Thirty-two high school basketball teams are in Macon this week for the state finals. Six are reigning champions. Seven have never played for a championship. Fourteen have never won.
Here’s a primer on the 16 championship games set for Wednesday through Saturday at the Macon Coliseum.
Newcomer boys: In their 61st season, Charlton County’s boys will play for their first state championship Wednesday against 10-time former champion Wilkinson County, thanks largely to Elyiss Williams’ 3-point shot at the buzzer that beat 2022 champion and No. 1-ranked Greenforest Christian in the Class A Division II semifinals. Also in their first finals are Alexander and Providence Christian. Cherokee, Kell, Fayette County, Sandy Creek and King’s Ridge Christian never have won titles.
Newcomer girls: Griffin’s girls had been 0-5 in semifinals, dating to their first try in 1950. The Bears will play Hardaway for the 5A title Wednesday. Brookwood, River Ridge and Galloway also are in their first finals. Banks County, making its first appearance since 1965, and Kell have never won.
Back for more: Westside-Augusta is the only 2022 boys champion that made it back to the finals. Five girls champs are alive. They are Norcross, Lovejoy, Lumpkin County, Mount Paran Christian and Lake Oconee Academy.
Best boys matchup: Eagle’s Landing (29-1) and Kell (27-2) are the second- and third-best boys teams in any class, according to MaxPreps, and they’re playing for the Class 5A title Thursday. Eagle’s Landing senior point guard David Thomas committed to Mercer. Kell’s Peyton Marshall, a 6-foot-11 center, committed to Auburn. Both are their regions’ players of the year.
Other top boys players: Wheeler point guard Isaiah Collier is the Naismith national player of the year. He’s flanked by 6-9 center Arrinten Page, who will join him at Southern Cal, and guard Jelani Hamilton, an Iowa State signee. Sandy Creek’s Micah Smith, Pace Academy’s Kyle Greene and King’s Ridge Christian’s William Jobe are top-150 national prospects among juniors.
Best girls matchup: Brookwood (30-1) has been ranked No. 1 since preseason in pursuit of its first state title. Its Class 7A opponent Saturday is defending champion Norcross (29-2), seeking its seventh championship and led by Jania Akins, a returning all-state player. Brookwood’s marquee player is Diana Collins, an Ohio State signee.
Other top girls players: Erica Moon of St. Francis signed with Texas A&M. Lovejoy’s Bryanna Preston is a top-50 prospect among juniors. Hebron Christian sophomore Aubrey Beckham has scholarship offers from Power 5-conference programs. Kell’s Crystal Henderson, sister of projected top-five NBA draft pick Scoot Henderson, has more than 2,000 career points. All are point guards.
Sweep dream: Kell is the only school with its boys and girls teams in the finals. Title sweeps have occurred 21 times since the first girls tournament in 1945 and 14 times since 2006. Norcross did it last year. Kell has never won a boys or girls basketball title.
Rematches: Five of the 16 finals are between teams from the same region. Wheeler‘s boys were 3-0 against Cherokee. Sandy Creek’s boys were 3-0 against Cedar Grove. Mount Pisgah Christian’s boys were 1-0 against King’s Ridge. Griffin’s girls were 2-1 against Baldwin. St. Francis’ girls were 2-0 against Galloway.
Miscellanous: Hebron Christian’s girls (31-0) are the only undefeated team in the finals. … Lee County’s boys are the only unranked team. … King’s Ridge’s boys are the only fourth-place region finisher. … The Cedar Grove-Sandy Creek boys final matches the schools that played for a football title won by Sandy Creek in December.
Tickets: They are $15 per day and must be purchased in advance through GoFan. There is a clear-bag policy. Purses and backpacks are not allowed.
TV/streaming: GPB Knowledge Channel will televise. All games will be livestreamed and on demand at GPB Sports and NFHS Network to any device.
Schedule:
Wednesday
1 p.m. - A Division II girls: Clinch County vs. Lake Oconee Academy
3 p.m. - A Division II boys: Charlton County vs. Wilkinson County
5 p.m. - 4A girls: Griffin vs. Baldwin
7 p.m. - 4A boys: Pace Academy vs, Fayette County
Thursday
1 p.m. - 2A girls: Banks County vs. Mount Paran Christian
3 p.m. - 2A boys: Providence Christian vs. Westside-Augusta
5 p.m. - Coed 3-point contest
5:30 p.m. - 5A girls: Warner Robins vs. Kell
7:30 p.m. - 5A boys: Eagle’s Landing vs. Kell
Friday
1 p.m. - 3A girls: Hebron Christian vs. Lumpkin County
3 p.m. - 3A boys: Cedar Grove vs. Sandy Creek
5 p.m. - Girls 3-point contest
5:30 p.m. - 6A girls: Lovejoy vs. River Ridge
7:30 p.m. - 6A boys: Lee County vs. Alexander
Saturday
11 a.m. A Division I girls: Galloway vs. St. Francis
1 p.m. - A Division I boys: Mount Pisgah Christian vs. King’s Ridge Christian
3 p.m. - AAASP final
5 p.m. - Boys slam-dunk final
5:30 p.m. - 7A girls: Norcross vs. Brookwood
7:30 p.m. - 7A boys: Cherokee vs. Wheeler
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