Well, I guess the Elbert County Blue Devils were sick and tired of hearing the Woodville-Tompkins Wolverines being referred to as AA’s top-ranked, undefeated favorites to win a title and did something about it. Not only did the No. 5 Blue Devils win, they won by double digits, 63-52.
You can argue whether the Wolverines earned the right to host as opposed to being forced to make a 200-mile commute thanks to GHSA’s universal coin toss — quarterfinals games were played on a neutral site as recently as 2016 — but that doesn’t take away from what the Blue Devils accomplished.
Are the Blue Devils the favorites now? Tough to say. In my predictions, I had the No. 3 Vidalia Indians reaching the finals and they kept that hope alive by beating a red-hot, No. 2-ranked South Atlanta team in Atlanta. The Indians are my favorite to reach the title game for a second year in a row and with their Region 2 rival Woodville-Tompkins — I had the Wolverines winning it all — out of the way, they’re my pick to win it all.
But first, the Indians must beat a perennial power, the Laney Wildcats, which eliminated the brackets’ final No. 3 seed, Callaway, by a score of 63-44.
The No. 4 Therrell Panthers went on the road and eliminated No. 6 Northeast-Macon, which is something I didn’t peg them to do. They let their grip over Region 6 go to South Atlanta, slipping to a No. 2 seed from Region 6, which is why they were on the road. But they’ve come alive again in the playoffs, winning all three games by double digits, including over Northeast 68-57.
(For the official, updated GHSA bracket complete with scores, go here.)
For one last time, here’s a look at my now-busted bracket:
Now, a look ahead to the semifinals, which will be played at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville on Saturday.
Therrell Panthers (24-7) vs. Elbert County Blue Devils (28-3)
When: 4 p.m.
Rankings, seeds: Therrell is No. 4 and the No. 2 seed from Region 6; Elbert County is No. 5 and the No. 1 seed from Region 8.
Krohn's pick: Elbert County
Notes: What to make of this game? If I had predicted this matchup without having to account for the fact that the Blue Devils beat Woodville to get here, I'd pick the Panthers. But how can you not go with Elbert County at this point? This is the Blue Devils' first trip to the semis in a program that dates back to 1958. Therrell is in the semis for the first time since 1978 and has never been further.
Vidalia Indians vs. Laney Wildcats
When: 8 p.m.
Rankings, seeds: Vidalia is No. 3 and the No. 2 seed from Region 2; Laney is No. 8 and the No. 1 seed from Region 4.
Krohn's pick: Vidalia
Notes: The Indians are the only semifinalist I correctly predicted, and I have them reaching the title game for the second year in a row. They're in search of their first-ever championship in a program history that dates back at least to 1961. Laney is seeking its first trip to the championship since 2012, when it won AA for the program's only title.
Girls
Man, I did it again. I overlooked an Altanta school. This reminds me of 2017, when I completely overlooked the Hapeville Charter Hornets in AA football and they won it all. It's even more similar to a prediction I made with the 2015 AA football playoffs. That's when I had Pace Academy exiting in the first round and they went on to win it all. That's what I've done with the No. 6 Douglass Lady Astros, whom I had losing in the first round but have just upended the AA bracket by beating undefeated, top-ranked Fitzgerald.
Like Elbert County on the boys’ side, the Lady Astros were afforded the privilege to host thanks to the universal coin toss, and they too took advantage, winning by a lopsided 68-52.
They’ll face the No. 4 Laney Lady Wildcats, which went on the road and pummeled Rockmart, 62-41. No. 5 Early County beat No. 2 Rabun County 73-60, and Model beat Josey 51-47 in a battle of the unranked — a rarity at this stage in the playoffs.
(For the official, updated bracket complete with scores, go here.)
I went 2-for-4 in picking semifinalists, but I’d picked Fitzgerald to win it all, so that bracket is busted as well. Here’s one last look.
Here’s a preview of Saturday’s semifinals which, like the boys’, will be played at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville.
Model Lady Blue Devils (22-7) vs. Early County Lady Bobcats (26-4)
When: 2 p.m.
Rankings, seeds: Model is unranked and the No. 3 seed from Region 7; Early County is No. 5 and the No. 2 seed from Region 1.
Krohn's pick: Early County
Notes: Lady Bobcats sophomore standout Makayla Timpson posted a team-high 22 points, 15 boards and 15 blocks to continue her domination of the competition and guide the team to its first semis appearance since 2003, when the Lady Bobcats won AA. Model is the only No. 3 seed remaining — regardless of classification — of any girls team in the state. They may also be uniquely equipped to find an answer for Timpson. They too had recently had one of the country's top recruits in class of '18 standout Victaria Saxton, who, like Timpson, stuffed the stat sheet and dominated. Both are 6-foot-2. Saxton is a freshman for Mississippi State. Model is in the semis for the third season in a row and looking to reach the championship for the first time since 2009. The Lady Blue Devils have never won a title in a program that dates back to at least 1950.
Douglass Lady Astros (25-6) vs. Laney Lady Wildcats (27-2)
When: 6 p.m.
Rankings, seeds: Douglass is No. 6 and the No. 1 seed from Region 6; Laney is No. 4 and the No. 1 seed from Region 4.
Krohn's pick: Laney
Notes: The Lady Wildcats weren't completely forgotten by pollsters, but they weren't ranked No. 1 either as they've seen their win streak, which dated back to 2016, end at 50. But here they are, in the semifinals yet again for the 10th time in 11 years, and the third year in a row, gunning for their third straight title and fourth in three years. The Lady Astros have already played spoilers once in this tournament with Fitzgerald. Will they do it again? They're in the semis for the first time since 2007 and have never been further.
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