MARCH 9
CLASS A-PUBLIC
R8 #1 No. 3 Lake Oconee Academy 45, R7 #1 Hancock Central 29
After leading 7-4 following the first quarter, Hancock Central (18-4) was held scoreless for over five minutes as No. 3 Lake Oconee Academy (26-1) made their move and surged ahead for good to capture their first ever state title under first-year Head Coach Ed Wilson. Georgia Bosart, a sophomore, broke the game open with 10 of her 17 points in the second quarter and finished with 20 rebounds and 6 assists for the game as the Titans took a 22-14 lead into the half. The smaller Titans outrebounded the Bulldogs 48-35. 5-foot-5 junior Jada Williams contributed 4 points, 13 rebounds (6 offensive), 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Jane Monachello and Hannah Heinen scored 9 points each. Hancock was held to 8-48 (16.7%) from the field. Jameria Lawrence and Sonovia Reynolds paced the Bulldogs with 8 points apiece.
R6 #1 No. 2 Drew Charter 51, R7 #1 No. 6 Warren County 50: Drew Charter’s wild run to their first ever state title finished with fireworks as the Eagles (31-1) scored the final five points of the game to stun Warren County (25-4). Cam Johnson led Drew Charter with 17 points while Cedric Taylor dominated the paint with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 5 crucial blocks, including a late swat with 1:02 left, blocking a shot that could have pushed the Screamin’ Devils up to 50-45. Warren County led 39-36 after three quarters and led by three with 28 seconds left until Jakobe Strozier split a pair of free throws. Justyn Burnett pushed the Warren County lead to 50-46 with 23 ticks left but Kenyatta Bennett immediately nailed a corner three to trim into the lead with 16.8 seconds remaining. Just moments later, Warren County turned the ball over on the press as a player fell down and Taylor picked up the steal and was fouled, converting both free throws to take a 51-50 lead with 8.6 seconds on the clock. Strozier had a chance to ice the game from the foul line but missed the front end of the one-and-one. The Devils raced down for a layup at the buzzer but was swallowed up by Strozier and Taylor at the rim. Warren County was led by Ken’vonte Brinkley’s 15 points and 9 rebounds and led by as many as nine points at the 5:27 mark of the third quarter, 33-24. Lorenzo Johnson finished his career with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks.
CLASS 4A
R6 #1 No. 5 Marist 56, R5 #1 No. 1 Luella 54 2OT
The late game heroics of Michigan softball-signee Avery Fantucci lifted No. 5 Marist (28-3) to their first ever state title, taking their first lead of the game since 15-14 at the 2:30 mark of the second quarter on Fantucci’s game-winning layup. No. 1 Luella (27-4) led 46-43 at the end of regulation and thought they had the game won, but Fantucci drilled a three from halfcourt to send the game to overtime. From there, Milani Smith did the heavy lifting for the Lions, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Luella, who led 30-19 in the third quarter, could never put away the resilient War Eagles. Marist outscored Luella 10-4 in fast break points and pounded the Lions on the glass, outrebounding Luella 48-29, grabbing 24 offensive rebounds and scoring 15 second chance points. Lexy Faklaris posted 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while going 7-8 from the line. Marist as a team would shoot 17-21 from the stripe to Luella’s 6-8. The hero, Fantucci, piled in 18 of her 19 points in the second half and added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Luella received 10 points apiece from Trinity Layton and Jacksonville State-signee Evelina Davlakou, who fouled out at the 2:14 mark of double overtime with the Lions up 52-50.
R2 #1 No. 5 Spencer 62, R1 #1 No. 3 Westover 42
A 25-6 run spanning the third quarter into the fourth put No. 5 Spencer (30-2) ahead for good, clinching the Greenwave their first state title and avenging last season’s disappointing 50-49 buzzer beating loss to Westover (25-4) in the Sweet 16. Spencer led 20-16 at the half but fell behind 26-23 to open the third quarter as Westover opened on a 10-3 run. Defense ignited Spencer as their depth, speed and length overwhelmed the Patriots. Nine Spencer players scored as the entire roster saw significant minutes throughout. Tycen McDaniels led the charge on both ends of the floor, keying the press and finishing with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 5 blocks. Spencer held Westover to 28.6% shooting and shot 44.6% themselves. Randall Dixon scored 12 points followed by Tony Montgomery’s 11. Westover was led by Effrin Smith’s 11 points and 5 rebounds. Anthony Milton netted 12 points and Cam Ball scored 9.
MARCH 10
CLASS 2A
R8 #2 No. 2 Elbert County 52, R8 #1 No. 1 Rabun County 44
In a game heavily influenced by the officiating, whistling 56 total fouls, No. 2 Elbert County (28-4) claimed their first ever state title in a war of attrition against region foe No. 1 Rabun County (24-6). The defense of the Blue Devils was suffocating all throughout, holding Rabun County to 23.9% shooting. Elbert County led 25-19 at the half and built a 39-27 lead before 19 fouls were called in the third quarter including a technical on Coach Josh Jones which breathed life into the LadyCats as Rabun County closed on an 8-0 run to head into the fourth quarter down just 39-35. In the wildness, Terrace Hester was fouled out with 12 points. The LadyCats trimmed the lead to 41-37 with 3:56 remaining but at the 3:01 mark Lucy Hood fouled out with 6 points and Rabun down 41-37. Leading scorer Carley Haban would eventually foul out as well with a game-high 18 points. The Blue Devils saw rim protector Brenasia Faust also foul out with 3 points, 9 rebounds and 1 block. Aaniyah Allen paced Elbert County with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, scoring 10 points in the second half. Niya Moon scored 7 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal.
R4 #1 No. 4 Westside-Augusta 64, R4 #2 No. 3 Butler 55
Trailing 22-11 after one quarter and 38-32 at the half, No. 4 Westside-Augusta (26-4) clamped down No. 2 Butler (22-7) to just 17 second half points to race past the Bulldogs for a state title. Jalexs Ewing powered Westside-Augusta with 16 points and 8 rebounds including a poster dunk in transition. AuMauri Tillman netted 14 points — 10 in the second half — to go with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Khalon Hudson kept the Patriots afloat in the first half scoring all of his 10 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. The Butler offense slowed down in the third quarter, outscored 19-7. The Bulldogs trailed 51-45 after three. Butler was led by Gemaureon Belton’s 12 points off four threes, all in the first half. Elijah Martinez added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Chance Finklin picked up 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.
CLASS 5A
R3 #1 No. 1 Woodward Academy 72, R3 #2 No. 2 Forest Park 44
Turnovers and early foul trouble quickly eliminated any hope of a No. 2 Forest Park (22-7) victory as No. 1 Woodward Academy (29-2) beat the Panthers for the seventh-straight time to repeat as state champs. Forest Park hung tough and trailed just 23-17 at the 3:58 mark, but at that moment Jayda Brown picked up her fourth foul and had to head to the bench. From there, Woodward Academy grew a 38-17 halftime lead, closing on a 15-0 run. UGA-signee and Gatorade Player of the Year Sydney Bowles finished her illustrious career with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. Sara Lewis added 17 points, 3 rebounds and 6 steals. As a team, Woodward Academy forced 39 turnovers. Yasmine Allen led Forest Park with 19 points. Jayda Brown scored 8 before fouling out early in the third quarter.
R3 #1 No. 3 Tri-Cities 67, R4 #1 No. 1 Eagle’s Landing 59
No. 3 Tri-Cities (23-5) packed it in with their 1-3-1 zone and held No. 1 Eagle’s Landing (27-4) to 2-18 shooting from the perimeter to hoist their second state title in four years, holding off a furious comeback bid. The Bulldogs used a 14-2 run to grab an early 22-15 lead and would never look back. Noricco Danner scored seven of his 13 points in the third quarter to build a 46-35 lead heading into the final stanza. From there, Eagle’s Landing could never get over the hump. The Eagles cut the lead to 58-56 with 35.3 seconds left on a tough Elijah Robinson And-1. Robinson missed the free throw and Kenny Brayboy collected the carom but his putback rolled off the rim and Ryan Mathieu cleared it. Mathieu, 0-4 from the line up until that point, banked in a pair of free throws to push the lead back out to 60-56. Kory Mincy paced Tri-Cities with 19 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Kennesaw State-signee Simeon Cottle chipped in 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, scoring 12 points in the second half. AJ Barnes posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Eagles while Jordan Fordyce finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Brayboy tallied 9 points and 8 rebounds. David Thomas was held in check with 5 points on 2-7 shooting, attempting just two shots in the second half as Tri-Cities hounded the star guard by running double teams at him.
MARCH 11
CLASS 3A
R7 #1 No. 1 Lumpkin County 51, R5 #2 No. 3 GAC 47
No. 1 Lumpkin County (30-1) trailed the entire game until an Averie Jones floater at the 3:47 mark keyed a 12-0 run that gave the Indians a 46-40 lead that they would narrowly hold onto for their first ever state title. No. 3 GAC (25-7) came out of the gates hot, hitting three first quarter threes and forcing 10 first half turnovers. GAC led 22-19 at the half but Kate Jackson was able to keep the Indians afloat, scoring nine first half points as Coach David Dowse fed her inside consistently. Jackson would finish with 15 points and 13 rebounds after missing her sophomore season due to a torn ACL. After three quarters, GAC held a 40-32 lead as Xavier-signee Kaleigh Addie and Jaci Bolden did damage with their quickness. Addie finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 steals while Bolden added 13 points. Looking for a spark in the fourth quarter, Jones, Lumpkin County’s leading scorer on the season, got hot piling in 10 of her 17 points in the final frame. Known for their three-point shooting, the Indians never got on track shooting 3-11 but were able to find their offense in other areas. Lexi Pierce scored 12 points and added 5 assists. Lumpkin County had all the momentum at 46-40 but turnovers quickly reared their ugly head again as Kaleigh Addie converted two layups off a pair of steals to knot the game at 47 with 50 seconds left. On a set inbound play, Ciera Brooks threaded the needle to Jackson inside to regain the lead with 36 seconds to play. Bolden tried to drive inside but Jackson stuck her hand in to knock the ball and the referees called a travel on the Spartans. Region 7 Player of the Year Mary Mullinax iced the game with a pair of free throws with under four seconds left, finishing with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
R4 #2 No. 7 Cross Creek 60, R3 #2 No. 3 Windsor Forest 53
No. 7 Cross Creek (26-6) went back-to-back defeated a senior-laden No. 3 Windsor Forest (23-7) that could never get over the hump in the second half. Hot shooting gave Windsor Forest an 18-16 lead after one quarter, but a three-point second quarter let Cross Creek grow a 30-21 advantage heading into the break as Ahmad Hunt scored 11 of his team-high 14 points off the bench in the opening 16 minutes. The Razorbacks drained 6-13 from beyond the arc and would shoot 7-20 in total. Windsor Forest surged in the third quarter and cut the lead to 32-31 but the Razorbacks answered with a 9-2 run to close, taking a 41-35 lead into the fourth quarter. The Knights would threaten multiple times in the final period. Michael Cabellero sank a pair of free throws to tie it at 45 with 4:06 remining but the Razorbacks would answer with six quick points. Four Razorbacks reached double figures. Jayden Pack had 11 points and 6 rebounds followed by Jaquez Ellison’s 10 points and 5 rebounds. Antoine Lorick, who fouled out with 1:29 to play on a D’ante Bass And-1, finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Terrenice Streetman, another foul out casualty, collected 8 points. Bass, the Georgetown-signee, led Windsor Forest with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
CLASS 6A
R4 #1 No. 2 Lovejoy 54, R7 #2 No. 8 Sequoyah 38
No. 2 Lovejoy (28-3) led wire-to-wire to clinch their second state title and first since 2018. The Wildcats shutdown the Chiefs, holding No. 8 Sequoyah (24-8) to 26.9% shooting. Lovejoy led 15-7 after one quarter and 23-16 at the half as Sequoyah held the Wildcats to 3-20 shooting in the quarter but the Chiefs could only muster 3-15 shooting themselves. Lovejoy dominated the glass, grabbing 27 offensive rebounds and outrebounding the Chiefs in total 53-35. Lovejoy broke the game open in the third quarter with a 17-9 frame. Mercer-signee Layla Hood totaled 14 points and 16 rebounds. Region 4 Player of the Year Bryanna Preston notched 13 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Bryana Hardy collected 11 points and 11 rebounds while Sequoyah was paced by Lee-signee Susanna Rodgers’ 10 points and 12 rebounds. Elle Blatchford had 8 points and 5 rebounds.
R3 #1 Grovetown 66, R8 #2 No. 5 Buford 59
A 20-7 second quarter gave Grovetown (29-3) all the separation needed to claim the school’s first title. The Warriors pulled ahead 12-6, but a 6-0 No. 5 Buford (25-7) spurt tied the game at 12 after eight minutes. In the second quarter EJ Kency came off the bench and drained three threes to extend the lead back out to 21-12. The Warriors would shoot 7-16 from deep including sinking six threes in the first half to hold a commanding 32-19 halftime advantage. In the third quarter Buford knotted the game up at 43-43 with 1:04 to play on an Alahn Sumler And-1 jumper, part of a 9-1 run, seven points via Sumler. After winning the quarter 24-15, the Wolves entered the fourth down 47-43. From there, Buford could never take the lead, their last coming at 6-3 in the first quarter. The Warriors ripped off a 7-0 run to put the lead at 54-45 and would never look back. The Wolves had possession down 61-59 with 17 seconds left but would turn the ball over. Grovetown was led by Frankquon Sherman’s 23 points and 13 rebounds. Buford received 17 points and 5 rebounds from Sumler.
MARCH 12
CLASS A-PRIVATE
R7 #1 No. 2 Mt. Paran 54, R5 #2 No. 4 Hebron Christian 49
Senior-laden No. 2 Mt. Paran (25-4) finally climbed the mountain top to capture their first-ever state title, riding Georgia Tech-signee Kara Dunn to 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks to put away the defending state champs. Tied at 7 after one period as both teams were slow to figure each other out on defense, the pace quickened in the second quarter as No. 4 Hebron Christian (26-6) took a slim 24-22 lead into the half. In the third quarter Dunn broke out with 12 of Mt. Paran’s 17 points, but Hebron held tough behind Wofford-signee Jessie Parish and freshman Aubrey Beckham. Parish finished her career with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists while Beckham tallied 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. At the 3:01 mark with the Eagles up 44-42, Dunn picked up her fourth foul but the Lions couldn’t capitalize. Mt. Paran would go on a mini 5-1 run keyed by a Dunn And-1 at the 2-minute mark to make it 49-43. West Georgia-signee Katelyn Dunning would help ice the game from the line going 6-10 from the stripe in the frame to finish with 9 points and 3 steals. Dunn shot 10-15 from the foul line, going 9-13 in the second half.
R2 #1 No. 1 Greenforest 61, R6 #1 No. 3 King’s Ridge 52
No. 3 King’s Ridge (28-5) buried 10 threes, but it wasn’t quite enough for David to slay Goliath as No. 1 Greenforest (28-4) saw Jalen Forrest pile in 26 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals to secure the Eagles’ first state title since 2017. The towering Eagles trailed 13-12 after the first quarter and led 26-24 at the half as King’s Ridge let it fly from deep. Greenforest countered inside scoring 18 points in the paint in the first half and 38 for the game. The Eagles grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the first half and 19 in total. King’s Ridge shot 10-23 from deep and 52.6% overall from the field, outpacing Greenforest’s 43.1% but the Eagles attempted 58 shots to the Tigers’ 38 and went 11-16 from the line. Florian Tenebay collected 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Isaac Martin led King’s Ridge with 18 points, draining six threes. Micah Hoover contributed 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. The Tigers tied the game at the 4:53 mark at 50 when Liam Thomas drained a three, but Greenforest would close with an 11-2 run from that point on.
CLASS 7A
R7 #1 No. 4 Norcross 41, R3 #1 No. 5 Harrison 37
In a sluggish defensive battle, No. 4 Norcross (26-5) woke up with their man press in the fourth quarter and outscored No. 5 Harrison 22-14 in the final frame to hoist their state title since 2013 and fourth in program history. Trailing 17-12 at the half after shooting just 5-22 from the field and committing nine turnovers, Norcross managed to stay in the game by limiting Harrison’s three-point looks holding the prolific outside shooting team to 4-15 from deep. The Lady Blue found themselves down 23-19 after three quarters before sophomore Jania Akins exploded, sparking an 8-0 run to open the fourth. Akins drained a corner three at the 6:28 mark to give Norcross their first lead since a 9-8 advantage early in the second quarter. Eight seconds later Akins drilled another three from the right corner to push the lead to 27-23. Akins finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds, 11 points in the fourth after shooting just 1-11 through the first three quarters. Norcross led 37-29 before Harrison made one last surge behind Alisha Foster who finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds. The Hoyas trimmed the lead to 37-35 with 58.6 to play. DePaul-signee Zaria Hurston split a pair of free throws and then got a breakaway layup to extend the lead to 40-35 giving Norcross the space needed to clinch the championship.
R7 #2 No. 8 Norcross 58, R7 #1 No. 3 Berkmar 45
It took nine long years and heartbreak along the way, but No. 8 Norcross (26-6) was able to exercise their regular season demons against No. 3 Berkmar (26-5) to earn their sixth state title and first since 2013. After losing three times to the Patriots by a combined nine points, the Blue Devils were able to cooperate together and slowly pull away from Berkmar after leading 24-22 at the half and 40-34 after three. London Johnson scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to distance the Blue Devils from the Patriots. Johnson would also collect 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Jerry Deng double-doubled with 14 points and 12 rebounds while Samarion Bond supplied 13 points and 5 rebounds. Foul trouble hampered Berkmar in the second half as Jameel Rideout was saddled with his fourth foul at the 3:05 mark of the third quarter with the Patriots trailing 34-31. Berkmar trimmed the lead to 40-37 with 5:32 remaining but a personal 5-0 run from Johnson would extend the lead and eventually Ole Miss-signee Malique Ewin would foul out with 3:13 to play as Norcross led 47-40. Ewin finished his career with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Rideout scored 13 points and Brycen Blaine had 12. Berkmar was held to 31% shooting and made just 4-22 from beyond the arc. Norcross was outshot 58-37, but went 18-27 from the foul line.
