The best game of the 2018 season might’ve been a mere region championship that foreshadowed the state tournament. Trailing by two points with 2.7 seconds left, Norcross inbounded to Joseph Toppin, who leaped to catch the ball and passed before he came down. Kyle Sturdivant caught it and threw up a 3-pointer. It was good, and Norcross defeated Meadowcreek 53-52 for the Region 7-AAAAAAA championship.
That was just a warmup. In the state tournament, Meadowcreek avenged that heartbreaking loss to Norcross in the state final.
Those two Gwinnett County powers are in state contention again and could meet this week, when region tournaments are being staged around the state.
Here are five of the best boys tournaments.
Results of all state tournaments with results updated daily can be found on AJC.com.
7-AAAAAAA at Meadowcreek: Norcross and Meadowcreek played for the state title last season, and Meadowcreek won in an upset as Norcross had beaten the Mustangs three times in the regular season, once on a buzzer-beating shot in the region final. This season, fifth-ranked Norcross (18-7, 11-1) is the No. 1 seed again though ranked below No. 3 Meadowcreek (19-5, 11-1). Meadowcreek has the better body of work (arguably) while Norcross, winners of eight straight games, is the hotter team.
5-AAAAAA at New Manchester: This one has four ranked teams – No. 3 Tri-Cities (19-6, 14-2), No. 4 Alexander (18-7, 11-5), No. 9 Douglas County (18-7, 12-4), and No. 10 Langston Hughes (14-11, 11-5), the defending state champion.
6-AA at Douglass: Second-ranked South Atlanta (20-4, 13-1) and third-ranked Therrell (19-6, 13-1) have split their regular-season games. Both made the quarterfinals last season, and South Atlanta won a state title in 2017.
5-A at Wesleyan: Four top eight teams in the Class A private-school division will be here. They are No. 2 Greenforest Christian (18-5, 9-0), No. 3 Eagle's Landing Christian (16-8, 9-1), No. 5 Holy Innocents' (15-10, 8-0) and No. 8 Wesleyan (18-6, 7-1). (Earlier rounds of this tournament will be played at Landmark Christian and Galloway.)
6-A at Trion: No. 1 St. Francis (21-4, 15-1) and No. 4 Mount Bethel Christian (19-6, 14-2) have split their meetings this year. Both has spent time at No. 1. No. 6 Walker (17-7, 10-6) is another threat. Mount Pisgah Christian (14-11, 8-8), Mountain Paran Christian (14-10, 8-8), North Cobb Christian (15-9, 11-3) and Christian Heritage (20-4, 10-4) have all spent at least a week in the top 10. (Earlier rounds of this tournament will be played at Excel Christian, Christian Heritage and King's Ridge Christrian.)
About the Author
