The Class AAAAA Final Four will be played at Columbus State University on Saturday. Here is a look at each of the games. The winners play for the title on March 8 at the Macon Coliseum.
Girls
No. 1 Buford vs. No. 4 Southwest DeKalb, 2 p.m.
Buford (27-2) suffered through a poor shooting night against Veterans, but still won their quarterfinal matchup 59-44 for their 10th straight win. Afterwards, coach Gene Durden referred to it as a “grind game” that required the Wolves to win ugly. Despite the off-night, Tate Walters scored 26 points.
Southwest DeKalb (24-6) pulled away in the second half to beat Griffin 61-45 in the third round. The Panthers were led by Raven Thurman (14 points) and Lanee Edwards (11 points), a pair of their All-Region 5 players. Southwest DeKalb has won 10 straight.
Buford and Southwest DeKalb play a similar aggressive style. Both teams press and play aggressive defense up and down the court. You might expect to see turnovers, steals and transition baskets on both ends.
Southwest and Buford are old rivals. They played for the 2017 state championship, which was won by Buford. They have combined to win the last three state championships.
No. 2 Villa Rica vs. Columbia, 6 p.m.
Columbia (23-7) rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Wayne County 50-45 in the third round and reach the Final Four for the first time since 2013, when the Eagles won back-to-back state championships. The Eagles are led by Shontrice Austin and Constance Thomas, a pair of All-Region 5 players, and have done a good job finding the right tempo and playing tough defense.
The Eagles will have their hands full with Villa Rica (30-0), which features Kentucky signee Deasia Merrill, the Region 7 Player of the Year and potential Class AAAAA player of the year. Aliyah Hindsman, another all-region player, is the other main cog for the Wildcats, who trounced Eagle’s Landing 67-47 in the Final Four.
Boys
No. 1 Buford vs. No. 2 Southwest DeKalb, 4 p.m.
Buford (27-2) has won 12 straight games after its 69-35 win over Dutchtown in the quarterfinals. Donell Nixon, the Region 8 Player of the Year, had 18 in the win. He combined with Eric Coleman and Oklahoma State signee Marcus Watson to pace the offense. The Wolves have plenty of players capable of scoring and consistently play tough, aggressive defense.
Southwest DeKalb (24-6) came back from an 18-point deficit to beat Woodland 66-65 in the Elite Eight. Kadarius “KD” Johnson sliced around a pick form teammate James Glisson to hit the winning layup with 5.7 seconds left. Johnson, the leading scoring in DeKalb County, finished with 17 and Glisson had 17.
The Panthers are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2012, when they lost to Miller Grove in the Class AAAA championship game. Buford won the two in 2017, but was eliminated by Miller Grove in the second round a year ago.
No. 5 Fayette County vs. No. 7 Lithonia, 8 p.m.
Fayette County (25-5) has grown accustomed to making frequent trips to the Final Four. The Tigers, who ousted No. 8 Kell 77-73 in the third round, made the Final Four in 2017. Coach Andre Flynn’s team is led by Region 4 Player of the Year Josh Dupree and all-region selections JeKobe Coleman and Ricky Knight Jr. It was Greg Smith who sealed the win against Kell with a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining, while Coleman scored 18 and Knight added 16.
Lithonia (21-9) reached the Final Four for the first time since 2016 by beating defending champion Warner Robins 53-50 on the road. It was sweet revenge for the Bulldogs, who were bounced by the Demons in the quarterfinals a year ago. The Bulldogs are led by All-Region 5 selection Eric Gaines, who put them ahead to stay with a putback with 33 seconds left.
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