Class AAAAAA

R5 #2 Milton 94, R3 #3 Campbell 83: The Eagles held off an explosive Campbell team that rallied from down 66-47 to make it 84-83 game in the fourth. Harvard signee Chris Lewis proved to be too big inside for the smaller Spartans to handle as he posted a triple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 11 blocks while adding on five assists. Kyrin Galloway, the second part of Coach Matt Kramer’s twin towers, chipped in 19 points. Alex O’Connell led Milton in scoring with 27 and Kendrick Summerour netted 13. Campbell didn’t go down without a fight. Senior guard Mike Olmert ignited the comeback with 39 points, 25 in the second half with 15 coming in the fourth quarter. The Spartans also received 20 points from Tyree Crankfield and 18 from Laz Walker in their final games.

R3 #2 Pebblebrook 78, R4 #1 McEachern 71: No. 5 McEachern held Auburn signee Jared Harper to just 11 points, a recipe for success, but they didn’t account for sophomore Dwight Murray who went off for a career-high 23 points to help carry the load as the No. 7 Falcons soared past the Indians.  Instead of Collin Sexton and Harper combining for 50 points it was Murray who added onto Sexton’s 27 points. JJ Smith chipped in 10 points. Darius Jones scored a team-high 21 for the Indians. Freshman Isaac Okoro pitched in 16 points while Tre People (13) and Bryce Smith (10) both cracked double figures. Pebblebrook now takes on unranked Milton in the Final Four.

Class AAAAA

R6 #1 Miller Grove 66, R5 #2 South Paulding 41: A slow start resulting in a 19-8 first quarter proved to be too much for No. 8 South Paulding to knock off No. 1 Miller Grove. The Wolverines stifled the Spartans with their defense, holding them to 28% shooting and 2-of-17 from behind the arc. Kane Williams was the only source of constant offense for Coach Gil Davis, scoring 20 points while Ja’Cori Wilson struggled with foul trouble and scored just six. McDonalds All-American and UConn signee Alterique Gilbert was held to just four made field goals, but still finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Coach Sharman White’s balance overwhelmed South Paulding. Tae Hardy (11), Colin Young (10), Joshua Jackmon (9) and Raylon Richardson (7) all hurt the Spartans with their shot making.

R4 #1 McIntosh 65, R7 #1 Riverwood 59: Slow starts have been a trend lately for No. 3 McIntosh, but the Chiefs woke up just in time to break No. 5 Riverwood’s heart after trailing 42-27 at the half. The Raiders jumped out to a 14-1 lead and drilled 10 threes in the first 16 minutes to stun McIntosh. Elijah Jenkins splashed in five threes on the night to lead the outside barrage and finished with 15 points and four assists. Furman signee Jordan Lyons scored 18 of his team-high 24 in the first half to give McIntosh a heartbeat. In the third quarter the Chiefs turned the tables on a Riverwood team known for its grinding defense, holding the Raiders to just four points while scoring 20 of their own to gain a 47-46 lead heading into the fourth. A pitch ahead from Dishon Lowery to Chase Walter for a dunk with 28 seconds left was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Will Washington scored 17 points in the win and helped spark the rally in the third quarter. Kohl Roberts ended his career with another monster game posting 16 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Pryce Watkins added seven points and Charnchai Chantha tallied seven assists in the loss. The Chiefs get their long awaited meeting with No. 1 Miller Grove in the Final Four.

Class AAAA

R6 #1 Grady 54, R1 #1 Westover 52: No. 3 Grady keeps finding ways to win. This time it was Bucknell-bound Avi Toomer hitting a reverse lay-up at the buzzer to stun Westover. Toomer was on and off the court with foul trouble and only scored seven points on the night. Javier Russell stepped up with 15 points, ten over his average, and DJ Brittian added 13. Westover was led by Alec Williams’ 17 points and freshman Jordan “Snow” Brown’s 10.

R4 #1 Jonesboro 57, R6 #4 St. Pius 37: Intense defense and a keen focus on Kerney Lane helped No. 1 Jonesboro blow past No. 8 St. Pius. MJ Walker Jr. scored a game-high 18 points and Jamari Smith scored 14 to lift the Cardinals. After Lane’s 26-point outburst in a 67-57 Sweet 16 loss to Jonesboro a year ago, Coach Daniel Maehlman made sure that Laney wouldn’t get hot. Defenders constantly draped Lane and held him to just 10 points along with fellow senior Christian Merrill who scored 10 as well. No. 1 Jonesboro faces No. 3 Grady in a potentially electric Final Four matchup featuring two teams with lightning-quick guards.

Class AAA

R1 #1 Jenkins 84, R6 #1 Calhoun 78: No. 2 Calhoun (27-1) used a furious rally to close the gap with defending state champion No. 5 Jenkins (27-4) but the Warriors made just enough plays to hang on for a wild 84-78 victory and a trip back to the Final Four. Calhoun trailed 25-16 in the second quarter and trailed at the half 41-37 after Zion Williams of Jenkins made two free throws just before the buzzer. Trevion Lamar, one of the top juniors in the state, led Jenkins with nine first half points. Calhoun hung around thanks for senior Ray Reeves’ big first half, netting 13 points, 11 of which came in the second quarter. Early in the third, the Warriors caught fire from deep as they sank four three-pointers in a row sparked by Williams’ three during the stretch to take a 54-42 lead. The lead grew to 62-49 but Calhoun would not fold. Even after Jenkins outscored the Yellow Jackets 27-19 in the third, Calhoun kept its composure down 68-56. Coach Vince Layson’s veteran group sparked a wild 17-4 run capped by Jireh Wilson’s three-pointer to take a 73-72 lead with 4:28 left. Staggered but not knocked out, Jenkins turned to Lamar to steady the course. The junior scored 19 points, six of them in a row for Coach Bakari Bryant to regain an 80-75 lead with 46 seconds remaining. Before Lamar’s final bucket, Wilson and Malik Lawrence had a miscommunication up top resulting in a costly turnover with 1:12 left. Williams sank two free throws to make it 82-75, but Kaelan Riley drilled a straight away three to give Calhoun life with 26 seconds left down 82-78. Brian Brannen was sent to the line and coolly sank both free throws to put the game out of reach. Williams led all scorers with 21 points while Dimetri Chambers added 11. Lawrence and Chapin Rierson both netted 16 points for the Jackets. Riley finished with 15 in his final game.

R4 #1 Cedar Grove 58, R3 #2 Westside-Augusta 40: Sometimes home court advantage doesn’t work out, just ask No. 3 Laney and No. 9 Westside-Augusta, both eliminated in the Elite Eight. Even the Laney girls fell close to home to rival Morgan County. No. 8 Cedar Grove did exactly what it had to do: take the home crowd out of the game. The Saints did it early by racing out to a 15-5 lead in the first quarter. Cedar Grove elected to slow things down and went four corners with three minutes left in the second quarter and took a 25-15 lead into the half. While Elijah Brown battled with foul trouble inside for the Patriots, Westside continued to play hard and entered the fourth down 36-27. A lack of outside shooting ultimately did in the Patriots. Christian Robinson hit their first three of the game with 4:10 remaining but it was too late as Westside was already down 51-33. Jelani Woods powered Cedar Grove with 17 points. Robinson led the Patriots with 14 points while leading scorer Trez Hawes was held to two points in his final high school game. No. 8 Cedar Grove will get its shot at defending state champion No. 5 Jenkins in the Final Four.

Class AA

R6 #1 Pace Academy 75, R1 #1 Thomasville 48: All those national beatings No. 3 Pace Academy took way back in November and December all seem worth it now after the Knights demolished No. 1 Thomasville who looked disinterested in putting up a fight after a pair of Pace three-pointers in the third quarter broke the Bulldogs’ spirit. Trailing 33-24 at the half, Thomasville still looked like it had a chance to prove their No. 1 ranking. Instead Wendell Carter Jr. wrecked the Bulldog front line and turned the game into a laugher, 55-32 heading into the fourth. Carter finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds, 12 blocks, four assists and two steals, continuing to cement himself as the No. 1 ranked junior in the entire country. Big men Reggie Perry, Alex Perry and Titus Wright all struggled to put a dent in Carter and Isaiah Kelly inside. Kelly had 11 points and five rebounds while Zack Kaminsky added 14. It was Barrett Baker’s third quarter daggers that broke Thomasville’s morale. He finished with 17 points. Reggie Perry scored 16 in the loss while older brother Alex had 12.

R4 #1 Crawford County 61, R6 #4 Holy Innocents’ 51: The Golden Bears finally bowed out after a great run as a four-seed. No. 2 Crawford County proved it could win a low scoring game by escaping a tough Holy Innocents’ group. William Jarrell scored 17 points to lead the way. Monkeize Moore had 15 and Marcal Knolton had 14 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. Brent Duncan posted a game-high 22 points for the Golden Bears inside. Cole Smith and Jules Erving scored 12 and 10 points respectively. No. 2 Crawford County puts its mettle to the test as they meet No. 3 Pace Academy who streaks into the Final Four.

Class A-Private

#6 Whitefield Academy 59, #3 Lakeview Academy 39: Tied at 22 going into the half, Isaiah Hart and Florida A&M signee Brendon Myles decided to take over. The duo combined for 46 of No. 8 Whitefield’s 59 points to advance to the Final Four. Myles scored a game-high 26 while Hart notched 20. The No. 6 Lions lose only one senior from this year’s 25-5 record setting team, Daniel Fadool, who finished his career with 10 points and seven assists. Carter Reeves posted eight points and eight rebounds. Tre Gober scored eight in the loss.

#2 St. Francis 105, #10 St. Anne-Pacelli 79: Too much size and too much talent did in a tough senior-led Viking team. Five-star Arizona-commit Kobi Simmons erupted for 44 points including three monstrous slams in the first quarter to set the tone. St. Anne-Pacelli could never cool off the No. 2 Knights. The Vikings fell behind early 9-0 and saw starting point guard Armon Prophet pick up three quick fouls trying to guard Simmons. Pacelli never quit and took a 53-38 deficit into the half while keeping the game respectable with their three-point shooting, but in the end Simmons along with Chance Anderson’s 21 points and 12 rebounds was too much to overcome. Anthony Showell and Wallace Tucker rounded out the balanced attack with 13 and 10 points respectively. Coach Alan Griffin’s top deep threat Triston Wells canned 28 points while leading scorer throughout the year Tre Sudberry tagged on 22. Prophet, the engine of the Viking offense, finished with 16 points. No. 2 St. Francis meets rival No. 8 Whitefield Academy for the third time this year after winning their first game 60-55 and losing the second 75-73.

Class A-Public

#3 Turner County 69, #6 Calhoun County 47: A new champion will be crowned in Class A-Public following No. 6 Calhoun County’s loss to No. 2 Turner County. Calhoun County gained control early and took a 20-16 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Reggie Ross picked up a third foul midway through the second quarter, however and the Cougars fell apart before the half. Calhoun County went scoreless the final 4:20 of the half and saw the lead evaporate and turn into a 35-25 halftime deficit. Turner County held a 46-40 lead at the end of the third quarter and piled on a 23-7 scoring edge in the final frame.

#7 Hancock Central 75, #2 Taylor County 66: So much for the power rankings. No. 4 Hancock Central broke open a 41-41 tie and outscored No. 5 Taylor County  34-25 in the fourth quarter to advance to Saturday’s Class A-Public semifinals where Turner County awaits . Hancock Central led 30-25 at the half before Taylor County tied it with a 16-11 advantage in the period. Alex Brooks was one of four Hancock players that finished in double-figures as he paced the Bulldogs with a team-high 22 points. Teammates Devojia Tucker netted 14 points, Martravious Smith finished with 13 and Phillipe Scott chipped in 12. The Bulldogs battle with Tammarion Terry and the Rebels in the Final Four.