The ball was in the air, and Wesleyan's Howard Thompkins — all 6-foot-9 of him — leaped to tip it. Macon County center Cornelius Thomas just looked up and watched, his feet barely leaving the ground.

It was just the opening tip-off, but it was a pretty fair indication of what followed.

Jason Getz/Staff (ENLARGE)

Wesleyan's Howard Thompkins (33) shoots over Macon County's Cornelius Thomas (40) of their second round of the Class AA playoffs Tuesday night at Wesleyan in Norcross.

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Thompkins powered his way to 27 points and 18 rebounds, and Wesleyan cruised to a 69-55 victory Tuesday in the second round of the Class AA playoffs. The Wolves (24-5) will face Pace Saturday in their first state quarterfinal appearance since 2003.

"We're happy to make it here, but we understand that we have a bigger goal," Thompkins said. "We know it's going to get harder."

Wesleyan can take comfort, though, knowing it will have Tanner Smith in the starting lineup.

On Tuesday, the senior point guard made his first start since suffering an ankle injury on Feb. 8. He finished with nine points and 11 assists.

"There's just a sense of relaxation on the other kids' part because they know that Tanner is out there with them," Wesleyan coach Skip Matherly said. "That's huge for our kids, because they can just concentrate on doing their jobs."

Smith, a 6-foot-5 senior bound for Clemson, said he is still trying to regain the strength in his left ankle but did not feel any pain. He showed no hesitation driving to the basket or diving for loose balls.

"It felt a lot better," Smith said. "When you hit the floor a couple times, it makes you feel good, kind of like you're back out there."

The game was not as close as the final score suggested. The Wolves led by 11 at halftime and made it a blowout by outscoring Macon County 24-4 in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs (17-14) had no answer for Thompkins.

"That's been the case most every night we've played," Matherly said. "We walk into the building with a match-up problem for the other guy."

Wesleyan, a No. 1 seed, will travel to The Forum in Rome for Saturday's 5:30 p.m. match-up with Pace, a No. 4 seed.