50 seconds into the game. Ruff, who scored nine of her team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, also finished with 8 rebounds and 2 assists. The Hawks closed the game on a 16-3 run, including scoring the final 11 points of the game as the Hawks were held scoreless over the final 2:48. Neal finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds for the Bravettes who outscored Hardaway 22-10 in the final frame. The Hawks were led by Adazha Burrell’s 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Akilah Shelton posted 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks while Mikayla Johnson netted 9 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, all her points in the second half.

North Oconee TitansR8 #1 No. 3 North Oconee 65, R6 #1 No. 5 Holy Innocents’ 60 : A balanced attack and bevy of three-pointers helped North Oconee (30-3) upend Holy Innocents’ (26-7) for their first state title in school history. Down 29-25 at the half, the Titans went on a 14-0 run sprung by four consecutive threes to jump ahead 44-33. Holy Innocents’ wouldn’t lead again after the stretch which saw freshman Justin Wise bury three of his five three-pointers en route to finishing with 19 points. North Oconee would go 9-24 from deep, including 6-12 from distance in the second half. Khamari Brooks, who did a great job defending Caleb Wilson in the first half, picked up his fourth foul with 1:33 to play in the third quarter. Wilson quickly got to work, and propelled the Golden Bears to a 7-1 run to finish the third quarter down 45-40. Fast forward to 39.1 seconds left in regulation, Holy Innocents’ still trailed 60-57 after Devin Hutcherson ripped away steal under the North Oconee basket for two of his 23 points to pair with his 13 rebounds. The Golden Bears got a stop on defense but with Wilson trapped in the corner on offense, the star junior called a timeout but had none left, resulting in a technical foul where Justin Payne split a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach for good. Wilson finished with 26 points (9-11 FT; 3-4 3PT), 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks but the balance of North Oconee was too much. Byrd Carter piled in 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while Brooks tallied 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Evan Montgomery provided 7 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block while Payne had 5 points, 8 assists and 2 steals. The Titans beat the Golden Bears in transition, outscoring them 12-2 in fastbreaks and turning 12 Holy Innocents’ turnovers into 15 points while turning the ball over only six times.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7

CLASS 2A

Mt. Paran EaglesR6 #1 No. 1 Mt. Paran 59, R4 #2 No. 2 Josey 52: Mt. Paran (29-3) didn’t make a field goal the last 6:18 of the game but the Eagles shot 12-24 from the foul line in the fourth quarter and 23-40 for the game to three-peat as state champs. Campbell-signee Ciara Alexander put in 22 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 8-13 from the line while Jessica Fields collected 16 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals and 6 blocks, going 10-15 from the line. Tied at 27 at the half, Josey (28-4) never led in the second half as the Eagles slowly pulled away. Kerri Fluellen was electric for Josey with 11 of her 20 points coming in the first quarter before fouling out at the 1:58 mark down 53-46. KeAsia Henderson supplied support with 17 points. Mt. Paran saw Kitali Youmans post 5 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 5 steals. Jacalyn Myrthil had 11 points.

Westside-AugustaR4 #1 No. 1 Westside-Augusta 64, R3 #1 No. 4 Toombs County 29: Westside-Augusta (28-4) controlled the pace from the opening tip, jumping out to a 10-0 run to race away from Toombs County (29-3) to claim their third consecutive title. 11 players scored for Westside led by Lavonta Ivery’s 14 points and Jarious Adkinson’s electrifying 11 off the bench highlighted by a handful of dunks. The Patriots outscored the Bulldogs 34-6 in the paint, 12-0 in transition and 28-6 via the bench. Dominic Eason led Toombs County with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. The Bulldogs trailed 16-7 after one and 31-14 at the half. Westside held Toombs County to just eight made field goals and a 24.2% success rate. The Patriots converted on 26 attempts and took 20 more shots than the Dogs.

COED THREE-POINT CONTEST

  1. North Hall
  2. Commerce
  3. Trion/Lowndes

CLASS 5A

Maynard Jackson JaguarsR5 #1 No. 2 Maynard Jackson 58, R5 #2 No. 4 Midtown 44: For the fourth time this season, Maynard Jackson (29-1) defeated region rival Midtown (27-6) to claim the program’s elusive first state title. Down 14-10 after the first quarter, the Jaguars ripped off a 14-0 run which grew to a 24-6 spurt that gave Maynard Jackson an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter after holding a 28-22 advantage at halftime. Turnovers were the story as they were all year for the Knights against Maynard Jackson, coughing the ball up 22 times after turning it over 29, 17 and 17 times during their first three meetings. The Jaguars scored 27 points off turnovers and netted 18 fastbreak points. Briaiah Lewis was held to six minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls and finished her career with 1 point and 10 rebounds. Midtown trimmed the lead to 38-35 with 6:33 to play on a Devin Bockman jumper, two of her game-high 23 points on 7-11 shooting, 4-5 from beyond the arc, but the Jags would respond with a 9-0 run which featured a three-pointer from Kennedie Cooper, Maynard Jackson’s first make from distance after missing their first 11 attempts.  The Jaguars outscored the Knights 36-12 in the paint. Shakira Gresham led Maynard Jackson with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Aaliyah Weaver posted 13 points while Taliah Cornish added 11. Hailey Wortmann battled foul trouble and provided the Knights with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Kell LonghornsR6 #1 No. 1 Kell 62, R2 #1 No. 3 Eagle’s Landing 51: After beating Eagle’s Landing 61-53 last year in the state championship, the Longhorns (28-3) topped the Eagles (23-8) again behind a decisive 8-0 run in the fourth quarter. Kell led wire-to-wire in a close game, up 26-24 at the half. A 6-0 run from Eagle’s Landing knotted the score at 35 at the 2:29 mark of the third quarter but the Longhorns closed on a subsequent 7-0 spurt keyed by a Connor Staphylaris corner three right before the buzzer to surge ahead 45-37. Staphylaris, who finished with 9 points, drilled back-to-back threes part of an 8-0 jolt that pushed Kell to a 55-42 advantage with 4:51 left in regulation. Before the Staphylaris daggers, it was South Florida-signee CJ Brown who answered every Eagles threat. Brown tallied 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block to close his career, excelling at getting to the rim and scoring through traffic. Alabama A&M-signee Jaylen Colon provided 14 points while Cannon Richards posted 8 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Eagle’s Landing saw Chris Morris II record 17 points and 6 rebounds. Dwight Brown pitched in 9 points and 8 rebounds.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

CLASS 3A

Hebron Christian LionsR8 #1 No. 1 Hebron Christian 62, R7 #1 No. 2 Wesleyan 60: A Chit-Chat Wright three-pointer trimmed the Hebron Christian (30-2) lead to 19-18 at the 4:20 mark of the second quarter but the Lions responded with a 13-2 run to close the half and lead 32-20 at the break, before surviving in the second half to repeat as state champs. Hebron outrebounded a relentless Wesleyan (27-4) 40-27 and held the Wolves to 31% from the field. Danielle Osho posted 14 points and 15 rebounds in the win. Texas-signee Bryanna Preston powered Wesleyan with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Wolves closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run to enter the fourth down 47-35 after trailing by as many as 23 points and sliced the lead to 49-40 after a Shayla Bahr three but Johanna Potter fouled out with 4 points for Wesleyan at the 6:02 mark. A pair of Wright free throws put the Wolves behind 55-48 with 2:40 left and trailed 61-56 with 20.6 seconds left after a Wright three. The Georgia Tech-signee finishing with 24 points, 14 coming in the fourth quarter sparking a frantic comeback, outscoring Hebron 25-15 in the final period. Following a technical foul on the Hebron bench and a foul on a jump shot, the Wolves found themselves down just two with 6.8 left to play. Coming out of a timeout, the Wolves were unable to get a shot up, turning the ball over.

Sandy Creek PatriotsR5 #1 No. 1 Sandy Creek 74, R3 #2 Johnson-Savannah 49: Sandy Creek (27-3) ripped off a 27-4 run in the first half to pull ahead for good and claim their second consecutive state title. The upset-minded Atomsmashers (20-12) went blow for blow with the Patriots, tied at 11 midway through the first quarter before Sandy Creek found their groove. Jacobi Robinson netted eight of his 18 points in the frame to spring the Pats to an early lead. Sandy Creek shot 6-13 from beyond the arc in the first half to build a 42-22 lead and finished the game 8-19. James Madison-signee Micah Smith posted 15 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks. Five Patriots reached double figures with Jared White (12), Missouri baseball-signee PJ Green (12) and Amari Brown (11) all producing. Joshua Quarterman paced Johnson-Savannah with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Favion Kirkwood netted 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.

GIRLS THREE-POINT CONTEST

Lizzie McGrath

First Place: Lizzie McGrath – Riverwood
Second Place: I’ziah McCutchins – Trion
Third Place: Ellie Southards – Rabun County/Amira Walters-Smith – Colquitt County

CLASS 6A

Marist War EaglesR4 #1 No. 3 Marist 67, R8 #1 No. 2 North Forsyth 48: Marist (30-1) shot a blistering 63% and saw Kate Harpring rack up 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 1 block before fouling out at the 2:29 mark up 62-45 as an encore performance after netting 47 points in the Final Four to power the War Eagles to their second title in three years. Tied at 16 after one quarter, North Forsyth (31-1) fell off pace, outscored 16-7 in the second quarter to enter the break down 32-23. Abby Lindsay sank a pair of threes for the War Eagles in the frame and finished with 13 points. Hannah Faklaris posted 16 points. North Forsyth got a buzzer-beating three from London Weaver to send the game into the fourth quarter trailing 54-38. Weaver would finish with 15 points and 4 rebounds. Gabbie Gliatta tacked on 16 points and Emma Rose scored 10.

Riverwood RaidersR4 #4 No. 7 Riverwood 67, R5 #1 No. 1 Alexander 63 OT: History was made in scintillating fashion as Riverwood (25-7) stunned the defending state champs after trailing 12-1 to open the game, forcing overtime on a pair of Vanderbilt-signee Karris Bilal free throws at the 1:04 mark of regulation. Riverwood trailed Alexander (29-3) at the half 29-26, shooting just 19% from the field, but buoyed by JR Leonard’s 13-16 shooting from the foul line. In total, Leonard would go 19-23 from the charity stripe as the Raiders went 25-32 while shooting just 2-23 from beyond the arc. Riverwood took their first lead of the game with 6:20 to play in the third quarter, 32-31, but would lead for just 16 seconds before falling behind again. Alexander held a 43-39 lead through three quarters but couldn’t gain any separation. Kennesaw State-signee Braedan Lue led the Cougars with 26 points and 13 rebounds while Chris Hutchinson stepped up with 15 points and 9 rebounds, but fouls were a major problem throughout, especially in the backcourt as Alexander was whistled for 27 fouls as they struggled to contain Leonard. The star junior gave Riverwood their first lead since early in the third quarter when he scored at the 3:30 mark of the fourth quarter to go ahead 52-51. From there, the score would see-saw, Jermaine Freeman putting the Cougars up 54-52 after converting an And-1 with three minutes to play but the South Cobb transfer would foul out with 1:04 to play with 8 points as Bilal netted a pair of free throws to deadlock the game at 57, forcing overtime. In the extra period, Bilal hit a pull-up jumper with 2:13 to play to take the lead, two of his 17 points to pair with his 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Jesse Graves, who had 5 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, hit a short jumper in the lane to go up 61-57 with 90 seconds left before Leonard sank two more free throws to lead 63-57, part of his 31 points and 5 rebounds. Lue trimmed the lead to 64-63 with 26.8 left to play, but Kaleb Bilal coolly sank a pair of free throws before Leonard buried the dagger from the line to make it a four-point game. The Raiders led for just 2:57 of the game, trailing Alexander for 27:12.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9

CLASS A D-I

St. Francis KnightsR6 #1 No. 1 St. Francis 74, R6 #2 No. 2 Galloway 71 OT: A 6:30 scoring drought for Galloway (19-11) in the second quarter nearly cost the Scots a chance at a state title as St. Francis (24-7) utilized a 16-0 run to jump ahead 30-17 and lead 30-19 at the half before a Tianna Thompson barrage got the Scots back in it before ultimately falling to St. Francis (24-7) for the third time this season and second straight year in the state championship. Thompson exploded in the third quarter with 11 points and two free throws from freshman Sophia Louis-Pierre pushed Galloway ahead 40-38 before settling for a 42-40 deficit after three quarters. Austin Peay-signee SaMya Wyatt, the reigning Class A D-I Player of the Year, was saddled with foul trouble and attempted just two shots over 14 minutes over the first three quarters. Wyatt, who scored 13 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter of last year’s championship, scored eight points over the fourth quarter and overtime to finish her career with 10 points on the day. A transition layup from Thompson, a Georgia Tech-signee, put the Scots up 62-60 with 69 seconds left but Wyatt would knot the game up from the foul line seconds later and the score would head into the extra period deadlocked at 62 after a Desi Taylor layup with three seconds left rimmed out for the Knights. Up two in overtime, Nya Young delivered a dagger three from the wing with 32 seconds left to take a five-point lead. Freshman Giaunni Rogers led St. Francis with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Amelia Basit double-doubled with 12 points and 11 rebounds.  Thompson led all scorers with 37 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Louis-Pierre stepped up with 18 points and Taryn Thompson netted 8 in a game that featured 12 lead changes and 14 tied scores.

Mt. Vernon MustangsR6 #1 No. 1 Mt. Vernon 48, R6 #2 No. 2 Paideia 40: Paideia (17-13) scrapped and clawed but a 17-4 third quarter did in the baby snakes as Mt. Vernon (24-9) was able to dominate inside to pull away for the school’s first state title, beating Paideia for the second time this season after cruising to the Region 6 title 66-48.  After being outscored 10-4 in the paint in the first half, trailing 23-18 on the scoreboard against Paideia, the Mustangs outscored the Pythons in the paint 12-0 in the third quarter and went on a 12-1 run to lead 35-27 following three quarters. Mt. Vernon would finish the game with a 22-16 advantage in the paint and outrebounded the Pythons 34-24. West Georgia-signee Xavier Shegog led the charge after a 1-point first half, totaling 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. KJ Garris added 10 points and 8 rebounds while Sha’Yah Goba racked up 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Georgia State-signee Trey Scott had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks, the Mustangs blocking 10 shots total. Freshman Tristan Mitchell powered Paideia with 16 points. Frank Jackson fouled out with 5 points and David Oglesby-Smith fouled out with 4. CJ Harper netted 6 points.

BOYS SLAM DUNK CONTEST

  1. Jeremy Bell – Clinch County
  2. Chris Perry – Bradwell Institute
  3. Evan Montgomery – North Oconee
  4. Dylan Barbra – East Coweta

CLASS 7A

Grayson RamsR4 #1 No. 1 Grayson 65, R3 #1 No. 4 North Paulding 44: There was no let down on the pursuit to perfection as Georgia’s best rolled to their first ever state title, Grayson (32-0) racing past North Paulding (25-7) for the second time this season. A slow start saw both teams tied at 2 early on, but a decisive 15-0 run moved the Rams ahead 17-2 and would never trail. Georgia Tech-signee Danielle Carnegie tallied 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals while Florida Atlantic-signee Erin Rodgers contributed 18 points and 6 rebounds. Grayson outscored North Paulding 42-20 in the paint and scored 27 points off 19 Wolfpack turnovers, 14 miscues which came in the first half. The Rams recorded 14 fastbreak points and 22 second chance points. Tatum Brown had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals while Nicholls State-signee Malaya Jones added on 10 points and 3 assists. North Paulding received 12 points from Marina Sippola and 7 apiece from Wheeling-signee Jayda Jackson and Ava Andrews while Andrea Landrum netted 8 points off the bench.

Grayson RamsR4 #1 No. 1 Grayson 51, R3 #1 No. 2 McEachern 41: Grayson (30-2) edged Rutgers-signee Ace Bailey and McEachern (26-6) for the second time this season to finally claim the program’s first state title and sweep Class 7A along with the girls. McEachern opened the game ice cold, just 1-17 from the field but trailed only 11-5 after one quarter. The Indians surged ahead 22-20 at the 1:42 mark of the second, but Grayson closed on a 6-0 run highlighted by two Jacob Wilkins slams to enter the break up 26-22 and never trailed again, the Rams leading for 29:15 minutes compared to just 33 seconds of an Indian advantage. The UGA-commit Wilkins had multiple highlight plays with slams that broke the back of the Indians, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Bailey did his best to lead McEachern, scoring 14 points in the first half, but the five-star prospect was clamped down to just 18 total points in the game to go along with his 6 rebounds and 2 assists, finishing 8-20 from the field as the Indians as a whole shot 30.5%, buoyed by a 53.3% second quarter in which they scored 17 points. The Rams outscored McEachern’s bench 11-0 and outrebounded the Indians 47-27, College of Sequoias-commit Ahmad Clark providing a spark off the bench with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Purdue-signee Gicarri Harris tallied 9 points and 5 rebounds followed by Western Carolina-signee CJ Hyland’s 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. McEachern received 10 points and 6 rebounds from Nnadozie Onyirimba, the only other Indian in double figures.

GHSA Boys Basketball Final 4 Matchups


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CLASS 7A

Saturday, March 2 at Georgia State

R3 #1 No. 2 McEachern 63, R5 #1 No. 3 Wheeler 56: Rutgers-signee Ace Bailey dumped in 32 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks to lead McEachern (26-5) to the state championship. The Indians used a 9-0 run to pull away after Wheeler (25-6) had cut the lead to 47-46 at the 6:55 mark of the fourth quarter. Nnadozie Onyirimba tallied 11 points and 9 rebounds. During the postseason, Bailey has now averaged 32.8 points and 15.5 rebounds per game.

R4 #1 No. 1 Grayson 57, R6 #1 No. 8 Milton 40: Amir Taylor posted 13 points and 8 rebounds while Purdue-signee Gicarri Harris collected 12 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists as Grayson (29-2) punched their ticket to Macon where they will see McEachern, who they beat in the first game of the season 79-62.  Milton (20-11) saw Daniel Ogunyemi and Anthony Gause score 14 points apiece. Josh Dixon added 8 points.

CLASS 6A

Saturday, March 2 at West Georgia

R5 #1 No. 1 Alexander 93, R3 #1 No. 5 Woodward Academy 63: Kennesaw State-signee Braedan Lue posted 20 points and 11 rebounds. Gregory Dunson had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Torian Greene had 13 points, Jermaine Freeman had 11 and Chris Hutchinson added 10.

R4 #4 No. 7 Riverwood 79, R3 #2 No. 8 Jonesboro 63: Riverwood (24-7) raced past Jonesboro (22-11). Vanderbilt-signee Karris Bilal dumped in 30 points and Jalen Leonard posted 22 to lead the Raiders. Jonesboro was paced by Cortez Redding (21), Chris Jones (15) and Montez Redding (14).

CLASS 5A

Friday, March 1 at West Georgia

R2 #1 No. 3 Eagle’s Landing 69, R5 #4 Maynard Jackson 51: Bobby Buggs had 18 points followed by Dwight Brown’s 15 and John McQueen’s 10 to lead Eagle’s Landing (23-7).

R6 #1 No. 1 Kell 66, R8 #2 No. 10 Winder-Barrow 34: Cannon Richards tallied 14 points and 6 rebounds as Kell (27-3) overpowered Winder-Barrow (26-5) on their way back to the state championship. South Florida-signee CJ Brown added 13 points and 9 rebounds while Alabama A&M-signee Jaylen Colon posted 10 points and 7 assists. Chris McLavish had 9 points, 4 assists and 6 steals. Brayden Rouse had 7 points.

CLASS 4A

Saturday, March 2 at Fort Valley State

R8 #1 No. 3 North Oconee 65, R2 #1 No. 4 Baldwin 64: A putback from Khamari Brooks put the finishing touches on a fourth quarter comeback for North Oconee (29-3) to stun Baldwin (27-3) who trailed early but had a lead for a significant portion of the fourth quarter. Brooks finished with 28 points. Justin Wise scored 14 points, Justin Payne had 10 and Byrd Carter tossed in 8 points. Isaiah Dennis led the Braves with 21 points while Tre Lawrence and Karez Demory pitched in 11 apiece.

R6 #1 No. 5 Holy Innocents’ 52, R3 #2 Benedictine 45: Caleb Wilson shined with 18 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists and 8 blocks as Holy Innocents’ (26-6) finally put away an upset-minded Benedictine (17-8).  Will Hopkins added 12 points and Devin Hutcherson had 10. Rhys Williams collected 9 points and 6 assists. The Cadets received 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals from Caleb Jones. Northern Illinois football-signee LaDon Bryant had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

CLASS 3A

Saturday, March 2 at Savannah State

R5 #1 No. 1 Sandy Creek 66, R1 #3 No. 10 Carver-Columbus 32: James Madison-signee Micah Smith scored 19 points, Jacobi Robinson had 15 and Amari Brown netted 10 to push the Patriots (26-3) back to Macon for a chance to defend their state title.

R3 #2 Johnson-Savannah 55, R1 #1 No. 4 Dougherty 51:  Cormari Jones posted 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals while Favion Kirkwood put up 15 points and 8 rebounds and Joshua Quarterman tacked on 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists as Savannah (20-11) upended Dougherty (23-8) in dramatic fashion as the Trojans rallied and had a chance to take the lead with under a minute to go on an And-1 attempt but saw the officials whistle a charge thanks to Quentin James’ heroics to seal the deal for the Atomsmashers.  Kaleke Singletary-Jinks led Dougherty with 18 points while Jawuan Jinks had 11.

CLASS 2A

Saturday, March 2 at Georgia College

R3 #1 No. 4 Toombs County 47, R4 #3 No. 2 Butler 42: Tied at 39 with 3:59 to left to play, Toombs County (29-2) dug deep to trudge past a scrappy Butler team that wouldn’t go away even after trailing 30-20 at the break. The Bulldogs (24-7) held Toombs County to five points in the third quarter and eventually secured a 36-35 lead in the fourth quarter with 5:42 to play, capping a 16-5 run. Defense carried Toombs County even during their offensive struggles. Coach Jared Goodwin turned to a 2-3 zone midway through the fourth that helped stifle the Bulldogs as Toombs County would close on a 8-3 run to advance to Macon. Dominic Eason had an explosive first half with 17 points and finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Mike Polke added 8 points and 9 rebounds including adding two important free throws in the fourth quarter. Butler saw Kwamane Bridges tally 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks while Marcus Scurry contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Roosevelt Brown stuffed the box score with 6 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks.

R4 #1 No. 1 Westside-Augusta 70, R5 #2 No. 5 Columbia 59: For the third consecutive season, Westside-Augusta (27-4) eliminated Columbia (27-4) and now has an opportunity to three-peat as state champs. The Patriots leapt out to a 21-13 lead to start and held a 39-32 advantage at the half. In the third quarter, Columbia responded and trimmed the lead to 40-38, but Westside-Augusta would turn to a zone defense to stifle the Eagles. Eight different players scored for Westside led by DeMarco Middleton’s 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Dontrell Jackson contributed 13 points off the bench while AJ Jones netted 11 and Bobby Blackwell posted 10 points and 2 blocks. Columbia saw Quay Wallace lead all scorers with 22 points and 4 rebounds. JaMarcus Hatcher closed his career with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks.

CLASS A D-I

Friday, March 1 at Georgia College

R6 #2 No. 2 Paideia 56, R3 #1 No. 3 Savannah 39: CJ Harper took over in the fourth quarter with 9 points as Paideia (17-12) surged past a short-handed Savannah (22-9) after holding a 35-29 advantage following three quarters. Harper finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Freshman Tristan Mitchell scored eight of his 14 points in the first half and added 3  assists. Frank Jackson scored 9 points. Jermaine Edwards powered Savannah with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. The Maki Joyner-less Blue Jackets got 11 points from Jermontae Brown and 3 points, 9 rebounds and 8 blocks from Deshawn Davis.

R6 #1 No. 1 Mt. Vernon 77, R6 #4 No. 7 Mt. Pisgah 39: The Mustangs jumped out to a 15-2 lead and never looked back. Mt. Vernon (23-9) saw Sha’yah Goba rack up 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks while West Georgia-signee Xavier Shegog tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Mustangs outrebounded the Patriots 41-16. KJ Garris piled in 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Dennis Scott III had 9 point and 9 rebounds. Gabe Alterman had 6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Montevallo-signee O’Neill Connolly tallied 10 points in the loss.

CLASS A D-II

Friday, March 1 at Fort Valley State

R6 #2 Manchester 62, R8 #1 Warren County 60: Jayden Terry scored 24 points and Daryus Bryant had 14 to pace Manchester (20-8).  Torossie Leslie scored 19 points and Cosa Pender had 17 in defeat for Warren County (24-6).

R7 #1 No. 1 Greenforest 68, R6 #1 No. 3 Macon County 44: Michael Robinson netted 22 points for Greenforest (26-4) while Elijah Lewis and Caleb Kawela added 13 apiece. Macon County (27-4) was paced by Frankie Raines Jr.’s 17 points and Tyler Stephens’ 11.

Game Night Recap 1-16


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GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 3 Buford 58, Collins Hill 22: Collins Hill failed to score in the second quarter. Ohio State-signee Ava Grace Watson finished with 21 points while Lydia Ledford added 10.

No. 8 Mill Creek 69, Mountain View 19: Bella Ragone posted 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Freshman Mia Huckaby had 11 points and 3 assists. Kendall Wilson chipped in 10 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Central Gwinnett 52, Dacula 43: Coco Rudolph erupted for 32 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Nina Solomon scored 10 points and Nalani Gainey had 8 points and 7 steals. In the loss, Mekera Standridge tallied 13 points and 5 assists. Jaliyah Benefield added 13 points. Danah Nembhard grabbed 14 rebounds. Continue reading Game Night Recap 1-16

Game Night Recap 12-5


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GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 3 Norcross 73, Duluth 29: Mercer-signee Jania Akins scored 18 points, as did Mariyah Valrie. Justus Fitzgerald added 13 points followed by Markeisa Lancaster’s 12 and Cadence Peterson’s 11.

No. 6 North Paulding 68, Cartersville 51: Ava Andrews posted 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks while freshman Morgan Landrum tallied 13 points, 14 rebounds and 1 block. Kaden McCorvey finished with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Lillie Harris scored 10 points and Marina Sippola added 9. Cartersville was led by KK Arnold’s 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Ansley Griffin scored 12 points and Senai Camper finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists.

No. 8 Milton 64, Forsyth Central 24: Appalachian State-signee Nya Smith collected 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 steals. Londyn Walker posted 12 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals. Payton Kozina tacked on 9 points, 4 assists and 4 steals while Caroline Young finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Chassity McCammon had 4 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.

North Gwinnett 62, Berkmar 42: Caroline Beavin exploded for 30 points. Sydney Woyce chipped in 13 points. Jonna Snelling led Berkmar with 23 points.

Mountain View 37, Winder-Barrow 32: Jenysis Criss netted 19 points followed by Zion Borders’ 11.

Dacula 66, Meadowcreek 27: Jaliyah Benefield had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Mekera Standridge scored 13 points while Tianna Rabsatt collected 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. London Bryant-Young and Danah Nembhard scored 10 and 9 points, respectively. Continue reading Game Night Recap 12-5

Game Night Recap 11-28


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GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 5 Buford 63, Harrison 38: Ohio State-signee Ava Grace Watson scored 19 points followed by Alyssa Green’s 15 and Lydia Ledford’s 12.

No. 7 Cherokee 69, Woodstock 47: Wofford-signee Toni Warren eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her career, finishing with 23 points. USC Aiken-signee Riley Simmons netted 15 points. Madison Moody had 12 points.

No. 8 Milton 72, North Springs 19: Appalachian State-signee Nya Smith collected 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Londyn Walker totaled 16 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 7 steals. Freshman Deyva Davis and Payton Kozina scored 9 points apiece. Continue reading Game Night Recap 11-28