Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 48: GHSA State Championship Preview

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Hyper-local media and rival coaches join Kyle Sandy to preview the 2017-18 GHSA Basketball State Championships

March 7
AA Girls [1:30]
AA Boys [7:12]
A-Public Girls [12:06]
A-Public Boys [15:51]
March 8
AAA Girls with Travis Jaudon [19:07]
AAA Boys with Travis Jaudon [28:30]
AAAAA Girls with Travis Coxworth [36:00]
AAAAA Boys with Kowacie Reeves [45:20]
March 9
A-Private Girls [54:10]
A-Private Boys with Adam Griffin [59:47]
AAAAAA Girls with Luke Strickland [1:11:02]
AAAAAA Boys with Gil Davis [1:22:13]
March 10
AAAA Girls with Luke Strickland [1:35:49]
AAAA Boys with Wes McCard [1:43:27]
AAAAAAA Girls [2:10:53]
AAAAAAA Boys with David Friedlander [2:20:34]

Sponsored by:  @sportalspace

***Click on one of the two links above to listen to the podcast. The file was too big to post on wordpress — that means it was a JAM PACKED episode!***

Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 47: Final 4 Preview

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***FOLLOW/DOWNLOAD/LISTEN ON PODBEAN***

GHSA Basketball Final 4 Preview

7A Boys [1:55]
6A Boys [6:42]
5A Boys [10:30]
4A Boys [14:23]
3A Boys [20:50]
2A Boys [25:28]
A-Private Boys [31:25]
A-Public Boys [38:00]
————
7A Girls [41:40]
6A Girls [44:57]
5A Girls [49:20]
4A Girls [52:17]
3A Girls [55:00]
2A Girls [57:33]
A-Private Girls [1:01:10]​
A-Public Girls [1:06:00]

Sponsored by:  @sportalspace

Girls Final 4 Recaps

Class AAAAAAA

(SATURDAY At Buford City Arena)

R8 #1 Newton 65, R3 #1 McEachern 57: The tables turned as Lexii Chatman poured in 21 points in the Rams comeback, dethroning the defending 4-time state champs.

R2 #1 Westlake 52, R5 #1 North Forsyth 44: Anastasia Warren scored 13 points to lead the Lady Lions to the state title game. Catherine Shope dropped 17 in the loss.

Class AAAAAA

(SATURDAY At West Georgia)

R4 #1 Lovejoy 70, R7 #1 Northview 42: Northview shot 22.2% in the first half as the Wildcats controlled the tempo from the opening tip and ran the Lady Titans out of the gym. Genesis Bryant scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the first half to set the tone. Kayla Brown double-doubled with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. Anaya Boyd collected 11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks while J’Auana Robinson netted 10 points. Northview was led by Ashlee Austin’s 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Eden Sample had 11 points.

R6 #1 Harrison 68, R5 #1 Douglas County 54:
 GCSU-commit Harper Vick had 20 points and 8 rebounds while Sarah Woghiren posted 17 points and 9 rebounds. UAB-signee Audrey Jordan scored 10 points. Amari Robinson led Douglas County with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks.   

Class AAAAA

(SATURDAY At Fort Valley State)

R8 #1 Buford 60, R7 #1 Villa Rica 46: Air Force-signee Audrey Weiner scored 20 points and Michigan State-signee Tory Ozment had 18 in the Lady Wolves win. Villa Rica’s Deasia Merrill was held to 6 points.

R8 #2 Flowery Branch 72, R1 #1 Harris County 55: Caroline Wysocki scored a career-high 26 points to weather and early Harris County storm and help the Lady Falcons to their fourth meeting with Buford this season. Ashley Woodroffe provided 16 points for Flowery Branch. Alabama-signee Taniyah Worth scored 20 points. Mississippi State-signee Jessika Carter had 24 points in the loss.

Class AAAA

(FRIDAY At Fort Valley State)
R4 #1 Henry County 51, R1 #2 Americus-Sumter 38: Amaiya Jackson picked up 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 steals in the War Hawk win. Auburn-signee Brooke Moore added 11 points while Janiya Jones had 9 points and 8 rebounds and Janaya Wadsworth chipped in 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Usoreia McWhorter had 5 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks. Region 1 Player of the Year Jy’Kiera Long led the Panthers with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Deasia Ford had 8 points and 7 rebounds. Brianna Pope finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds.

R2 #1 Spalding 58, R1 #1 Carver-Columbus 51: With Corriana Evans sidelined with foul trouble most of the game, Coach Tykira Gilbert’s guards lifted the Jaguars to an upset of the No. 1 ranked team in the state. Aniaya Jester collected 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks battling against Carver-Columbus’ size. Kiana Banks added 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Evans scored 6 of her 8 points in the fourth quarter in a three-minute span.  The Tigers received 13 points from Mariah Igus and 9 from Alycia Reese. Janya Love-Hill finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists while post Olivia Cochran totaled 8 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Class AAA

(SATURDAY At Armstrong Atlantic)
R7 #1 GAC 49, R8 #1 Franklin County 43: 
MTSU-signee Taylor Sutton scored 18 points, Hofstra-signee Caria Reynolds had 14 and Wofford’s Mary Martha Turner added 11 points. Mya Jones scored a game-high 21 for the Lady Lions.
R3 #2 Johnson-Savannah 43,  R2 #1 Tattnall County 33:  Jasmine Thompson scored 16 points and J’Mya Cutter scored 14 for the Lady Atomsmashers while Alana Boone netted 8. Tattnall County was led by Kashay Hankerson’s 19.

Class AA

(SATURDAY At Georgia College & State)
R4 #1 Laney 68, R7 #1 Model 51: De’sha Benjamin netted 21 points in the Wildcats win. Jhessyka Williams added 16. South Carolina-signee Victaria Saxton was held to 14 points for Model.

R4 #2 Josey 61, R1 #1 Fitzgerald 47: Rhykeria Rolland (22) and Tykedra Rolland (17) led Josey to the championship. Fitzgerald was led by Kirstin Crook’s 15 points. 

Class A-Private

(FRIDAY At Columbus State)
#1 Holy Innocents’ 51, #4 Stratford Academy 32: Jillian Hollingshead dominated the paint for the Golden Bears with 18 points. Rachel Suttle scored 12. Carey Woodcock led Stratford Academy with 12 points while Drake Miscall scored 7.

#6 Wesleyan 71, #2 St. Francis 49: The Wolves blasted the bigger Knights behind AC Carter’s 21 points and Sutton West’s 16.  Callie Weaver added 13 points and freshman Paige Lyons scored 10. In the loss, Mia Moore scored 17 and Jordan Isaacs had 16.

Class A-Public

(SATURDAY At Valdosta State)
#4 Greenville 73, #1 Telfair County 62: Mississippi State-signee Brittany Davis piled in 47 points. Adriana Perdue scored 10.
#3 Marion County 45, #2 Terrell County 40: Janiya Crowell double-doubled with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead Marion County. Torri Myers had 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Boys Final 4 Recaps

Class AAAAAAA

(SATURDAY At Buford City Arena)

R7 #1 Norcross 86, R8 #1 Newton 66: The Blue Devils held Newton scoreless for over 5 minutes to take control of the game and race their way into the state championship. Brandon Boston scored 23 points followed by Kyle Sturdivant’s 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. JoJo Toppin had 15 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists. Kevon Eskridge netted 17 points. Dre Butler led Newton with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Ashton Hagans was held to 13 points and 7 assists.

R7 #2 Meadowcreek 57, R8 #2 Grayson 55: Jamir Chaplin and Cory Hightower scored 18 apiece for the Mustangs. Grayson got 25 points from Nick Edwards.

Class AAAAAA

(SATURDAY At West Georgia)

R8 #1 Gainesville 102, R3 #1 Heritage-Conyers 86: Rafael Rubel led a high-octane attack as the Red Elephants finally put away a relentless Heritage team. Rubel had 22 points while Xavier Bledson collected 18 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Jarrel Rosser (16), Jarred Rosser (13) and Kajuan Hale (10) all hit double figures. Josh Archer carried the Patriots with a game-high 30 points and 5 rebounds. Trelan Scott added 14 points and 6 rebounds. Josh Guilford finished with 13 points.

R5 #1 Langston Hughes 69, R4 #2 Jonesboro 49: Virgina Tech-commit Landers Nolley poured in 27 points and 6 rebounds to lead the Panthers to a state title defense next week. Tyler Smith had a loud 11 points — all in the fourth — with a handful of powerful dunks. Tyrel Morgan added 10 points and 7 rebounds.  Jonesboro was powered by Jamari Smith’s 20 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks. Miles Black netted 11.

Class AAAAA

(SATURDAY At Fort Valley State)

R5 #3 Miller Grove 54, R7 #1 Hiram 41: Maurice Harvey (11), TJ Stargell (10) and Terence Edwards (10) helped Miller Grove squeeze out enough points to end Hiram’s Cinderella run. Lorenzo Anderson added 9 points. Hiram was led by Nathan Presnell and Arshard Crepsac’s 8 apiece.
 
R1 #1 Warner Robins 77, R8 #2 Clarke Central 57: Georgia State-signee Nelson Phillips poured in a game-high 32 points while Trevon Williams (13) and Jaydon Norman (12) both cracked double figures.

Class AAAA

(FRIDAY At Fort Valley State)
R8 #1 St. Pius X 66, R3 #1 Baldwin 61: The Golden Lions held off the Braves in a classic. Up 58-57 after a Brenden Robertson free throw, Baldwin saw the game slip away in the blink of an eye. Everett Lane came down and buried one of his seven threes to regain a St. Pius lead and on the ensuing inbound, Niko Broadway came away with a steal and dished to Troy Stephens who missed the first layup but got his own rebound and finished with a foul. Stephens missed the free throw but the Golden Lions went up 62-58 and restored order. Lane finished with 25 points and 3 blocks while Stephens posted 11 points and 4 rebounds. Patrick Snipes scored 8 points, Broadway 7 and Zach Ranson 6 while Matt Gonzalo handed out 8 assists. The Braves were powered by Robertson’s 16 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Baldwin trailed 13-1 before Robertson and 6-foot-6 Justin Webb made an impact off the pine. Webb scored all 7 of his points in the second quarter. Donte Justice finished with 12 points and 5 assists. Region 3 Player of the Year Rodney Walker added 11 points and 8 rebounds.

R2 #1 Upson-Lee 52, R5 #1 Sandy Creek 51: 62-Straight.  No.1 Upson-Lee clawed their way to the long awaited rematch with No. 2 St. Pius in the state title game at McCamish Pavilion. Upson-Lee trailed 37-30 at the half to an upset-minded No. 3 Sandy Creek team that received 11 second quarter points from 6-foot-4 point guard Jarred Godfrey to pave the way. Godfrey scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the first half, scoring over the smaller Knight guards. Unsung hero Jacorey Smith led Upson-Lee at the break with 10 points, finishing with 14 on the night.
Sandy Creek nursed a slim lead almost the entire third quarter, withstanding a nine-point frame from MTSU-signee Tye Fagan. Zyrice Scott came away with a steal and a layup just before the horn to give the Knights their first lead of the second half at 43-42.
Upson-Lee pushed their lead to 49-44 at the 5:26 mark, but a minute later Cameron Traylor picked up an intentional foul, sending Godfrey to the line where he sank both attempts. Still with the ball, Godfrey made it a 4-point possession when he nailed a jumper, cutting the lead to 49-48. Julian Alexander sank a three at the top of the key to knot the game up at 51 with 2:34 to play. Sandy Creek had a chance to go ahead, but Fagan elevated to swat a layup attempt out of bounds.
With 30.3 seconds remaining, Fagan split a pair of free throws to give the Knights a 52-51 advantage. Following a defensive stand, Traylor was sent to the line with 8 seconds left. Traylor missed the front end, giving the Patriots one last opportunity to race the ball down. TJ Bickerstaff ran into Travon Walker and didn’t get the whistle as his fading shot fell off the mark. Fagan finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks while Walker tallied 11 points, 13 rebounds an 4 blocks. In the loss, Bickerstaff posted 11 points.

Class AAA

(SATURDAY At Armstrong Atlantic)
R7 #1 GAC 73, R8 #1 Morgan County 71: 
Hunter McIntosh drilled six  of GAC’s 13 threes en route to 30 points as the Spartans shocked No. 1 Morgan County.  Ben Sheppard scored 16 points followed by Roy Dixon’s 11. The Spartans saw Branden Harris and Chris Hinton score 8 apiece. Stevin Greene carried the Bulldogs with a game-high 34 points as the Spartans elected to key on shutting down Tyrin Lawrence, who finished with just 6 points. Alec Woodard had 18 points and Anthony Cooper added 13 in the loss.

R3 #2 Jenkins 52, R4 #2 Westside-Macon 49: Tre Mays finished with 15 points and Lamont Sams had 14. Tyrone Scott tossed in 10 and Sai Fisher netted 9. Westside-Macon was led by Greg Holloway’s 23 points. Omar Jones and Javian Mosley each scored 9 points.

Class AA

(SATURDAY At Georgia College & State)
R2 #3 Vidalia 49, R4 #1 Laney 45: In a battle of guards, Vidalia shook off an early deficit to push past Laney. Anthony Jones scored 13 points while Tahj Jones added 10. Toriun Mull chipped in 7. Donald Henley led Laney with 14 points followed by Maurice Paige’s 13.

R1 #1 Thomasville 74, R4 #2 Glenn Hills 57: McDonald’s All-American Reggie Perry wrecked the Glenn Hills frontline with 27 points while Vonterious Woolbright chipped in 19. John Whitehead scored 16 to led Glenn Hills. Timmy Sellers mustered just 6 points.

Class A-Private

(FRIDAY At Columbus State)
#4 St. Francis 83, #8 Holy Innocents’ 54: The Knights built up a 40-18 halftime lead and never looked back. Dwon Odom had 20 points followed by Sam Hines’ 16 and Chase Ellis’ 11 while Caleb Snyder tossed in 10. Matt Meadows ended his career with 26 points for the Golden Bears. Josh Smith netted 17.

#6 Aquinas 47, #2 ELCA 41: Daniel Parrish scored 12 points and Tre Gomillion added 11 as the Irish clamped down on ELCA for the second time this season. Jamaine Mann had 13 in the loss. Mekhi Cameron scored 10.

Class A-Public

(SATURDAY At Valdosta State)
#5 Montgomery County 80, #1 Calhoun County 78: Shaw Robinson dumped in 22 points to pace a balanced Montgomery County attack.  Daveaun Coglin netted 18. Jahleel Wilson scored 14 and Darique Williams had 11. In his final game, USF-signee Rashun Williams scored 26 points for Calhoun County.

#3 Wilkinson County 61, #2 Central-Talbotton 60: Raequan Smith shocked the Hawks with a last second layup to send the Warriors to another title game.