Girls Recaps

Girls Final 4 Recaps

Class 7A

(Feb 29 at  Buford City Arena)

R2 #1 Westlake 62, R4 #1 Cherokee 33: Ta’Niya Latson scored 17 points and Raven Johnson had 16 as the Lions broke open the game after leading 10-9 after the first quarter. Furman-commit Kate Johnson led Cherokee with 9 points.

R6 #1 Collins Hill 54, R2 #2 Campbell 37: Northview transfers Eden Sample (18) and Asjah Inniss (11) led Collins Hill. Parkview transfer Purdue-commit Sacha Washington had 9. Sarah Taub, Nia Bozeman and Laila Battle all scored 9 points for Campbell.

Class 6A

(Feb 28 at  Buford City Arena)

R2 #1 Glynn Academy 59, R5 #1 Langston Hughes 38: UGA-signee Zoesha Smith dominated with 35 points and 18 rebounds. Francis Marion-signee La’Trinity Best added 12 points.

R4 #2 Forest Park 54, R1 #1 Valdosta 38: Sania Feagin finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals while Western Carolina-signee Joi Reid had 10 points and Janya Jones scored 7. Valdosta was led by Mikeria Carter’s 10 points. Jayla Cody had 11 points and Ja’Mya Johnson netted 8.

Class 5A

(Feb 29 at  Fort Valley State)

R8 #1 Buford 52, R4 #2 Woodland-Stockbridge 30: Furman-signee Tate Walters broke out with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Blair Wallis netted 11 points. Ashyia Willis tallied 5 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals.

R7 #1 Kell 60, R4 #1 Eagle’s Landing 55: Kell kept its dream season alive, surviving a veteran Eagle’s Landing team. Freshman Crystal Henderson poured in 25 points to lead the Longhorns. The Eagles were led by Mariah Fletcher (15), Jasmine Atkins (12) and Jaleah Storr (9).

Class 4A

(Feb 28 at  Fort Valley State)

R5 #2 Troup County 56, R1 #1 Carver-Columbus 47: Without All-American Louisville-signee Olivia Cochran, Carver couldn’t handle burgeoning star, 6-foot sophomore Aniya Palmer. The high-motor athletic wing posted 13 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 9 blocks. 5-foot-9 freshman Alexcia Murphy added 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steals and 1 blocks. Jada Green chipped in 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Samarria Weldon scored 6 points. Carver was led by Kionna Gaines’ 14 points and 5 rebounds. Khamya Edmonds and Enyshuan Jones hurt the Tigers in the first quarter but couldn’t sustain their production. Edmonds finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks while Jones collected 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.

R1 #2 Americus-Sumter 56, R4 #1 Luella 51 OT: Trailing 26-16 at the half after a 20-5 second quarter put Americus-Sumter in front, the Lions stormed back to tie the game at 36 heading into the fourth quarter after Fresno State-signee Keely Brown scored 12 of her game-high 24 points in the third. In the fourth the Panthers held a 49-47 lead before Paris Miller hit a runner in the lane with 7 seconds left after sitting on the bench the vast majority of the second half, sending the Lions to overtime on her first points of the game. In overtime, the Panthers made it a point to keep the ball out of Brown’s hands as Troy-signee Jelissa Reese face guarded her and kept the star scoreless in the extra period. Reese finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. Trinity Jones had 15 points before fouling out in overtime. Tiffani Goodman added 12 points. In the loss, Tajinique Williams had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Class 3A

(Feb 29 at  Valdosta State)

R3 #2 Beach 52, R7 #1 North Hall 31: Kaila Rougier went for 14 points while Madison Evans and Ameyah Dantzler scored 13 apiece in the rout.

R7 #2 GAC 52, R3 #1 Johnson-Savannah 50: GAC came back by down as many as nine points to dethrone the two-time defending state champs. Kaleigh Addie led GAC with 22 points and 3 steals, while Irvin had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Jaci Bolden added 13 points and Molly Pritchard gabbed 12 rebounds.

Class 2A

(Feb 29 at  Georgia College & State)

R3 #2 Southwest-Macon 54, R7 #1 Rockmart 52: Southwest-Macon pressed throughout the game and got burnt throughout by Keyarah Berry but somehow the Patriots closed on a 19-6 run to stun the Yellow Jackets as Stangious Alford hit a runner at the buzzer to advance Southwest to the state championship. The Patriots led 12-11 after one but trailed 24-18 at the half and 43-35 after three before falling behind 46-35 with 6:58 remaining. Before fouling out, Ja’Khyla Johnson hit Shygeria Williams on a behind the back pass to ignite the unforeseen comeback. With :26 seconds left, Alford, who mauled the Yellow Jackets on the glass with 23 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks, scored to give the Patriots their first lead of the second half at 52-51. Berry, who finished with 27 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, was fouled and split a pair of free throws to tie the game. The Yellow Jackets failed to keep the ball in her hands throughout the fourth quarter as they became careless slinging the ball against the press. On the other side, Avrie Grayer pounded the boards alongside Alford finishing with 15 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 6 blocks.  In the win, Shygeria Williams had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals.  In the loss, Megan Little tallied 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 steals.

R6 #1 Douglass 53, R1 #1 Early County 49: The defending state champion Astros won their rematch of last year’s title game behind 7 threes, one of their best shooting nights of the season. Kayla Sesberry hit 4 threes and finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Ashley McKee netted 15 points and grabbed 3 steals. Ashuntee Weems posted 12 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Makayla Timpson piled in a triple-double for Early County with 18 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 11 blocks. Jordan Eafford finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals while Ta’Ziaya Jones added 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Class A-Private

(Feb 28 at  Georgia College & State)

#1 St. Francis 75, #5 Wesleyan 61: Mia Moore scored 30 points while Oregon State-signee Savannah Samuel posted 22 points and 11 rebounds. Notre Dame-bound forward Amirah Abdur-Rahim added 14 points. Wesleyan was led by Lauren Hill’s 21. Georgia Tech-signee AC Carter finished wit 16 points and 10 rebounds. Paige Lyons had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

#2 Holy Innocents’ 52, #3 Hebron Christian 48: Jillian Hollingshead had 20 points in the win while Jessie Parish scored 13 in the loss. A controversial travel was called on Carly Fahey right before she hit a late game-tying three.

Class A-Public

(Feb 28 at  Valdosta State)

#1 Central-Talbotton 63, #4 Calhoun County 44: Central-Talbotton trailed 18-9 after the first quarter but stepped on the accelerator in the second half and closed out the game with a 27-9 fourth quarter to capture a 63-44 win. Sparks went for 28 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Shakemia Marshall had 4 points, 20 rebounds and 8 assists while Renijua Johnson (14) and Ty’Shemia Bunkley (12) lifted the offense.

#3 Wheeler County 81, #10 Turner County 66: Wheeler County put away Turner County 81-66 behind their trademark balanced scoring. Keyona Mincey had 21 points and 8 assists. Sameria Bryant tallied 17 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals and 1 block while Lela Wright contributed 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Keleiyah Harris pitched in 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Recaps

Boys Final 4 Recaps

Class 7A

(Feb 29 at  Buford City Arena)

R2 #1 Wheeler 59, R5 #1 Milton 47: Bruce Thornton scored 28 points but Denver-signee Sam Hines scored 19 points as the Wildcats advanced to the state finals.

R8 #1 Grayson 82, R3 #1 McEachern 76: McEachern led 29-27 at the half, but USF-signee Caleb Murphy came to life in the second half, finishing with 17 points. Mississippi State-signee Deivon Smith had 21 points and Winthrop-signee Toneari Lane netted 15. McEachern was led by Auburn-signee Sharife Cooper’s 21 points. Israel Palmer netted 20 and Cam McDowell had 15.

Class 6A

(Feb 28 at  Buford City Arena)

R8 #1 Lanier 63, R6 #1 South Cobb 57 OT: South Cobb blew a 45-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter to fall in stunning fashion. Lanier’s first lead came at 51-49 with :7 seconds left before South Cobb got a Robert Dix tip-in at the buzzer to force overtime. Tulane-signee Sion James led Lanier with 25 points.

R7 #1 Chattahoochee 78, R5 #1 Tri-Cities 72: AJ White dropped in 29 points including 10 in the fourth quarter to ice out the defending state champs. David McDaniel came up big 19 points. Tri-Cities was led by Demetrius Rives (21), Simeon Cottle (19) and Peyton Daniels (14).

Class 5A

(Feb 29 at  Fort Valley State)

R4 #2 Dutchtown 62, R7 #2 Kell 56 OT: Gardner-Webb-signee Jamaine Mann scored 16 points before fouling out and Cam Bryant posted 15 as the Bulldogs came back to force overtime and win in the extra period. Xavier Presley (12) and Najhae Colon (11) paced the Longhorns.

R8 #2 Cedar Shoals 73, R5 #1 Southwest DeKalb 72 4OT: USC-Aiken-commit Tyler Johnson hit a three at the buzzer to lift Cedar Shoals after trailing by as many as 11. USC-Aiken-commit Quincy Canty posted 27 points while Jerdavian Colbert added 12. Ohio State-signee Eugene Brown III led Southwest DeKalb with 26 points.

Class 4A

(Feb 28 at  Fort Valley State)

R4 #1 Woodward Academy 64, R7 #1 Denmark 43: After trailing 25-23 at the half, the War Eagles blew past Denmark. UNC-signee All-American Walker Kessler struggled mightily but still finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks. Jacorrei Turner had 12 points and 7 rebounds while Will Richard chipped in 11 points and 6 rebounds. Davidson-signee Emory Lanier had 9 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Michael Whitmore tallied 8 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Denmark was led by Sutton Smith’s 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Robert Cowherd had 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

R3 #1 Cross Creek 51, R8 #1 St. Pius X 36: Cross Creek’s momentum from the second half of their Elite Eight victory over LaFayette carried over into the Final Four as the Razorbacks led nearly wire-to-wire over St. Pius. Presbyterian-signee Kobe Stewart posted 20 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while Corey Trotter had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks as the Razorbacks were too big inside and limited any opportunities for the Golden Lions to get to the rim. Makhi Climons added 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Dayvion Simms scored 4 points to go with his 2 assists and 2 steals but his presence was felt predominately on defense as he chased Brookes Kahlert the entire game and held the point guard to 5 points. Devin Portee led the Golden Lions with 11 points.

Class 3A

(Feb 29 at  Valdosta State)

R5 #1 Pace Academy 75, R3 #3 Johnson-Savannah 46: The Knights blitzed the smaller Atomsmashers behind Matthew Cleveland’s 26 points and Cole Middleton’s 18. Emondre Bowles led Johnson with 18 points. Derek Edwards netted 11.

R8 #1 Jefferson 66, R4 #2 Central-Macon 58: Jefferson’s fantastic run continued as Navy-signee Jacob Radaker scored 16 points followed by Kam Robinson’s 13 and Owen Parker’s 12. Central-Macon was paced by Quay Primas (26) and Antonio Card (11).

Class 2A

(Feb 29 at  Georgia College & State)

R2 #1 Swainsboro 79, R4 #1 Glenn Hills 62: In a chippy game, Swainsboro pulled away late to earn their 30th win of the season. The Tigers led 29-27 at the half and 44-35 after three before tempers got the best of Glenn Hills. The quarter began with a long delay which resulted in a bookkeeping technical on the Spartans which would be a sign for things to come. Coach William Cunningham lost his cool at the 4:45 mark with the score 53-40 and it would only get uglier as two Spartans would get ejected later on. Swainsboro was powered by Fred Seabrough’s 21 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 blocks. AJ Kingsbury scored 14 of his 21 in the fourth quarter including hitting 7-8 free throws. Immanuel Hackett had 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while Derrick Jones set the tone early with his defense, blocking five shots to go with his 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Emmanuel Jones scored 10 points in the second quarter for Glenn Hills but was quiet until the score got out of reach in the fourth. He poured in 28 points, 15 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 blocks. Tre Whitehead had 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Octavious Walton had 9 points and 4 rebounds and was the first casualty of ejection.

R6 #1 Therrell 54, R7 #2 Chattooga 37: Outside of a brief 6-5 lead, the Indians never threatened the defending state champs who overpowered the Cinderella story. Ra’Sean Frederick finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Roman Son added 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals . Cameron Fortson provided 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Chattooga was led by  Malachi Jackson’s 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.  Damien Smith, Cash Allen and Jatorrian Williams each scored 7 points.

Class A-Private

(Feb 28 at  Georgia College & State)

#1 St. Francis 63, #5 Mt. Pisgah 58: Xavier-signee Dwon Odom had 23 points and 7 rebounds as the Knights held off a late rally from the Patriots. Seth Hubbard scored 14 points and Jusuan Holt had 13 points and 6 rebounds. The Knights went 11-14 from the line in the fourth. Mt. Pisgah got 17 points off 4 threes from Chase Tucker.

#2 Greenforest 52, #11 Trinity Christian 47: Jalen Forrest led Greenforest with 17 points In the loss, Isaac Brito scored 18 points and Raul Arias had 11. North Georgia-signee Brady Burnett netted 8.

Class A-Public

(Feb 28 at  Valdosta State)

#1 Treutlen 68, #4 Terrell County 63:
#3 Hancock Central 83, #2 Wilcox County 59:

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