The second round of the Georgia high school basketball tournament will feel like a final four or even a championship game for some Friday and Saturday, when 256 boys and girls games will be played at home gyms around the state.
The defending Class 6A boys champion, No. 1-ranked Wheeler, will be at home Friday against No. 2 Westlake.
The defending Class 2A boys champion, No. 1 Pace Academy, will be at home Friday against No. 3 Butler of Augusta. Also in 2A, No. 2 Columbia is at No. 4 Westside-Augusta on Saturday, which means the classification’s top four teams are squaring off against each other in only the round of 16.
“When you get the brackets for the state playoffs, you just have to prepare for the next team up,” Westlake boys coach Darron Rogers said. “We’ll get in the gym and get ready. Our players will give it all they’ve got to advance to the next round regardless of who we have to play.”
The girls’ brackets have some too-early showdowns, too.
In Class 7A, No. 3 Grayson is at No. 2 North Forsyth. In 6A, No. 4 Langston Hughes is at No. 3 Kell. Both are Friday.
“It’s a final four-type matchup that just happens to be taking place in the round of 16, but at this point in the season you have to beat the best to be the best‚” North Forsyth girls coach Brad Kudlas said. “Our team is ready for this opportunity and excited to play. We have a lot of respect for Grayson and look forward to showing how strong girls basketball is in our state.”
The Georgia High School Association seeds teams based on their region finish, not any overall state ranking, which makes these early blockbusters possible.
“When you get the brackets for the state playoffs, you just have to prepare for the next team up."
In all, there will be 16 boys games and 15 girls games this weekend between top-10 teams. Other notable ones include No. 5 Jonesboro at No. 2 St. Pius (5A boys), No. 6 Windsor Forest at No. 1 Sandy Creek (3A boys) and No. 3 Elbert County at No. 5 Swainsboro (2A girls).
The first round, played Tuesday and Wednesday, had its own drama.
Georgia Basketball Project founder Becky Taylor has determined that the Sequoyah boys’ 135-112 victory over Paulding County in Class 6A represents the highest combined score (247 points) in tournament history, which dates to 1922. The previous record was 214 points set in 2017, when Crisp County beat Savannah 108-106 in three overtimes.
The No. 1 Holy Innocents’ girls set a tournament record in their 94-14 victory over Walker in Class A Private. The 80-point margin broke the record set last year in Southwest DeKalb’s 77-3 win over Walnut Grove, according to Taylor.
Ranked boys teams were 69-11 in the first round. Ranked girls teams were 68-11, with one getting a bye.
Bradwell Institute’s girls beat four-time defending Class 6A champion Westlake 72-64, ending the Lions’ 20-game winning streak at state. Westlake, in rebuilding mode, finished 13-10.
George Walton Academy’s boys, winless in the state tournament since 2011, knocked out defending Class A Public champion Mount Pisgah Christian 68-63.
The unranked Osborne boys beat No. 3 Shiloh 51-50 in overtime in Class 6A. It was Osborne’s second state-playoff win this century.
Two Class 3A schools from far northwest Georgia earned historic victories more than 40 years in the making.
Ringgold’s boys won their first state-tournament game since 1967, beating a Class 3A region champion, Monroe, 62-59, and breaking an 11-game losing streak at state. Ringgold (10-21) finished last in Region 6′s regular season with a 2-14 record but won two region-tournament games to qualify for state.
Murray County’s girls won their first state-tournament game since 1978 with a 46-43 victory over Franklin County. Murray County, without a winning season in over 10 years, is making its first state appearance since 2000 and is 21-6 under new coach Chris Tipton, an alumnus.
The quarterfinals, when region champions can play against each other for the first time, will be Tuesday and Wednesday. A coin toss will determine home court when same-seeded teams meet.
About the Author
