The final 17 spots in the Class AAAAAA boys and girls basketball tournaments were secured Wednesday when 11 boys teams and seven girls teams claimed victories in winner-take-all games.
Winning the elimination games were the boys teams from Jonesboro, Forest Park, Hughes, Mays, Tri-Cities, Creekview, Osborne, Alpharetta, Pope, Cambridge and Dunwoody and the girls squads from Lovejoy, Jonesboro, Sequoyah, River Ridge, Dacula and Habersham Central. All advanced to the semifinals of their region tournaments, thus guaranteeing a spot in the state tournament.
The biggest upset with a state berth at stake came on the boys’ side of Region 5, where sixth-ranked and No. 3 seed Alexander was eliminated by sixth-seeded Tri-Cities 56-54. Alexander won both regular-season games against the Bulldogs, including an 82-66 victory less than two weeks ago.
The other big upset in Wednesday’s play, although not in an elimination game, came in Region 2, where the top-seeded Richmond Hills boys lost to No. 4 seed Effingham County 59-47. The loss puts Richmond Hill in Friday’s third-place game against No. 2 seed Glynn Academy, which lost to No. 3 seed Brunswick 65-61. Richmond Hill and Glynn Academy will both be on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
Listed below are the 32 boys teams and 32 girls teams that will advance to the state tournament, which begins on Feb. 17. The teams’ seedings for the playoffs and the first-round matchups will be updated as the region tournaments reach their semifinal and final rounds.
Region 1
Boys: Coffee, Valdosta, Northside-Warner Robins, Lee County
Girls: Northside-Warner Robins, Valdosta, Houston County, Coffee
Region 2
Boys: Richmond Hill, Glynn Academy, Brunswick, Effingham County
Girls: Brunswick, Glynn Academy, Bradwell Institute, Richmond Hill
Region 3
Boys: Lakeside-Evans, Heritage-Conyers, Greenbrier, Alcovy
Girls: Grovetown, Greenbrier, Heritage-Conyers, Evans
Region 4
Boys: Jonesboro, Stephenson, Tucker, Forest Park
Girls: Lovejoy, Tucker, Stephenson, Jonesboro
Region 5
Boys: South Paulding, Hughes, Mays, Tri-Cities
Girls: Douglas County, Mays, New Manchester, South Paulding
Region 6
Boys: Allatoona, South Cobb, Creekview, Osborne
Girls: Harrison, Creekview, Sequoyah, River Ridge
Region 7
Boys: Alpharetta, Pope, Cambridge, Dunwoody
Girls: Northview, Chattahoochee, Alpharetta, Pope
Region 8
Boys: Gainesville, Dacula, Lanier, Winder-Barrow
Girls: Winder-Barrow, Gainesville, Dacula, Habersham Central
About the Author
