Three teams that have never won a state title and another that hasn’t won one in 50 years will seek to end those long droughts when the Class AAAAAA boys and girls basketball championship games are played Saturday at the Macon Centreplex.
The Forest Park girls team is the only Class AAAAAA finalist that has a state title, winning Class AAA in 1970. The Panthers have made seven appearances in the final four since 2010 but lost five times in the semifinals and finished as runners-up in 2011. Glynn Academy’s girls had runner-up finishes in 1950 and 1952 in Class AA but had made just two appearances in the final four since, losing in the semis in 1984 and 1995.
Third-ranked Forest Park (26-6) and No. 5 Glynn Academy (26-4) will play in the 1 p.m. game.
Boys finalists Chattahoochee (opened in 1991) and Lanier (2010) had not advanced past the quarterfinal round in the brief history of their programs before breaking through this season. Lanier, in fact, had gone 1-3 in its three previous playoff appearance. They will meet at 3 p.m.
“Obviously every team comes in with that goal [of reaching the final],” Chattahoochee coach Chris Short said. “I thought we had some good pieces, but if had you told me we’d actually grind it out and do it I don’t know that I would’ve believed it. I’m so proud of the kids. It’s wonderful, it’s great for the school, and the community’s really rallied behind us. I’m just excited to be in that position. We’re gonna get one more and try to go get it.”
Fourth-ranked Lanier (26-5) has had the most dramatic road to the final, winning its past three games in overtime, including a 63-57 victory over No. 2 South Cobb in the semifinals. The Longhorns had escaped Stephenson 60-58 and Hughes 58-55 in overtime in the previous two rounds.
The Longhorns trailed South Cobb 45-30 going into the fourth quarter but rallied to force overtime, then won it by converting 12 of 14 free-throw attempts in the extra period. Sion James, a Tulane signee and two-time Region 8 player of the year, scored a game-high 26 points, including 22 after halftime, and was 7-for-8 on free throws in overtime.
“It’s unbelievable,” Lanier coach Branden Mayweather said of his team’s appearance in the final. “I need somebody to pinch me. I still can’t believe it. Growing up, I remember going to the state finals every year, and dreaming about being able to play in it, coach in it, and to be in it right now … I don’t even have a great way to describe it. It’s amazing.”
No. 8 Chattahoochee (24-7) earned its shot at the title when it eliminated defending champion Tri-Cities 78-72 in the semifinals. Guard A.J. White scored 18 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and was 8-for-8 on free throws in the final two and a half minutes after Tri-Cities had cut a seven-point deficit down to 67-64.
The Cougars had a couple of close calls early the playoffs, beating Alexander 69-66 and Heritage-Conyers 73-68 in the first two rounds before knocking out Sequoyah 82-67 in the quarterfinals.
The Forest Park and Glynn Academy girls had a much easier time in the semifinals, as Forest Park beat No. 2 Valdosta 54-38 and Glynn Academy knocked out No. 6 Hughes 59-38.
Glynn Academy’s Zoesha Smith, a Georgia signee and the Region 2 player of the year, had the performance of the day in the girls games, scoring 35 points and grabbing 17 rebounds despite picking up her second foul less than five minutes into the game. It was the 25th double-double of the season for the 6-foot-1 forward.
Center La’Trinity Best and guard Talia Hamilton had 12 points each to provide the rest of the Red Terrors’ scoring.
Glynn Academy has won its four playoff games by an average of 18.3 points, with no game closer than its 47-36 victory over Johns Creek in the quarterfinals.
“Thirty-two minutes of hard work,” Glynn Academy coach Sharnesha Smith said when asked what it would take to bring home the championship. “That’s what we kept saying all year long, that 32 minutes stand in the way of you and your next step, you and your next goal. One thing that we’ve done a great job of is not looking ahead. We’ve been taking it one game at a time, and that’s what we did [in the semifinals].”
Forest Park has been even more dominant in the playoffs. The Panthers have outscored their opponents by an average of 26 points, including two victories of more than 30 points (63-27 over Bradwell Institute in the first round and 62-21 over Douglas County in the quarterfinals.
Junior Sania Feagin, a co-player of the year in Region 4, scored 14 points in the Panthers’ victory over Valdosta. Joi Reid, a Western Carolina signee, scored 10. Forest Park led Valdosta 27-19 at halftime, and the Wildcats never got closer than six points in the second half.
About the Author
