It's perhaps a little late for predictions, as a few first-round girls games took place Tuesday, but each of those had predictable results.
So below is one reporter's forecast of the boys and girls tournaments in Class AAAAAA.
There are couple of mild surprises holding the trophies – Pebblebrook’s boys and Archer’s girls. The teams to beat are considered to be national ranked Wheeler (boys) and No. 1-ranked Osborne (girls), or Parkview (girls), a team that has beaten Archer three times.
The case for Pebblebrook – The Falcons have the best starting five. It’s a senior-laden team. Only junior guard Jared Harper, the leading scorer at about 20 points per game, plus eight assists, is the only non-senior who is prominent. State titles begin with guard play. There’s no better pair than Harper and Ty Hudson, who is committed to Clemson. Both handle the ball very well.
Further, Pebblebrook has a big man, Derek Ogbeide, a Georgia signee who is 6 feet, 9 inches. He averages 12 rebounds and nearly five blocks per game. Forward Trhae Mitchell (6-5) is another outstanding player. Pebblebrook has played the toughest schedule in Georgia, one of the top 10 schedules in the country. This team won’t be intimidated by anybody. If the Falcons can stay out of foul trouble and keep their best players on the court, they will win it.
Now, for the girls. It’s wide open, and several teams appear capable of making a deep run – Osborne, Parkview, South Forsyth, Mountain View, Norcross. Archer has lost three times to Parkview, but they’ve been close. Archer has the best draw among the contenders. Archer also has three Division I prospects, including sisters Amber Skidgel (Georgia), Madison Newby (Georgia State) and sophomore Autumn Newby, one of the top 10 sophomores nationally.
Here is how Pebblebrook and Archer will get there ...
BOYS
First round
Pope d. Johns Creek
Pebblebrook d. Kennesaw Mountain
Lowndes d. Lovejoy
Norcross d. Berkmar
Milton d. Alpharetta
McEachern d. Westlake
Rockdale County d. Valdosta
Shiloh d. Mill Creek
Hughes d. Hillgrove
Lambert d. Cherokee
Duluth d. Archer
Tucker d. Lee County
Douglas County d. North Cobb
Wheeler d. Centennial
Dacula d. North Gwinnett
Tift County d. Newton
Second round
Pebblebrook d. Pope
Norcross d. Lowndes
McEachern d. Milton
Shiloh d. Rockdale County
Hughes d. Lambert
Tucker d. Duluth
Wheeler d. Douglas County
Tift County d. Dacula
Third round
Pebblebrook d. Norcross
Shiloh d. McEachern
Tucker d. Hughes
Wheeler d. Tift County
Semifinals
Pebblebrook d. Shiloh
Wheeler d. Tucker
Final
Pebblebrook d. Wheeler
GIRLS
First round
West Forsyth d. Woodstock
Westlake d. Hillgrove
Valdosta d. Alcovy
Norcross d. Shiloh
North Forsyth d. Etowah
Osborne d. Campbell
Newton d. Colquitt County
Parkview d. Mill Creek
McEachern d. Douglas County
South Forsyth d. Cherokee
Mountain View d. Dacula
Tucker d. Lowndes
Hughes d. North Cobb
Pope d. Lambert
Archer d. Duluth
Tift County d. Lovejoy
Second round
Westlake d. West Forsyth
Norcross d. Valdosta
Osborne d. North Forsyth
Parkview d. Newton
South Forsyth d. McEachern
Mountain View d. Tucker
Hughes d. Pope
Archer d. Tift County
Third round
Westlake d. Norcross
Parkview d. Osborne
South Forsyth d. Mountain View
Archer d. Hughes
Semifinals
Parkview d. Westlake
Archer d. South Forsyth
Final
Archer d. Parkview
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