Class AAAAAAA
Boys
Upper Right
No. 2 Newton (26-1)
No. 5 Westlake (17-10)
No. 6 Tift County (24-2)
No. 7 Berkmar (20-7)
Oh man. If you want to make the Final Four, it will be EARNED. Such a sour draw for Newton, who has been undefeated for nearly the entire season. A likely matchup with the defending state champions who are finally getting healthy will be a lofty task. The Rams led the Lions for almost the entire game before running out of gas in the Final Four last year and losing 64-59. Revenge will definitely be on their mind. Is Tift County for real? Well they will be put through the wringer right away. Berkmar’s guards will come at them in full force (if there are no upsets of course). Milton broke the Blue Devils’ hearts last year on a buzzer beater in the Sweet 16. Tift will have to pound away with recent Virginia Tech-commit PJ Horne, a Sandy’s Spiel Under the Radar Senior, if they want to get a crack at the big boys.
Girls
Upper Right
No. 3 Archer (22-4)
No. 7 Colquitt County (21-4)
No. 8 Brookwood (20-6)
Luckily, unlike last year, the state’s largest classification is pretty balanced. A year ago we had eight ranked teams located on the bottom of the bracket. This year everything is fairly equal with the amount of parity but the upper right looks treacherous. Archer will be the favorite to make it to the Elite Eight on their top side, but Brookwood and Colquitt County can play, so can three-seed South Forsyth and four-seed North Cobb who shouldn’t be pushovers. The Lady Packers have a chance to establish themselves if they can make it to the Elite Eight and get a crack at Archer. N’dea Jones of Brookwood could be the best player in the quadrant. The 6-foot-3 forward is heading to Texas A&M and controls the paint and will effect what opposing teams try to do. Archer however can counter with 6-foot-4 Linsey Marchese (Indiana) and 6-foot-3 Autumn Newby (Vanderbilt).
Class AAAAAA
Boys
Bottom Right
No. 3 Jonesboro (22-5)
No. 4 Lakeside-Evans (21-4)
No. 7 Allatoona (18-8)
No. 10 Richmond Hill (20-6)
Alpharetta (25-3)
Prepare to get grinded. Jonesboro does not have a cakewalk to the Final Four. They just aren’t clicking on all cylinders like they have in the past, even though they have MJ Walker, Jamari Smith and Jaylon Terrell. Their upset loss to Stephenson in the Region 4 championship has them facing a battle-tested Richmond Hill team that will look to prove once and for all that Region 2 can play with anybody. Allatoona has laid in the weeds all year long but the Bucs have a shot at playing spoiler and making it to the state finals for a third consecutive season while Jonesboro tries to make it four. If Jonesboro has to travel to Allatoona in the second round, prepare for the Bucs to throw the kitchen sink at the Cardinals and make MJ Walker look far from an All-American, just like what they did to Alterique Gilbert in last year’s finals. Alpharetta has the sexiest record of anyone in the field but Region 7 has been put into question all year long. They face their opposite in Tri-Cities (16-13). Coach Omari Forts runs a plethora of offensive sets that will test the Raiders’ patience in the half court. Lakeside-Evans has passed all three of their major 6A tests, sweeping Heritage-Conyers, but the problem is that’s really the only competition they have faced from high classifications (split with 2A Josey; beat 2A No. 2 Laney; lost to 2A No. 4 Butler; lost to 4A No. 8 Richmond Academy) and they haven’t played anyone of note outside of the Augusta area except for Effingham County who they beat 66-61. The Panthers will either boom or bust in state.
Girls
Upper Left
No. 1 Douglas County (24-3)
No. 4 Harrison (22-5)
No. 6 Tucker (21-6)
Harrison claimed the No. 1 ranking in Class 6A since Week 2, but their unceremonious loss to Creekview in the Region 6 championship game has dampened their playoff future or at least has made it more difficult. Douglas County has been clicking on all cylinders and will run most teams out of the gym. Harrison and Tucker should meet in Round 2 with both teams no strangers to taking deep tournament runs. If Sydne Wiggins (Rice) can return healthy for the Hoyas, everything changes. If not, Douglas County might race to the Final Four. The Hoyas did however beat the Tigers 64-48 earlier in the year, but that was at full strength.
Class AAAAA
Boys
Upper Right
No. 1 Buford (24-2)
No. 2 Warner Robins (24-3)
Union Grove (21-7)
New Hampstead (17-8)
Southwest DeKalb (16-12)
The depth of this quadrant stands out. Buford and Warner Robins are the cat’s meow, but Union Grove vs. New Hampstead in the first round should be fun. Whoever wins will test Buford in the Sweet 16. The Phoenix have played spoiler before, upsetting Upson-Lee in the first round of the tournament last year as a four-seed. Oronte Anderson might be able to work his magic again if they can get past Union Grove. Southwest DeKalb has seen as much elite talent in the state as anyone has in Class 5A. Kell and Warner Robins won’t scare them. Their inability to close out games has been a problem this year as the young Panthers continue to grow.
Girls
Upper Left
No. 2 Southwest DeKalb (23-4)
No. 8 Eagle’s Landing (24-3)
Harris County (19-6)
McIntosh (19-8)
Loganville (16-12)
Southwest DeKalb is the clear cut favorite to advance to the Final Four, but a few teams pose matchup problems with each other. Eagle’s Landing has handled their business all year long in Region 4, but a second round date with Loganville if the Red Devils get there, could be interesting. Loganville has played elite teams such as No. 1 Buford and No. 4 Flowery Branch and has held their own for the most part. They rely on their defense to muck games up and win low scoring ball games. McIntosh and Harris County meet in the opening round. The Chiefs are well-coached and have experience in the form of seniors DeLayne Rotolo and Savannah Soles and sophomores Rylee Calhoun and Kennedi Miller. Harris County’s guard play is a glaring weakness, but their posts compose of one of the best 1-2 punches in the state. 6-foot-5 junior Jessika Carter has spent time over the summer with Team USA and is averaging 18.4 points, 14.5 rebounds and 6.7 blocks. Second twin-tower Taziha Fanning is a 6-foot sophomore that is posting 17.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. Guards win championships in high school, but boy is Harris County an intriguing darkhorse.
Class AAAA
Boys
Upper Left
No. 2 Henry County (21-5)
No. 3 LaGrange (24-3)
No. 8 Richmond Academy (22-5)
Ouch. Henry County and LaGrange win their respective regions, regarded as possibly the two toughest in the state with Region 1 right there too and all they get out of it is to be grouped in the same quadrant. At least both teams are tested and are no stranger to stiff competition. Henry County should cruise to the Elite Eight, while the bottom part of the group is no easy task. Shaw (15-13) is playing good basketball and will give Richmond Academy all they can handle. LaGrange must play well to have a crack at seeing Henry County in the Elite Eight.
Girls
Bottom Right
No. 1 Cross Creek (23-4)
No. 6 Northwest Whitfield (21-5)
No. 10 Americus-Sumter (23-5)
Henry County (19-7)
Stop right there. Are you kidding! Defending state champion Americus-Sumter fell apart in the Region 1 tournament and slipped from No. 2 in the entire state to No. 4 in their own region. I’m not sure who that is worse for: Cross Creek or Americus-Sumter? Absolutely brutal draw for Cross Creek. The winner of this game will likely take a trip to the Final Four. Northwest Whitfield is a powerhouse in North Georgia but they will have their hands full in the second round chasing around prolific scorer Brooke Moore. The junior is committed to Auburn and is averaging 24.4 points per game. She may be the trump card in this potential matchup.
Class AAA
Boys
Upper Left
No. 1 Westside-Macon (23-3)
No. 3 Pace Academy (21-8)
No. 10 Johnson-Savanah (18-9)
Well dang. Any dreams of a Westside-Macon vs. Pace Academy state championship are shattered. The Seminoles have an easy road to the Elite Eight while Pace Academy must not lose focus and will see either Johnson-Savannah or Monroe, both upset-minded teams. The Atomsmashers are a tougher matchup for the Knights considering the level of competition they have seen this year and the fact that they have 6-foot-7 junior Amanze Ngumezi anchoring the paint to try and slow down Wendell Carter and Isaiah Kelly. Four players average in double figures for Johnson-Savannah and out of their eight top scorers, only one (Jamonte Williams) is a senior. Keep an eye on Johnson-Savannah next year.
Girls
Upper Left
No. 3 Beach (24-2)
No. 6 Redan (19-6)
No. 7 Calhoun (21-5)
No. 8 Central-Macon (19-5)
Hart County (22-5)
East Hall (16-10)
Out of the eight teams in the quadrant, SIX have spent time in the Top 10. All areas of the state are covered here with each geographic region battling for supremacy. All roads still lead through Savannah as Beach is the team to beat, but everyone else has experience playing high level teams as well. East Hall draws Redan in Round 1 with the right to play Beach in the Sweet 16. Carly Winters will need to be on with her three-point stroke and Kylah Mize must control the tempo and pace if the Vikings are to upset Redan. Hart County and Calhoun should be a fun matchup as South Carolina softball-signee Jana Johns will look to go out with a bang with the Yellow Jackets. 6-foot-1 junior center Jada Clowers will cause problems inside as she powers the Central-Macon Chargers frontline.
Class AA
Boys
Bottom Left
No. 6 Chattooga (24-1)
No. 7 Thomasville (18-8)
No. 8 Monticello (19-8)
Swainsboro (17-10)
Westside-Augusta (15-10)
There is a lot of guard play in this quadrant and that is exactly what Thomasville’s weakness is. 6-foot-8 Reggie Perry (Arkansas) and 6-foot-9 Titus Wright are monsters inside, but their suspect backcourt has held the Bulldogs back from breaking through this season. They might meet Chattooga in Round 2, a team from an extremely weak region, but a group that has a veteran backcourt. Twins Isaiah and Isaac Foster are lightning in a bottle while versatile Jay Shropshire was named Region 7 Player of the Year. Monticello draws Therrell in Round 1 but the Panthers haven’t been the same since Anthony Edwards transferred mid-season to Holy Spirit Prep. Westside-Augusta and Swainsboro could be a nip and tuck game. Just like last year, Monticello could be the sleeper to come out of this group.
Girls
Top Left
No. 1 Laney (26-1)
No. 3 Dodge County (24-3)
No. 10 Heard County (20-6)
Swainsboro (17-9)
Laney is the heavyyyyy favorite to win the state title this year in AA, but the one team I’ve been mentioning as having a shot to take them down is Dodge County. I wouldn’t have projected it to be in the Elite Eight however. The Indians’ upset loss to Bleckley County in the Region 3 title game is crippling as they will have to beat the best to be the best. Laney has won by an average of 42.3 points per game, crushing everyone in their path, especially since De’Sha Benjamin’s early season move back to Laney. Their only loss came in game two against undefeated 23-0 North Augusta, SC 62-56 without Benjamin. Just to prove their power, they humbled Class 6A’s No. 9 Mays 85-66 in December. Swainsboro is the best four-seed in the state, but even they will be up against it when they travel to Augusta. Dodge County can’t quite answer the bell to that level margin of victory-wise, but they have beaten strong programs from higher and lower classifications, sweeping Wayne County, splitting with Class A-Public No. 3 Telfair County and playing Class 5A No. 7 Maynard Jackson to a 54-50 defeat.
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