Boys basketball in Henry County has been on the rise this decade, and it reached new heights this week.
Dutchtown, Stockbridge and Eagle’s Landing Christian all advanced to the boys’ state quarterfinals for the first time on Thursday night.
Dutchtown, the surprise winner of the Region 4-AAAAA tournament earlier this month, defeated Statesboro 75-73 in double overtime on Thursday night to advance. Dutchtown (16-14) is home next week to No. 3 Miller Grove.
Stockbridge, the region runner-up to Dutchtown but ranked No. 7, defeated New Hampstead 80-74 to made the elite eight on the other side of the draw. Stockbridge (24-6) now travels to No. 8 Clarke Central.
In the Class A private-school division, Eagle’s Landing Christian (26-3) beat Wesleyan 60-46 to reach the quarters. ELCA, ranked No. 3, is home next week to play defending champion Greenforest Christian.
‘’Henry county basketball is definitely on the rise,’’ Stockbridge boys coach Rodney Latham said. “We have been competitive for a few years now, and we are finally starting to make others aware of what’s going on south of Atlanta. With us and Dutchtown making it this far, it also shows how strong Class 5A Region 4 is.’’
Dutchtown coach Jamal Basit said the recent success has been years in the making.
’‘’There has been a big investment in our middle school programs and feeder programs under the county AD Curt Miler which has had tremendous impact on the improvement athletics as a whole in the county,’’ Basit said. ‘’The success of the Henry teams shows how Henry county basketball is very competitive statewide in both girls and boys basketball.’’
There also are three Henry girls teams in the quarters – Dutchtown, Eagle’s Landing and Henry County, giving the county six elite-eight teams overall. The girls’ success is a little less historic in that Henry schools such as Ducthtown (2015), Woodland (2014), Henry County (2009) and ELCA (2016) have gotten as far as the semifinals in the past 10 years, though none has won.
It’s been a tougher climb for the boys. Henry County boys programs, of which there are 10 in the GHSA (nine public plus ELCA), had never reached a semifinal until 2011, when Eagle’s Landing broke through. The Golden Eagles won a Class AAAA title in 2013. Eagle’s Landing lost Thursday night to No. 1-ranked Warner Robins 99-82.
Henry County High, after six losses in the quarterfinals, finally broke through to the semifinals last season. Henry lost in the first round this season to Burke County.
The other five schools in Henry – Hampton, Locust Grove, Ola, Union Grove and Woodland – have yet to win state-playoff games. Woodland had an outstanding team this season and was ranked for a time but lost in the first round.
‘’It’s some good talent in the area and excellent coaching, and that is always a recipe for success,’’ Latham said. “Everyone supports each other and understands when one is successful it does nothing but positive for the county as a whole.’’
