The second round of the state basketball tournament is Wednesday and Thursday with eight boys games and eight girls games in Class AAAAAAA.
Here’s a look back to the first round with an eye on the second.
BOYS
Three games between top-10 teams
All 10 ranked teams won in the first round. That won’t happen in the second as three games are between top-10 teams. They are No. 7 Mountain View at No. 3 Newton, No. 9 Wheeler at No. 10 Etowah and No. 8 Grayson at No. 5 Peachtree Ridge. Those aren’t the only intriguing games, though. Frequently ranked Duluth plays at No. 2 Norcross. Traditional power Westlake plays at No. 1 McEachern. And No. 6 Meadowcreek plays at Region 5 champion Lambert.
Woodstock makes history
Woodstock (16-13) won a state-tournament game for the first time in its history last week – a 73-67 victory over Kennesaw Mountain – and now will be hosting its first-ever state-playoff game against Campbell, which upset No. 1 Tift County. Daylin Hardeman scored 25 points in Woodstock’s win Saturday. Woodstock’s coach is Kingston Clark, in his second year. Clark was the coach at Pierce County in 2003 when the Bears won their first-ever state-playoff game and went on to the Class AA semifinals. He also was a star player, part of Clinch County’s 1987 Class A championship team.
Campbell beats Tift, extends curse of defending champ
Tift County became the fourth defending champion in the highest class in five seasons to lose in the first round. It also happened to Norcross in 2014, Tift County in 2015 and Wheeler in 2016. The only defending champ in that span to advance was Norcross last season, and the Blue Devils only made it to the second round. Campbell (19-9) got 26 points from Kiya Robinson in the 72-64 victory. Tift finished 20-7.
Predictions
This blog correctly predicted 14 of 16 first-round boys games last week including Campbell’s victory over Tift County. Missed on Woodstock’s win over Kennesaw Mountain and got too cute in predicting that No. 4 seed Mill Creek would beat Region 5 champion Lambert. Here’s a guess at how the second round will play out:
#2 Norcross d. Duluth
#1 McEachern d Westlake
#3 Newton d. #7 Mountain View
#9 Wheeler d. #10 Etowah
#6 Meadowcreek d. Lambert
Campbell d. Woodstock
#5 Peachtree Ridge d. #8 Grayson
#4 Pebblebrook d. Roswell
GIRLS
Best game: South Gwinnett vs. Collins Hill
Only one girls game this week matches ranked opponents. That would be No. 8 South Gwinnett (23-3) at No. 2 Collins Hill (24-2), the team that this blog predicted last week would win the title. More on those two below.
Collins Hill makes blowout history
Collins Hills' 97-29 victory over West Forsyth last week tied a state record for the largest margin of victory, according to Becky Taylor of the Georgia Basketball Project. In 1979, Lowndes won 98-30 over Johnson of Savannah. That was when Lowndes was amid a 122-game winning streak. Collins Hill's 97 points are tied for fifth most in a girls state game. Only two girls teams have surpassed 100, including record-holder McEachern with 104 in 2014.
South Gwinnett scratches 11-year itch
South Gwinnett won is first state-playoff game since 2007 last week by defeating Parkview 56-46. The Comets had lost four first-round matchups since back-to-back Class AAAAA runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2007 under coach Mike Allison. Current coach Kidada Holtzclaw started the rebuild in 2013-14. A former Alabama player, she previously coached at Alcovy and had several college jobs prior to that.
Grayson breaks 14-year drought
Grayson broke an even longer drought last week when the Rams defeated Brookwood 57-50. Bianca Fizouaty scored 17 points for Grayson.
Grayson had not won a state-playoff game since 2004 and was 1-6 all-time in the tournament. Grayson (17-10) travels this week to fifth-ranked North Forsyth (26-2).
Campbell takes out a region champion
Campbell’s 51-49 victory over Region 1 champion Lowndes was the only sure-fire upset of the first round, although three other road teams won. Campbell, a No. 4 seed, hadn’t won in the state playoffs since a 2011 run to the semifinals. Campbell (18-10) overcame a 14-point deficit. Jadyn Rice scored 29 points.
Fourth-ranked Cherokee barely escapes opener
Cherokee (25-2) is ranked fourth and projected to reach its first semifinal since 1987, but the chase nearly finished in a ditch in the first round, when the Warriors found themselves trailing North Cobb (another band of Warriors) by 15 points in the first half. North Cobb went on a 17-0 run in the first half. Cherokee rallied to win 48-46. Cherokee got the lead back with 2:40 left but trailed again 46-44 with a minute left on Sydney Thomas’s 3-pointer. Laiken Wade hit a 3-pointer for Cherokee with 44 seconds left, and Cherokee held on. Kate Johnson scored 20 points for the winners.
One more close one: South Forsyth wins late
Unlike the boys draw, the first-round girls games had three tight games. The third (besides previously discussed Cherokee and Campbell) was South forsyth’s 50-47 win over North Gwinnett. South sophomore Ashley Breindl broke a tie with 40.5 seconds left and gave her team the lead for good.
Predictions
This blog correctly predicted 14 of 16 first-round girls games last week, including the forecast of four road victories – Lambert over Mill Creek, Colquitt County over Wheeler, Grayson over Brookwood and Marietta over Woodstock. Missed on South Forsyth’s win over North Gwinnett and Campbell’s win over Lowndes. Here’s a guess at how the second round will play out:
#3 Norcross d. South Forsyth
#6 McEachern d. Tift County
#7 Newton d. Lambert
#4 Cherokee d. Colquitt County
#5 North Forsyth d. Grayson
#10 Hillgrove d. Campbell
#2 Collins Hill d. #8 South Gwinnett
#1 Westlake d. Marietta
