#1 Greenforest (27-2) vs. #9 Tattnall Square (18-9)
No. 1 Greenforest has held the top ranking in the state the entire season making them and 5ANo. 1 Miller Grove the only teams to do so. The Eagles have been ranked in the top 25 nationally and are regarded as the best team in the state regardless of classification, cementing that status in the opening two weeks of the season where at Holiday Hoopsgiving they destroyed 6ANo. 7 Pebblebrook 87-59 and 6ANo. 3 Norcross 77-48. The Eagles have the biggest frontcourt in the state and one of the tallest in the country with five-star junior center Ikey Obiagu (7-0), junior Abayomi Iyiola (6-10), sophomore Mohammed Abdulsalem (6-9), junior Victor Enoh (6-8) and 6-foot-7 senior Precious Ayah, who is committed to play at Miami (OH). Obiagu is recognized as the best shot blocker in the nation. He swatted away 20 No. 4 Our Lady of Mercy shots in the Region 5 championship. As jaw dropping as first-year Head Coach Larry Thompson’s size is, its Greenforest’s guard play that makes them elite. Junior Justin Forrest leads the team in scoring at 19.5 per game while John Ogwuche, a New Hampshire signee, pitches in 13.6. The tandem work in perfect sync together up top and are always looking for each other in the open floor. Coach Jarvis Smith has a strong guard of his own in junior Calvin Slaughter. He poured in 30 points in a 55-47 win over 1A-PublicNo. 10 Lincoln County in the Region 7 tournament. He or Aubrien Kemp, who averages close to 18 points per game, will need to find the hot hand early if the Trojans want to hang around. Throughout the season No. 9 Tattnall Square Academy has shown an ability to play with the big boys, scoring wins over 1A-PublicNo. 1 Wilkinson County, No. 5 Stratford Academy, St. Anne-Pacelli and 2ANo. 9 Swainsboro before knocking off No. 7 SWAC 55-51 in the opening round.
#5 North Cobb Christian (23-4) vs. #4 Stratford Academy (20-5)
Both rosters may be completely different as Macon meets Kennesaw in what could be the game of the day in Class A-Private. No. 3 North Cobb Christian grabs a virtual home game as they welcome No. 5 Stratford who looks to make it back home and play in the Centreplex for all the marbles in another week. It is a rematch of Dec. 12th’s 69-52 North Cobb Christian victory. North Cobb Christian has length that causes other teams problems. Brothers Will and Jonny Crumly are both 6-foot-7. Will prefers to play on the perimeter and shoot threes. Demiere Brown has been the Eagles’ go-to scorer. The stout forward likes to rumble his way into the paint. He scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in their opening round 71-50 win over Christian Heritage while Will Crumly added 13 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Nick Flemming is a key piece that gets Coach Greg Matta’s offense running. He missed time earlier in the season with an elbow injury but is fully healthy now. Flemming has missed the Eagles’ last four games due to disciplinary reasons while Kobe Wilson, a 6-foot-7 Alcorn State-commit, has a broken bone in his foot which has cut his senior season short. If Flemming isn’t cleared to play against a powerful Stratford squad, the Eagles could be in trouble. Coach Jamie Dickey has a few horses of his own to rely on. Quintez Cephus is Stratford’s all-time leading scorer and a former Furman-commit before deciding to further his football career as a Wisconsin signee. O’Showen Williams and James Mitchell round out a high-scoring backcourt. Cephus went for 21 points in their 87-59 beat down of No. 10 Walker in the first round. North Cobb Christian will have to be ready for one of the state’s toughest blossoming big men, junior Nate Brooks. Brooks at 6-foot-7 did not play in their previous meeting. He is a force inside with his powerful dunks and ability to rebound. He pitched in a team-high 23 points against Harvard signee Robert Baker of Walker.
#3 Lakeview Academy (25-4) vs. #6 Whitefield Academy (19-10)
No. 6 Lakeview Academy faces its toughest test all year long as they meet No. 8 Whitefield Academy. The Lions’ sexy record has come primarily against a weak Region 8. They played Hebron Christian for a fourth time this year in the first round of the state playoffs and had to use overtime to escape 82-76. Coach Todd Cottrell’s team is extremely balanced and shares the ball well with Daniel Fadool leading at point guard. Tre Gober and Drew Cottrell attack from the outside while Josh Randolph and Carter Reeves are usually tasked with hitting the glass and scoring inside the arc. Coach Cottrell will need to focus on stopping the two leaders of the Wolfpack, junior Isaiah Hart and senior Brendon Myles. Hart averages 20.1 points and 4.9 assists while the 6-foot-4 Myles plays bigger than his size, putting up 19.8 points and 11.4 rebounds a night. Whitefield has played against some of the state’s best and have even beaten a few such as No. 2 St. Francis 75-73 and Southwest DeKalb, 53-52. The key is to slow down Myles and Hart. Jimmy McCarthy and Tyson Jackson must be boxed out and not allowed to earn Whitefield any second chance points. Jackson is a 6-foot-7 sophomore that is beginning to take steps toward reaching his potential, averaging 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
#10 St. Anne-Pacelli (17-9) vs. #2 St. Francis (21-7)
If the Vikings can come out of the gates strong, this game has the makings of becoming a dog fight. If not, the Knights will overpower them. Two explosive guards will go head-to-head. No. 2 St. Francis’ highly touted five-star Arizona-commit Kobi Simmons averaging 26 per game against St. Anne-Pacelli’s Tre Sudberry, a rim-attacking guard posting 22.5 points while hitting 51% of his three-point attempts. Simmons isn’t the only option Coach Drew Catlett has. Anthony Showell has provided stability at point guard averaging 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists while 6-foot-7 forward Chance Anderson might be the most valuable asset aside from Simmons. The versatile big man has been an unsung hero with his ability to score, rebound and defend. He is also a very willing passer that knows when to get his guards the ball. He has scored 11.9 points and grabbed 8.6 rebounds a game his senior season. The Vikings, who were ranked for a majority of the year, will try to create mismatches with their dynamic backcourt. Triston Wells averages 16.5 points and can bury three-pointers, nailing 60% of his attempts. Armon Prophet mans the point and shares the ball as well as anyone in the state, putting up 14.5 points and 9.2 assists per game. The Vikings stunned No. 4 Our Lady of Mercy in round one 85-79. If Coach Alan Griffin’s team can get hot from three, they can ride their shooting to the Final Four. As a team they have made 166-of-316, good for a smokin’ 53%.