Girls: Dawson faces tough trek, with Laney, Decatur laying in wait
The left side of the Class AAA girls bracket is a killer. It’s going to take a strong team to survive a march through that half just to reach the championship game.
The left half of the bracket includes No. 1-ranked Dawson County (the classification’s only remaining undefeated team), No. 2-ranked Laney, 2014 Class AA champion Kendrick, and powerful Decatur and Morgan County.
The right half looks far less imposing, with Beach, Calhoun and South Atlanta as the best of the lot. But South Atlanta, which lost for the first time all season in the Region 4-AAA championship game, has the misfortune of opening with a very good Washington County team. And if the Hornets survive, they’ll likely face a very good Calhoun team, meaning one of the state’s best would take an early exit.
Here’s a look at five of the best first-round matchups:
Westminster at Laney: Westminster (21-7) picked an unfortunate time to have an off-game when it lost to Douglass (a team it had beaten twice during the regular season) in the Region 4 consolation game. Laney (24-3) has won eight straight and sailed through the Region 3 playoffs. No.2-ranked Laney has two outstanding players in Aliyah Collier (16.4 points,, 9.3 rebounds) and DeSha Benjamin, a freshman who averages 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. It’s too bad one of these teams is going home after the first round.
Washington County at South Atlanta: No 4 South Atlanta (27-1) has a tough task ahead in Washington County, which was ranked seventh in the final regular-season rankings. South Atlanta brings a deadly defense that plays with a physical presence that should hold up well in the playoff style that's needed. Juniors Kierra Johnson-Graham (15.4 points, 10.5 rebounds), Erica Gibbons (16.8 points, 7.8 rebounds) and Takira Lindley (11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds) make up a strong nucleus. Washington County (22-6) is led by Daknequa White (17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds) and Nia Johnson (16.0 points).
Josey at Decatur: No. 3 Decatur (26-2) has all the ingredients of needed to make a championship run. The Bulldogs, who have won nine straight, have an excellent floor leader in Jayla Morrow (18.2 points) and have a strong veteran presence in Janay Williams (12.9 points, 12.8 rebounds) and Kayla Thomas (11.6 points, 8.4 rebounds). Decatur has some nice interchangeable pieces, plays hard-nosed defense and has improved its passing skills.
Johnson at Kendrick: No. 7 Kendrick (25-2) lost for on the second time this season in the Region 2 championship game. The Cherokees are a high-scoring team with Mariah Igus (11.2 points), Melia Jones (12.2 points) and Taylor Farley (11.7 points, 5.6 rebounds) pacing a team that averages 71.9 points. Johnson (18-7) is a strong defensive team that was ranked No. 8 in the preseason poll. The Atom Smashers have a strong senior in Ijeoma Odimgbe (13.6 points, 12.3 rebounds) and an excellent freshman in SyMarieona Williams (14.5 points).
Haralson County at Calhoun: Haralson County (21-6) lost a couple of games in the Region 5 tournament dropped into a tougher bracket as a result. No. 9 Calhoun (23-4) has quietly been compiling wins all season and did not lose a game in region play.
