The boys teams from Region 5 and Region 8 are trying to turn the Class AAAAA tournament into their own private affairs, while the girls from Region 4 are doing the same thing.
Southwest DeKalb, Columbia and Lithonia each advanced to the Elite Eight from Region 5. Buford, Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central each advanced from Region 8. On the girls side, Region 4 representatives Eagle’s Landing, Woodland Stockbridge and Jones County all moved on.
Guess that answers the question about who plays in the state’s best regions?
The third round will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the schedule to be determined.
In second-round boys games:
Columbia 59, Bainbridge 40: The Columbia boys are back in the Class AAAAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2014, the season they went on to finish second in the state.
The Eagles (18-11) advanced thanks to 23 points and 17 rebounds from Devin Longstreet. The all-region forward connected on a 3-pointer to begin a 9-2 run that broke open a close game. Kawasiki Ricks added 15 points for Columbia. Bainbridge (16-14) got 10 points from T.J. Tarver.
Buford 54, Statesboro 34: The No. 4 Wolves led 18-1 and 31-3 and withstood a second-half Statesboro run to pull away. The Wolves (22-6) got 21 points from Sebastian Augusteve, 14 from Caleb Williams and 10 from Jason Taylor. Statesboro (22-6) was led by Lesllie Black with 11 and Zarion Griffin with 10.
“That first quarter was about as good we can get,” Buford coach Eddie Martin. “If we could play four quarters like that, we’d win a lot of ball games.”
Dutchtown 59, Riverwood 55: The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs withstood a fourth-quarter Riverwood rally and advanced. Dutchtown led by nine entering the fourth period, but Riverwood took a 46-44 lead on Korbin Lane's basket and led by as many as three points. Dutchtown regained the lead 51-49 on a 3-pointer by Isaiah Placide and never again trailed. Kameron Hobbs scored 22 points and Jamaine Mann added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Dutchtown. Lane scored 15 for Riverwood.
Clarke Central 55, Eagle's Landing 50: The visiting Gladiators (19-8) upset No. 1-ranked Eagle's Landing behind 23 points from Jaiquez Smith and a double-double from Chris Johnson, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kirshon Thrash led Eagle's Landing with 15, while Keith Lamar scored 11 and David Thomas scored 11.
Lithonia 78, Veterans 68: The No. 6 Bulldogs (26-3) trailed by 11 points with five minutes to play, inched their way to four points and outscored the No. 7 Warhawks 14-2 over the final 1:15. Eric Gaines led Lithonia with 20 points. Veterans (25-4) got 21 points from T.J Grant, 15 from DeAngelo Hines and 13 from Jalyn Williams and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
Cedar Shoals 52, Wayne County 50 OT: Quincy Canty had 21 points and seven rebounds and Tyler Johnson added 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals to lift the No. 3 Jaguars. Cedar Shoals (26-3) is in the Elite Eight for second time in three seasons.
Kell 60, Warner Robins 53: Scoota Henderson followed his 49-point effort in the first round with 24 points, four rebounds and four steals to lead No. 8 Kell. Ty Clark had eight points, 11 rebounds and three blocks and Parrish Johnson Jr. had nine points and four rebounds.
Southwest DeKalb 67, Griffin 46: Eugene Brown III scored 21 points, which included a pair of monster dunks in the fourth quarter, to lead the No. 10 Panthers into the next round
In second-round girls games:
Arabia Mountain 57, Starr's Mill 56 OT: No. 10 Arabia Mountain trailed by 12 at the half, but took the lead in the fourth quarter. Starr's Mill's Julia Goodman hit a last-second layup to send the game into overtime. Arabia Mountain's Mikayla Jamison blocked a potential go-ahead basket at the buzzer to secure the win.
Kell 66, Bainbridge 40: The No. 1-ranked Longhorns got 19 points from Crystal Henderson and 18 from Kya Williams for its second straight playoff romp. Kell (30-0) closed the first half with an 8-2 run to take a comfortable lead.
Jones County 60, Lithia Springs 55: Jada Morgan scored 20 points and Courtnee Wimberly scored 18 to send the Greyhounds into the quarterfinals. Jones County is the only remaining No. 4 seed in the girls tournament.
Buford 76, Wayne County 49: The No. 1-ranked Wolves had no trouble against the No. 6 Yellow Jackets. Buford (27-1) had 12 players who scored, with Tatum Ozment and Blair Wallis each scoring 14 and Ashyia Willis scoring 12. Wayne County (24-3) got 22 points and nine rebounds from Terren Ward and 13 points from Ajmanni Jefferson.
Eagle's Landing 65, Riverwood 50: The No. 9 Golden Eagles got 23 points from Kayla Stafford, 21 from Mariyah Fletcher and 11 from Jaleah Storrs to advance. Eagle's Landing finished the first half on a 10-0 run to take control. Riverwood was led by Olivia Smith with 23 and Jayla Green, who got in early foul trouble and scored 14.
Woodland 59, Maynard Jackson 55: Woodland took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter and survived a Jackson run.
Carrollton 57, Harris County 47: The No. 8 Trojans stretched a three-point halftime lead into 11 after three quarters and coasted.
Elite Eight matchups
Girls: Veterans at Eagle's Landing, Jones County at Kell, Carrollton at Buford, Arabia Mountain at Woodland.
Boys: Southwest DeKalb at Eagle's Landing, Lithonia at Cedar Shoals, Kell at Buford, Columbia at Dutchtown.
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