All 20 teams in the final regular-season rankings have advanced to the state playoffs, although the top-seeded teams had trouble holding serve in the region tournaments. Among those who finished first during the regular season, only four boys teams and only four girls teams were able to follow up and win their region tournaments.
The boys teams that prevailed were Eagle’s Landing (Region 2), McIntosh (Region 3), Kell (Region 6) and Hiram (Region 7). The girls teams were Warner Robins (Region 2), Northside-Columbus (Region 3), Maynard Jackson (Region 5) and Kell (Region 6).
It was the worst outcome for two boys teams, who went from No. 1 seeds to fourth place in the region tournament – Greenbrier (Region 1) and Heritage (Region 8).
It all adds a spark of intrigue to an opening round of playoffs that are traditionally one-sided, with the higher seeded teams enjoying blowout after blowout. It’s the opposite of a first round of March Madness. Last year the average margin of victory in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs was 17.4 points. Only three games were decided by five or fewer points.
Despite the negative history, there are some appealing first-round playoff games.
Here are the top three first-round boys and girls games to watch:
Boys
No. 10 Maynard Jackson at No. 1 Kell: The brackets predestined this would be a prime match, since all four teams from Region 5 were ranked and one of them was going to play top-ranked Kell. Jackson (17-9) had a seven-game winning streak broken in the region semifinals and lost to Mays and Tri-Cities in the tournament. Jackson is a high-scoring group with five players in double figures, led by sophomore Yusef Bowyer (17.3 points) and Mekhi Turner (15.2 points, 12 rebounds), two first-team all-region picks. Kell (23-2) is a 100 percent high-octane team that comes in on a 10-game winning streak. The Longhorns have been untested since the start of region play – no league opponent got closer than 22 points – and they beat Cambridge 76-47 in the Region 6 championship game. The roster is loaded with talent, including seven-footer Peyton Marshall, the Region 6 Player of the Year.
Heritage at No. 3 Hiram: Heritage (18-8) picked an inopportune time to get cold. The Patriots had been playing well in the highly competitive Region 8 and won the regular-season championship. But the Patriots wound up losing the consolation game to become a fourth seed and must now face a crosstown trip to Hiram (23-2), widely considered a state title contender. The Hornets are led by Jay Boyd and Chase Tyler, a pair of first-team All-Region 7 selections. Hiram has a 12-game winning streak, survived a triple-overtime game against Calhoun in the season-finale and beat the Yellow Jackets on their home court in the region final.
Eastside at Calhoun: Calhoun’s Dylan Faulkner is the school’s all-time leader in points, rebounds and blocks will draw plenty of attention. The 6-foot-9 senior -- the Region 7 Player of the Year -- averages 23.8 points and 15.7 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (14-12), who have taken No. 3 Hiram to overtime twice in the last week. Eastside (22-6) features a balanced attack that’s led by Kassen Sanders (12.8 points) and Larry Rivers (9.9 points 4.1 rebounds).
Girls
No. 10 Greenbrier at No. 5 Union Grove: Greenbrier (19-8) is led by Caitlin Staley (12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 blocks), Trinity Simone Barrow (12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds) and Zuri Goldsberry (11.1 points, 3.5 rebounds. Union Grove (21-7) has played a difficult schedule, split the regular-season series with No. 1 Warner Robins and lost to the Demons in the region final. First-team all-region players Jordan Brooks (13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.9 steals) and Nadea Smith (10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds) lead the Wolverines.
No. 8 Statesboro at No. 1 Warner Robins: Warner Robins (24-3) has been ranked No. 1 since January and brings an eight-game winning streak into the state playoffs. The Demons are led by Region 2 Player of the Year Jada Morgan and first-team all-region selection Tasia Agee. Statesboro (19-9) is led by Reya Johnson (13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds), Alyssa Staten (14.2 points, 14.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks) and 6-foot-4 Ashari Washington (14.4 points, 4.9 rebounds). Johnson can do a bit of everything; she had a triple-double against Coffee in the Region 1 tournament.
Centennial at Midtown: This matchup features two of the youngest teams in the tournament. Centennial (15-9) is led by freshman Samantha Ambroselli (16.4 points) and juniors Jasmine Perez (14.7 points and Diamond Leslie (11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds). The Knights have plenty of quickness that they use to tip balls and defend the perimeter. Midtown (20-8) has three freshmen among their top six players, including Devin Bockman (7.9 points) and Hailey Wortmann (5.1 points, 6.5 rebounds). Sophomore Sinclair Richman averages 12.8 points and 3.7 rebounds and junior Briaiah Lewis, a first-team all-region choice round things out.
