Through 17 games, Collins Hill’s boys basketball team was 15-2 and ranked No. 7 in Class AAAAAA. North Gwinnett was 6-11.
Less than a month later, Collins Hill’s season is over after a 3-6 stretch run in difficult Region 7-AAAAAA. North Gwinnett is on a 7-1 streak and qualified for the state playoffs Tuesday with a 52-47 victory over Collins Hill in the quarterfinals of the 7-AAAAAA tournament at Duluth. North Gwinnett was seeded fifth, Collins Hill fourth.
North Gwinnett four-year starter Kam Calhoun scored 14 points and had four blocked shots and four assists, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
North Gwinnett might be a tough out in the state tournament. The team was 27-4 last season and made the AAAAAA quarterfinals, but returned only two starters. One of those, 6-foot-7 Malik Carter, was suspended for most of the first half of the season. Star guard T.J. Howard transferred to IMG Academy in Florida.
Next for North Gwinnett is fourth-ranked Norcross on Friday.
There were few surprises elsewhere in Class AAAAAA tournaments on Tuesday.
Hillgrove’s girls, seeded fifth in Region 4, beat fourth-seeded North Cobb 65-47. Though it was only a mild upset, it was significant because Hillgrove has never failed to make the state tournament since the school opened in 2007. Tuesday’s victory extends the streak.
Westlake’s boys, seeded No. 4, also needed a victory Tuesday to extend their streak of state-playoff appearances, which goes back to 1998. Westlake beat fifth-seeded Campbell 62-58 in Region 3.
Regions 1, 2 and 3 are off Wednesday. The top four seeds advanced in all six of those region tournaments with the exception of Campbell’s girls, seeded No. 5 in Region 3. Campbell beat No. 4 Pebblebrook 39-37.
The top four seeds in the Region 5 tournament advanced Tuesday. The boys quarterfinals are Wednesday. Top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Wheeler has a bye until the semifinals.
In Region 6, the girls played their quarterfinals Tuesday. There was only one upset. No. 5 Lambert beat No. 4 Centennial 51-48. The boys quarterfinals are Wednesday.
Two girls quarterfinals are Wednesday. No. 1 seed Mountain View, after its first-ever region title, has advanced to Friday’s semifinals against fourth seed Duluth.
Region 8 also has two boys and two girls quarterfinals set for Wednesday. No. 1 girls seed Parkview and No. 1 boys seed Shiloh have advanced to Friday’s semifinals.
For schedules and scores, check out these links:
About the Author
