Boys
Class AAAAAAA
Meadowcreek 67, Campbell 57
Meadowcreek got 23 points and five rebounds from junior swingman Jamir Chaplin to help hold off visiting Campbell, which pulled to within one point, 51-50, several minutes into the fourth quarter before the Mustangs regained the lead. Cory Hightower had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Amari Kelly had 16 points, nine rebounds and four blocks for Meadowcreek. Deavaris Nichols had five points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Emanuel Collier came off the bench to hit three three-pointers for nine points.
Newton 87, Wheeler 81
Newton, up 61-41 heading into the fourth quarter, survived a scare against visiting Wheeler as the Wildcats scored 40 points in the fourth quarter to mount a comeback. Ashton Hagans scored a game-high 31 points for Newton, and E.J. Montgomery had 30 points for Wheeler. Tyrease Brown contributed 18 points for Newton, as did Wheeler’s Isaiah Holt.
Class AAAAAA
Langston Hughes 71, Coffee 67
Defending champion Langston Hughes trailed Coffee 40-32 at halftime, and the Panthers didn’t take the lead until there were two minutes remaining, when P.J. Carter completed a four-point play to put them up by one point. The Panthers then got a defensive stop and earned a one-and-one; Landers Nolley rebounded the front-end miss and got a putback to give Hughes a three-point lead with just over a minute to play. Nolley scored 34 points and had eight rebounds to lead Langston Hughes. Tyler Smith had 12 points and four rebounds, and Tyrel Morgan had 11 points and five rebounds for the Panthers.
Class AAAAA
Clarke Central 73, Stockbridge 52
Host Clarke Central extended a 34-30 halftime lead to 52-38 by the end of the third quarter and ran away in the fourth quarter before celebrating the first Final Four appearance in program history. The Gladiators were led in scoring by Quamonte Monfort (19 points), Martavius Darden (18) and Mijah Campbell (15). Stockbridge’s Kavonte Ivery netted a game-high 20 points, and teammate Davian Johnson finished with 14.
Hiram 47, Starr’s Mill 35
Raphael Rogers led Hiram in scoring with 13 points, to go with four rebounds, and Arshard Crepsac contributed 10 points for the Hornets. Hiram’s Nathan Presnell (8 pts, 8 rebs) and Khalil Baker (7 pts, 7 rebs) also helped the team advance to the semifinals. Drew Hudson of Starr’s Mill led all scorers with 20 points.
Miller Grove 70, Dutchtown 56
Third-seeded Miller Grove opened up a 16-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and developed a 35-24 halftime lead. Senior guard Lorenzo Anderson netted 11 first-half points for Miller Grove, and 6-foot-7 junior Dontavious King led host Dutchtown with 10 points. Miller Grove increased the lead to 57-41 entering the final quarter. Anderson finished with 16 points, and teammates Maurice Harvey (14 points) and Kevin Paige (12) also contributed on offense.
Class AAAA
Baldwin 64, Cartersville 52
Baldwin took a 17-13 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 28-18 late in the second quarter before Cartersville’s 6-0 run cut the deficit to 28-24 at halftime. Baldwin’s Donte Justice scored 13 points in the first half and helped Baldwin build an insurmountable lead late in the game. Baldwin’s lead shrunk to 46-44 before back-to-back Justice three-pointers put the host Braves up 52-44 with just 3:14 left. Cartersville’s T.J. Horton (19 points), Jaylan Pugh (12), Perignon Dyer (11) and Isaac Gridley (10) finished in double-figures and provided all of the Canes’ 52 points.
Sandy Creek 64, Burke County 44
Host Sandy Creek outscored Burke County 27-9 in the fourth quarter. The teams ended the first quarter tied 12-12, and Burke County led 27-24 at the half. Sandy Creek’s 13-8 edge in the third quarter gave it a 37-35 lead entering the final frame. Sandy Creek opened up a 54-42 lead with 1:45 left in the game and then closed on a 10-2 run. Jarred Godfrey led the Patriots with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Xavier Brewer chipped in 18 points, and junior T.J. Bickerstaff finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Class AAA
Jenkins 72, Cedar Grove 65
Jenkins weathered an early deficit after Cedar Grove took a 19-9 lead after the first quarter to take control in the fourth quarter. The Warriors answered with a 21-12 run in the second quarter to cut into the lead, trailing by a point, 31-30. A 16-14 third quarter in the favor of Jenkins gave the Warriors a one-point lead, 46-45, entering the final frame. Jenkins outscored Cedar Grove 28-18 in the fourth to seal the win. Tyrone Scott led Jenkins with 23 points, and Tre' Mays added 12 points. Cedar Grove was led by Jamari Dean (21 points), Tworn Seals (15) and Keshun Byrd (13).
Greater Atlanta Christian 75, Johnson-Savannah 61
Greater Atlanta Christian jumped out to a 22-18 lead after the first quarter and pushed the lead to 34-25 at the half. A 16-11 run by GAC gave the Spartans a 50-36 lead entering the fourth quarter. GAC was led by Hunter McIntosh, who scored 26 points on 13-of-15 shooting. Teammates Ben Sheppard (15 points), Roy Dixon (14) and Chris Hinton (12) were the other Spartans in double-figure scoring. Johnson was paced by Shamar Jones (11 points) and Amanze Ngumezi (10). The GAC girls beat another Savannah school, Beach, on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals.
Class AA
Glenn Hills 73, Therrell 52
Glenn Hills took a 57-38 lead into the fourth quarter and advanced to the semifinals with a 21-point win over host Therrell. Tim Williamson, a 6-foot-4 senior point guard, had 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block for Glenn Hills, and Timmy Sellers added 18 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Their teammate Emmanuel Jones contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. Therrell was led by Cameron Forston, who scored 14 points with five rebounds and three blocks. Therrell’s Robbie Armbrester added 10 points, and Roman Son had nine points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Laney 70, South Atlanta 55
Laney took an early 10-4 lead before South Atlanta answered to close the first quarter down three, 13-10. South Atlanta pulled within two at the half, 27-25. Laney pushed the lead to 35-28 early in the third quarter and to 42-30 with 2:16 left in the period. South Atlanta climbed back into the game to trail 51-47 with 5:02 left. With 1:25 left, Laney held a 61-51 lead and was able to keep the game out of reach, outscoring South Atlanta 9-4 the rest of the way. Maurice Page and Donald Henley each scored 13 points to lead Laney, and D'Juan Griffin scored 11. South Atlanta's Dondre Barnes had 13 points, and Jalen Stegall had 12.
Class A-Private
Aquinas 66, Brookstone 41
Aquinas was led by Zy Wright with 17 points and Tre Gomillion with 15 points and nine rebounds. Gerald Merriweather scored nine points for Aquinas, which advances to the semifinals to take on Eagle’s Landing Christian, a team it defeated 65-40 earlier this season.
Eagle’s Landing Christian 69, Greenforest 63
No. 2-ranked Eagle’s Landing Christian took a 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and held a 31-22 lead at the half. Mekhi Cameron had 23 points and six rebounds for ELCA, and Malachi Rhodes and Jamaine Mann combined for 18 rebounds. Greenforest outscored ELCA 26-20 in the fourth quarter, but the comeback fell short.
Holy Innocents' 69, Christian Heritage 54
Holy Innocents' held off a late charge from Christian Heritage to advance to the semifinals. The Golden Bears jumped out to a 27-5 lead after the first quarter and held a 41-14 lead at the half. Christian Heritage pulled to within 15 points with 5:17 left but could not cut the deficit further.
St. Francis 87, North Cobb Christian 62
Host St. Francis defeated North Cobb Christian to advance to its sixth-straight semifinals. The Knights scored at least 18 points in every quarter and led 44-32 at halftime. St. Francis held a 25-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Sophomore guard Dwon Odom led all scorers with 20 in the game and had a triple-double with 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Junior guard C.J. Riley scored 18 points, and sophomore forward Sam Hines finished with 17 points, six of them in the first quarter. Chase Ellis also scored 17 points for the Knights.
Class A-Public
Calhoun County 60, Woodville-Tompkins 50
Rashun Williams led all scorers with 23 points to help Calhoun County reach the semifinals. The Cougars took an early 10-5 lead and led by 11 points at halftime. Woodville-Tompkins’ Charleston Willingham scored 20 points to lead his team.
Girls
Class AAAAAAA
Newton 70, Cherokee 68
Jurnee Smith was 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points in the period, to help Newton hold off visiting Cherokee. Smith finished with 18 points to lead the Lady Rams, and Lexii Chatman scored 18 points for Newton as well. Je’Nya Smith had 10 points and was 6-of-8 from the line for Newton. Cherokee led 53-48 going into the fourth quarter, but Newton took a late lead, 68-66, on a two-point jumper from Erianna Card, who scored nine points. Ashlyn Andrus led Cherokee with 18 points.
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