The first-round of the state basketball playoffs are here. The field begins with 32 boys teams and 32 girls team and will be mercifully chopped in half by Saturday night.
As is the case most years, many of the first-round games will be horribly one-sided. But there are a few opening-round games that could be worth your attention.
Here are five of the more intriguing boys and girls games in the first round.
Here are five of the top first-round boys games:
Miller Grove at Buford, Friday, 7:30 p.m. Miller Grove (9-18) had a very un-Miller Grove season thanks to roster turnover and finished fourth in Region 5. Sophomores Zyair Greene (17.3 points) and Tyreik Boyd were both all-region picks and up-and-coming players to watch. No. 1 Buford (24-2) won't forget that the Wolverines knocked them out of the tournament a year ago. Plus, Buford gets Marcus Jackson back in the lineup; the Oklahoma State signee had to sit out the region tournament for violating team rules.
Maynard Jackson at Villa Rica, Saturday, 6 p.m.: Jackson (18-8) won the Region 6 regular-season title, but stumbled against Banneker in the region tournament and wound up as the third seed. Conversely, Villa Rica (13-14) was the sixth seed in the Region 7 tournament, but clawed its way into the championship game and lost a three-point decision to Kell. Micah Hodges and Phillip Zacharey lead the Wildcats.
New Hampstead at Fayette County: New Hampstead (15-9) seems to get lost among the multitude of Savannah's excellent basketball teams because they're alone in Class AAAAA. But the Phoenix are well coached and capable; they nearly derailed Buford two seasons ago. Fayette County (22-5) will try to bounce back from its whipping from Jonesboro in the Region 6 final. The Tigers bring a balanced attack led by Josh Dupree, the region's player of the year, Jekobe Coleman and Ricky Knight Jr.
Columbia at Cedar Shoals, Saturday, 6 p.m.: Columbia (15-10) finished third in Region 5, the toughest league in the state. The Eagles are led by sophomore Liron Thomas (20.4 points) and junior Delvin Longstreet (17.9 points) – both All-Region 5 selections -- and helped coach Phil McCrary secure his 600th career win this season. Cedar Shoals is led by forward Quincy Carter and guard Tyler Johnson, who were both named to the All-Region 8 team.
Rome at Riverwood, Friday, 8 p.m. Riverwood (19-9) won the Region 6 tournament and brings a five-game winning streak into the state playoffs. The Raiders are a young team that plays well together and embraces a solid defensive plan, with scoring from Davis Herndon (12.4) and Nathan Henderson (10.9 points). The Raiders will need to stop Rome's Caleb Byrd, the Region 7 Player of the Year, and Jaylen Nelson.
Here are five of the top first-round girls games:
Arabia Mountain at Clarke Central, Saturday, 2 p.m.: Arabia Mountain (18-4) is led by 6-foot-1 senior Kennedi Manning (14.1 points, 10.2 rebounds), who has signed with Anderson and was the Region 5 Player of the Year. The Rams will need a good defensive effort to slow Clarke's Mikaylyn Glover, the Region 8 Player of the Year, who is deadly from outside. Samiha Rittenberry and Toria Smith are also all-region players for the Gladiators (12-11).
Locust Grove at Veterans, Saturday, 5 p.m.: Locust Grove (21-7) has been under the radar for much of the year, but features Region 4 Player of the Year Zamiya Passmore, who averages 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists and 3.6 steals. Veterans (23-4) lost its Region 1 playoff showdown against Harris County and finds itself in a much more difficult portion of the bracket. The Warhawks have a balanced attack led by Stacie Jones (14.3 points, 12.1 rebounds), Tamia Luckey (12 points) and Madison Perez (13.2 points).
Rome at Maynard Jackson, Friday, 6 p.m.: Jackson (19-6) was upset in the Region 6 final after finishing first in the regular season. The Jaguars are led by sophomores Patsy Mosley (16.2 points) and Unique Miller (14 points, 11.5 rebounds). Rome (18-10) has a trio of all-region players in Tarrah Gibson, Amberly Brown and Tamiya Griffin and play in one of the state's toughest leagues.
Loganville at Columbia, Friday, 5:30 p.m.: Columbia (18-6) upset Arabia Mountain in the semifinals of the region tournament and earned the second seed from Region 5. All-region picks Constance Thomas (16.7 points, 3.7 assists), Shontrice Austin (14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds) lead the high-powered offense. Loganville (15-13) is led by all-region player Alerriya Butler. The Red Devils will need to control the pace against Columbia to have a chance.
Fayette County at Wayne County: Wayne County (21-4) lost its showdown to Statesboro for the region championship, but still gets to host a first-round game. Wayne County's best player is 5-10 junior Terren Ward, who averages 19.6 points and 11 rebounds. She scored her 1,000th career point after Christmas and is could have her 1,000th career rebound before the season finishes. The Yellow Jackets have two senior starters: Logann Echols, who has signed a softball scholarship with Georgia Southwestern, and Destiny Marcus. Fayette County (12-16) has a pair of All-Region 3 players in Sidney Sims and Ghylissa Knowles.
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