R5 #1 Allatoona (29-0) vs. R6 #2 Southwest DeKalb (25-5)
Undefeated No. 2 Allatoona has passed every test it has faced since falling to Brunswick in the state championship last year. Unlike a lot of other teams left in the championship hunt, Allatoona is not the sexiest team and doesn’t use a high-flying offense to win games. Instead the Buccaneers use a devastating defense keyed up top by guards Ephraim Tshimanga and Trey Doomes to slow opponents to a screeching halt. Coach Markus Hood’s pressure defense has stifled the most worthy of opponents including No. 8 South Paulding three times, 1A-PrivateNo. 3 North Cobb Christian, Berkmar and 6ANo. 5 McEachern, the latter three all in order at the Lake City Classic. Only four times all season has an opponent eclipsed the 60-point barrier; Allatoona ranks second in the state at 46.8 points allowed per game. The Bucs use a deep rotation which manages to play as a team. Kevin Perry is a Costal Georgia signee while Tshimanga remains unsigned and Doomes, a sophomore, holds an offer from Kennesaw State. They will have their hands full with an athletic Southwest DeKalb team that has seen the best, playing No. 1 Miller Grove close two out of the three times they played. Keith Gilmore is a difficult cover at 6-foot-4 having the ability to drive the lane or shoot off the dribble. He leads the Panthers in scoring at 16.6 points while pulling down 6.3 rebounds. Nathaniel Ambersley, Darius Hogan and Mandarius Dickerson make up a consistent backcourt. Washington County transfer 6-foot-6, 245-pound TiQuan Lewis has provided a bull on the low block. He averages 11 points and seven rebounds. If the Panthers are to hand the Bucs their first loss, Lewis and Gilmore will need big games against the stingy Allatoona defense.
R8 #1 Cedar Shoals (28-2) vs. R6 #3 Mays (14-13)
Coach L’Dreco Thomas’ Jaguars roll deeeep. No. 4 Cedar Shoals has a legitimate seven scoring options headed by junior swingman Phlan Fleming and tenacious senior point guard Jerrick Mitchell. Fleming has a sweet mid-range game and can attack the hoop. Mitchell “makes everyone around him better” a Region 8 coach told me and I’ve seen it firsthand. He is lightning quick with the ball and has knack for getting his teammates open. Coming out of one the toughest regions in the state has the Jags ready for another Final Four push at the very least. A late season addition of a now healthy Chris Gresham has proved to be an ace up Coach Thomas’ sleeve. Quality wins liter Cedar Shoals’ resume while their only two losses aren’t bad either: No. 6 Gainesville 80-77 in 2OT and 6ANo. 8 Newton 56-53. Mays enters as a heavy underdog after beating Sequoyah in overtime 72-65 and four-seed Jones County 70-68 in the Sweet 16. Mays doesn’t have much size, but Reo Wright and Chris Jackson have been able to carry the load offensively. The Raiders have played some teams tough this season and will have to hope that the Jaguars overlook them with their modest record.
R5 #2 South Paulding (25-4) vs. R6 #1 Miller Grove (27-2)
To be the best, you have to beat the best. Even though No. 1 Miller Grove was knocked out of the tournament this time last year by Warner Robins breaking their dominance of six-straight titles, the No. 8 Spartans get the unenviable task of facing a hungry pack of Wolverines. This is new territory for South Paulding as the Spartans are making their deepest run at state in school history. The trip to the Elite Eight is also the deepest any boys team has ever gone in any sport in school history. Leading the charge this year has been a pair of dynamic juniors: Kane Williams and Ja’Cori Wilson. Williams, a do-everything combo guard, poured in 33 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing four assists in South Paulding’s wild 62-60 finish at No. 9 LaGrange in the Sweet 16. Wilson stands 6-foot-7 and can score inside and out, giving Coach Davis a lethal weapon. Inside is Anthony Brown who goes to work with his hardhat and lunch pail. The bruiser gobbles up rebounds with his soft hands and can do damage on the block. He finished with nine points and 16 rebounds against the Grangers. The three aforementioned cornerstones will need to play to the best of their ability if they want to send Miller Grove packing for a second straight year. McDonalds All-American and UConn signee Alterique Gilbert keys the wide open Wolverine attack averaging over 20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals a night. He has more than enough options surrounding him. Aaron Augustin, Tae Hardy, Joshua Jackmon and Colin Young crowd the backcourt while Raylon Richardson and Aidan Saunders hit the boards with Richardson patrolling the paint coming off an 8-point, 11-rebound and 7-block performance in a come from behind victory over Richmond Academy, 64-57. Miller Grove hasn’t lost to an in-state opponent all year long.
R4 #1 McIntosh (28-2) vs. R7 #1 Riverwood (29-1)
Talk about polar opposites even though both programs are enjoying historic seasons. Much like No. 2 Allatoona, No. 5 Riverwood prefers to grind games out with its defense. The Raiders actually allow the least points per game in the state at 45.9. Riverwood’s only loss came at the Lake City Classic to Carrollton 47-38, when their lack of scoring was highlighted. There should be an asterisk next to that result however, as third-leading scorer Charnchai Chantha (10.1) did not play. His ability to stretch the floor along with Coach Buck Jenkins’ son Elijah has helped clear up space for Kohl Roberts to work inside. Jenkins averages 12.1 points and leads the team in three-pointers made with 83, connecting at 47% clip. Last year the Raiders hit 121 threes, but only made 33%. This season they have buried 162 with a 42% success rate. The pressure for Roberts to score inside has now lessened, but the 6-foot-8 unsigned senior is still a load down low averaging 16 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 4.2 blocks per game. He will battle with the state’s other top rebounder, Wofford signee Dishon Lowery (10.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 2.7 bpg). The No. 3 Chiefs can’t get much different than the Raiders. McIntosh likes to run-and-gun and fills each game with highlights as Will Washington (13.8 points & 7.6 assists) orchestrates the offense. Flanking him is future Furman sniper Jordan Lyons (19 ppg) and Isaac Kellum (11.5 ppg), who joined the team after missing the first 13 games – McIntosh 17-0 with Kellum declared eligible. The final piece to the Chief puzzle, even though he’s not the last piece to join, is Chase Walter a 6-foot-6, 215-pound banger inside that averages 8.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. The most important and emphatic of his 256 points on the season came in the waning seconds of the senior class’s final home game ever at The Tosh in the Sweet 16, as Walter crammed in an And-1 dunk with 1.1 seconds left to stun No. 6 Gainesville 87-84. Riverwood enjoyed a wild comeback of their own, holding Statesboro to 13 second half points as the Raiders rallied from down 14 to win 48-47. Roberts posted a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks while Chantha added 12 points and Pryce Watkins 14.
