R8 #4 Grayson (22-7) vs. R2 #1 Newton (25-4)

 If you like good guard play, this will be a game to check out – or if Rams are your favorite animal. Austin Dukes lifted Grayson over No. 1 Wheeler in the first round with three free throws with 3.6 seconds left and did it once again in the Sweet 16, hitting a game-winner with 1.1 seconds remaining to slip past Lee County. Dukes scored 21 in the opening round and 22 in the second. He and Alphonso Willis give Coach Geoffrey Pierce a veteran backcourt that knows how to win. Add in glue guys like Tre Sconiers, Hafeez Anifowoshe and freshman big man Kenyon Jackson who averages close to 10 rebounds and four blocks a game, and it should come as no surprise that the Rams are still alive. They will have their hands full with a quick Newton team led by freshman point guard Ashton Hagans, junior combo guard that leads the team in scoring JD Notae and senior Jaquan Simms. A 63-61 win over Peachtree Ridge in round two has the No. 8 ranked team in the state still dancing.  Notae scored 27 points while Simms added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Hagans collected nine assists. Josh Tukes has been a difference-maker since seeing his role expand after Dre Butler’s season ended short.

R8 #1 Shiloh (23-5) vs. R3 #1 Westlake (24-4)

 No. 2 Westlake won in a clash of titans with No. 3 Norcross in the Sweet 16, a brutal matchup after the Blue Devils lost to No. 10 Collins Hill in the Region 7 championship. Chuma Okeke went for 17 points and 12 rebounds while Jamie Lewis scored 17. Okeke’s move from Langston Hughes to Westlake over the summer along with a couple other new pieces has helped put the Lions over the top. Speaking of an influx of new talent, No. 6 Shiloh piled in a load of transfers as well over the summer but had mixed results early as Khalil Richard (Siena) and Darnell Rogers (George Washington) left less than a month into the season but Greg James and Thurman Massenburg remain. Shiloh has struggled to score at times this season while using a grinding defense to constrict opponents, holding their last four all under 40 points. Georgia Tech signee Josh Okogie will shoulder the majority of the scoring burden with Malik Chandler and Dejon Waters chipping in.

R5 #2 Milton (22-8) vs. R3 #3 Campbell (21-8)

 After an up-and-down start to the season, it looks like Milton is finally playing up to its potential behind Harvard signee Chris Lewis, pure scorer Alex O’Connell and 6-foot-8 power forward Kyrin Galloway. The Eagles escaped No. 4 Tift County 56-54 after Justin Brown hit a three with a second left to stun a full house in South Georgia. O’Connell scored 15 points while Lewis and Galloway produced a combined 15 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks. Kendrick Summerour scored 11 in the win and will be tested by a backcourt that survived the rigors of a loaded Region 3. Laz Walker and Mike Olmert helped the Spartans hold off No. 9 Lambert 70-65 in the Sweet 16. Walker poured in 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second half while Olmert collected 18 points and eight assists. Against the larger frontcourt of Milton, seniors Jovahn Dunham (6-6) and Randy McClure (6-4) must play big. Dunham averages 3.4 blocks on the season McClure posts 10.8 points and 8.1 rebounds.

R4 #1 McEachern (26-3) vs. R3 #2 Pebblebrook (21-9)

No. 5 McEachern has used the momentum from an impressive run at the Lake City Classic where they smoked No. 9 Lambert 73-37 and beat ^5ANo. 3 McIntosh in overtime 75-68 before falling to host ^5ANo. 2 Allatoona 64-61, to run up a 26-win season and an unblemished mark in Region 4. A special blend of youth, experience, quickness and length has seen the Indians breeze into the Elite Eight after blitzing Berkmar 70-49. Senior guards Darius and AJ Jones have run Coach Mike Thompson’s offense to perfection while Bryce Smith is a 6-foot-7 forward that attacks the glass. Freshmen Isaac Okoro and Isaac Martin have provided X-factors, with Okoro able to play multiple positions while Martin has proven his worth, especially in the McIntosh game, as a clutch three-point shooter. It will take a team effort for the Indians to knock off last season’s state runner-up Falcons. Pebblebrook owns the highest scoring backcourt in the state between Jared Harper (Auburn) and junior Collin Sexton, both averaging 28 points per game. Class of 2017 combo guard JJ Smith is an Ole Miss commit and is a high-flying act while stuffing the stat sheet with rebounds and assists. After an 8-6 start thanks to playing a national schedule, Coach George Washington’s team has gotten back to basics, playing tough defense and winning five of its last six games.