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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Take 10: The 10 best in the Final Fours
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Final Four time in Georgia, and we at Take Ten were having trouble deciding what to do: Travel to Macon or Gwinnett Arena? We’ll probably do both. If you’re just a casual fan, you’ve got to thinking about where you’re getting the best entertainment. Who are the best teams? Who are the best players? We decided to answer the latter for you.
Here are the 10 best players to make this year’s GHSA Final Fours:
10: Kayla Weaver, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe - The Warriors are one of the best stories in this year’s tournament. The school had never won a state tournament game until this season. Now they’ve won three and are vying for a championship. Weaver, the team’s senior leader, is deadly from beyond the arc and a threat to score at any point.
9: Telia McCall, Marietta - The future Virginia player has been a force in getting Marietta back to the Final Four, looking for Ken Sprague’s first state title. Teammate Brittany White is fun to watch as well, but it’s McCall who drives this team.
8: Rashard Smith, Dublin - This versatile athlete has signed with North Carolina State for football. He’s fun to watch on the basketball court, dropping 30 points on Central Macon in the quarterfinals.
7: Blanche Alverson, Buford - The Wolves have a great starting five — keep an eye on freshman Andraya Carter — but its Alverson who gets attention at the Final Four. The Auburn signee has been nominated to the McDonald’s All-American team and has pushed Buford to its 30-1 mark.
6: Julian Royal, Milton - The super talented sophomore had what could have been his best game yet: 32 points (teammates only had 31) against South Gwinnett in the quarterfinals. Milton’s going to be good next season, too.
5: Anma Onyeuku, Fayette County - Senior point guard Tessah Holt is the driving force behind the Tigers undefeated run, but it’s the athletic junior forward who provides dazzle to Holts razzle. She’s quick and fun to watch. Just don’t even try to stop her in transition. It’s a thing of beauty.
4: Ari Stewart, Wheeler - Teammate Richard Howell gets plenty of attention, but we think the 6-foot-6 forward may be more fun to watch. Stewart is a major reason the Wildcats are back into the Final Four. He’ll be playing at Wake Forest next season.
3: Mfon Udofia, Miller Grove - Our team of experts (Rob Morton) says that the 6-foot-2 senior guard, who will play for Georgia Tech next season, is one of the best outside shooters in Georgia for the last 25 years. Udofia had a super-human effort against Fayette County in the quarterfinals. Let’s see what he has cooked up for the Final Four.
2: Anne Marie Armstrong, Wesleyan - We call Armstrong “MacGyver” because she does everything. Literally, everything. She has been the key to the Wolves dominance all season and is probably one of the best girls players in state history. She scores, rebounds, moves in transition, and we’re fairly certain she even makes the team meals, presses coach Jan Azar’s suits before tip and drives the team bus.
1: Derrick Favors, South Atlanta - Well, duh. The Atlanta Tipoff Club just announced the 6-foot-9 monster its 2009 Naismith Award winner. He’s averaged 27.5 points, 13.3 boards, five blocks, four steals, three assists and 17 “Wows” per game this season. That’s good enough for No. 1 on list. Now go see him before he throws on the Georgia Tech jersey.
Go on. Take Ten. Who are the best to players to see at this year’s Final Fours? Who did we miss? Let us know.
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Georgia High School Basketball Blog: Live from state tournament semifinals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, we’re finally down to the state tournament semifinals and the AJC Sports crew is all over the action. Tonight we’ll have these writers covering the following games - and even better, they’ll be checking in LIVE on this Basketball Blog to keep you updated on what’s going on as it happens.
TONIGHT’S GAME STORIES
AAAA
• Girls: SW DeKalb poised to repeat • Fayette Co. stands in way
• Boys: Tucker boys march on • Udofia fuels Miller Grove
A
• Girls: Wesleyan moves on • S. Atlanta girls run into buzz saw
• Boys: Turner Co., Whitefield Acadamy advances
We’ll be back for state tournament semis action Thursday, too, blogging LIVE in-game with you during the evening. Don’t miss it!
WHAT’S COMING THURSDAY: AJC REPORTERS / GAMES
From the Gwinnett Arena
• Todd Holcomb — Redan-Parkview girls, 4 p.m.; Westlake-Wheeler boys, 8:30 p.m. (with photos)
• Rob Morton — Newnan-Milton boys, 5:30 p.m.
• Robert Haddocks — Beach-Marietta girls, 7 p.m. (with photos)
From the Macon Centreplex
• Kurt Aschermann Jr. — Roundup including Buford, Henry Co. girls and Blessed Trin., GAC boys
THURSDAY’S LIVE IN-GAME BLOGGERS: Glenn LaFollette from Gwinnett and Kurt Aschermann Jr. from Macon
Did you see this?
• State tournament semifinals schedule
• Final Four primer: Wheeler, Redan among faves
• Photos: Vote for likely semis winners
QUESTION FOR THE BLOG: Which semifinals matchup is better than the actual title game?
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