Friday and Saturday mark the first round of the Class AA tournament for both the boys and girls. Below are some of the best games to keep an eye on this weekend.
(For tournament predictions, go here. For the most-updated version of the official GHSA brackets, go here for boys and here for girls.)
Boys
Butler Bulldogs (18-5) at Thomasville Bulldogs (21-6)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Butler, ranked No. 9, is the No. 3 seed from Region 4; Thomasville is unranked and the No. 2 seed from Region 1.
Krohn's pick: The Bulldogs
Notes: See what I did there with the pick? They're both the Bulldogs. Isn't that hilarious? No. It's not. But every time there's a matchup of two teams with the same mascot, there's a clever guy there to make that stupid joke. Every. Time. Mascots aside, will Thomasville — the defending champions — lose in the first round in their first season of the post-Reggie Perry era?
Callaway Cavaliers (11-10) at Banks County Leopards (19-9)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Rankings, seeds: Callaway is unranked and the No. 3 seed from Region 5; Banks County is unranked and the No. 2 seed from Region 8.
Krohn's pick: Banks County
Notes: Don't let the Cavs' record fool you — they're a competitive team who finished 9-3 in league play. This should be a test for the Leopards.
Glenn Hills Spartans (21-5) at Early County Bobcats (22-5)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Glenn Hills is unranked and the No. 4 seed from Region 4; Early County is No. 10 and the No. 1 seed from Region 1.
Krohn's pick: Early County
Notes: If a top seed is going to fall in the first round, this appears to be the matchup where it's most likely to happen. The Spartans were ranked No. 5 as recently as Jan. 29, but lost twice since then, including to Hephzibah in the 4-AA consolation game.
Union County Panthers (17-10) at Spencer Green Waves (22-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Union County is unranked and the No. 3 seed from Region 8; Spencer is unranked and the No. 2 seed from Region 5.
Krohn's pick: Spencer
Notes: The Green Waves have played solidly all season and were finally rewarded with a No. 10 ranking heading into the region tournament, but lost in the 5-AA championship 53-51 to Bremen at the buzzer on a half court shot. That's a tough pill to swallow heading into the state tournament, so maybe the Panthers pounce?
Toombs County Bulldogs (12-14) at Northeast-Macon Raiders (21-5)
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Toombs County is unranked and the No. 4 seed from Region 2; Northeast-Macon is ranked No. 6 and the No. 1 seed from Region 3.
Krohn's pick: Northeast-Macon
Notes: Why did this game even make the cut? It should be a blowout. However, I still can't get past how the Bulldogs are even in the tournament. They beat a Swainsboro team in the 2-AA tournament that twice beat them by 30 or more during the regular season. That clinched them a playoff spot and eliminated the Tigers. Then, they returned to form, losing their remaining tournament games by more than 30 points. Is there one last miracle left in them?
Dublin Fighting Irish (12-12) at Woodville-Tompkins Wolverines (27-0)
When: 5:30 p.m. Saturday
Rankings, seeds: Dublin is unranked and the No. 4 seed from Region 3; Woodville-Tompkins is No. 1 and the No. 1 seed from Region 2.
Krohn's pick: Woodville-Tompkins
Notes: The Wolverines have been the No. 1-ranked team since the preseason and have yet to lose a game, so really all we're looking for here is to make sure the Wolves are still humming along. Anything less than a double-digit victory warrants concern for them.
Girls
Southwest-Macon Lady Patriots (18-7) at Woodville-Tompkins Lady Wolverines (23-5)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Rankings, seeds: Southwest-Macon is unranked and the No. 4 seed from Region 3; Woodville-Tompkins is ranked No. 7 and is the No. 1 seed from Region 2.
Krohn's pick: Woodville-Tompkins
Notes: The Lady Patriots have two quality wins over No. 10 Washington County, and played Putnam County (56-55) and No. 3 Dodge County (67-63) very closely in losses. The Lady Wolverines, however, come in hot on an eight-game win streak including three double-digit wins to close out the 2-AA tournament.
Thomasville Lady Bulldogs (18-9) at Josey Lady Eagles (20-7)
When: 5:30 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Thomasville is unranked and the No. 3 seed from Region 1; Josey is unranked and the No. 2 seed from Region 4.
Krohn's pick: Josey
Notes: Thomasville and Josey were ranked in points of the season but fell out of favor with pollsters. This game is a toss-up in my mind, but I'll give the edge to the Lady Eagles because of home court advantage and the experience and skill the Rolland twins — seniors Tykedra and Rhykeria — bring.
Model Lady Blue Devils (19-7) at KIPP Lady Warriors (20-6)
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Model is unranked and the No. 3 seed from Region 7; KIPP is unranked and the No. 2 seed from Region 6.
Krohn's pick: Model
Notes: The Lady Blue Devils are not quite the championship threat they were with Victaria Saxton, who is now at Mississippi State, but they're still competitive and should come away with the road win.
Monticello Lady Hurricanes (15-13) at Lamar County Lady Trojans (24-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Monticello is unranked and the No. 4 seed from Region 8; Lamar County is unranked and the No. 1 team from Region 5.
Krohn's pick: Lamar County
Notes: How are the Lady Trojans not ranked with a record like that, you ask? Their strength of schedule was lacking. However, their only two losses were both to Upson-Lee, a AAAA team that is 18-10. The Lady Hurricanes come from a more competitive 8-AA and have hung tough with most all of their opponents, including Rabun County, Putnam County and Banks County. This should be a very close game.
Swainsboro Lady Tigers (22-4) at East Laurens Lady Falcons (17-8)
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Swainsboro is ranked No. 9 and is the No. 3 seed from Region 2; East Laurens is unranked and the No. 2 seed from Region 3.
Krohn's pick: Swainsboro
Notes: East Laurens hung tough with No. 3 Dodge County throughout the season and played No. 10 Washington County close in all three of their meetings, beating them by double-digits in the 3-AA tournament. Expect them to also hang with Swainsboro, with the home crowd backing them. The Lady Tigers are stumbling into the playoffs after closing the 2-AA tournament on two double-digit losses.
Bryan County Lady Redskins (25-2) at Washington County Golden Hawks (20-7)
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Bryan County is ranked No. 8 and is the No. 2 seed from Region 2; Washington County is No. 10 and the No. 3 team from Region 3.
Krohn's pick: Washington County
Notes: This is the only first round matchup of top 10 teams for either the boys or girls. This game is a toss-up, as both are evenly matched. The Lady Redskins' only two losses were to Woodville-Tompkins, with the last a 20-point blowout in the 2-AA tournament.
Gordon Central Lady Warriors (12-9) at Douglass Lady Astros (22-6)
When: 5:30 p.m. Friday
Rankings, seeds: Gordon Central is unranked and the No. 4 seed from Region 7; Douglass is ranked No. 6 and the No. 1 seed from Region 6.
Krohn's pick: Gordon Central
Notes: Of all my predictions, this is perhaps the boldest. All signs point to the Lady Astros advancing, but I went with my gut and picked the underdog to prevail on the road as the lone No. 4 seed to topple a No. 1.
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