Fifteen of the 16 No. 1-ranked teams got through to this weekend’s state basketball semifinals while six teams are making the first final-four appearances in history.
The oldest ship to make shore was Model, a Floyd County school that opened in 1901. Model’s boys made a state-tournament appearance in 1936, but punched their ticket to the semis for the first time Wednesday with a 62-60 victory over Dodge County.
“Going this far has been years in the making for our program, and I personally couldn’t be prouder,’’ said Jacob Travis, a Model alumnus who played for his father, Milton Travis, in the 1990s and became head coach in 2012. “Now we are trying to hold two lines at the same time. We are excited and simultaneously focused on the task at hand.’’
Unranked despite a 23-4 record, Model will play third-ranked Providence Christian on Friday at Georgia College in Milledgeville, one of five neutral semifinals sites.
Another proud drought-breaker is Banks County’s girls. Their most recent semifinal game came in 1965. Ranked No. 3 in 2A, Banks County defeated Central-Carrollton 61-56 on Tuesday and will play No. 7 Josey in another Georgia College semifinal.
“The excitement of our team, school and community is sky high right now,’’ said coach Steve Shedd, in his seventh season at the northeast Georgia school. “We have had a lot of success as a program through the years, but to be in the final four has definitely taken it to the next level for us.”
Other semifinals venues are Georgia State (Class 7A), West Georgia (6A, 5A), Fort Valley State (4A, 3A) and Valdosta State (A Division II). Georgia College has 2A and A Division I.
Here’s a closer look at the state tournament’s penultimate round.
Favorites: A year ago, six No. 1 teams failed to get this far. This time, only McDonough’s boys of Class 4A fell short. They lost to Westover in Albany 66-57. The top-rated boys teams still playing are Wheeler in Class 7A, Alexander in 6A, Eagle’s Landing in 5A, Sandy Creek in 3A, Columbia in 2A, Mount Paran Christian in A Division I and Greenforest Christian in A Division II. The No. 1 girls teams are Brookwood in 7A, River Ridge in 6A, Kell in 5A, Holy Innocents’ in 4A, Hebron Christian in 3A, Mount Paran Christian in 2A, St. Francis in A Division I and Lake Oconee Academy in A Division II.
Best boys games: No. 1 Wheeler plays No. 2 Grayson in Class 7A on Saturday at Georgia State. Wheeler has won eight state titles. Grayson, the runner-up to Wheeler in 2020, is seeking its first. No. 1 Sandy Creek of 3A is playing fourth-ranked Cross Creek, a two-time reigning champion, on Friday at Fort Valley. No. 1 Columbia plays No. 2 Westside-Augusta, the defending 2A champion, on Saturday at Georgia College.
Best girls games: No. 2 Norcross and No. 3 Buford of Class 7A have won 11 state titles between themselves since 2009. Buford has seven of those, but all were in lower classifications. This is the Wolves’ first venture into the highest class. Norcross is the defending champion. They’re playing Saturday at Georgia State. In Class 3A, third-year Hebron Christian coach Jan Azar leads the state’s only undefeated team against her former team, Wesleyan, where she won 13 state titles. They’re playing Friday at Fort Valley State.
Unranked, undeterred: Five teams are unranked are among the 64 still playing. That’s down from 11 last season. All are boys teams. They are Lee County, Benedictine, Model, Swainsboro, Jones County, Douglass.
Road warriors: Jones County’s boys (5A) and King’s Ridge Christian’s (A Division I) are the only teams to win three consecutive road games to reach the semifinals. Both qualified from their regions as the fourth seeds.
Newcomers: In addition to Model, the first-time boys semifinals teams are Charlton County, Etowah, Mount Vernon and Providence Christian. The only first-time girls semifinalist is Mount Zion-Carroll.
Drought-breakers: In addition to Banks County, previous semifinalists making their first appearances this century are Calhoun’s girls (1963) and boys teams from Benedictine (1959), Jones County (1976), Cherokee (1982) and Douglass (1999).
Twice the fun: Norcross (7A) and Kell (5A) have their boys and girls teams in the semifinals. Norcross swept Class 7A last season. Kell hasn’t won a state title, but was runner-up in 2020 (girls) and 2021 (boys).
Next: The finals are March 8-11 in the Macon Coliseum.
Schedule:
Friday’s games
At University of West Georgia
Class 5A
2 p.m. Girls: Calhoun vs. Warner Robins
4 p.m. Boys: Jones County vs. Eagle’s Landing
6 p.m. Girls: Jackson-Atlanta vs. Kell
8 p.m. Boys: Chapel Hill vs. Kell
At Fort Valley State University
Class 3A
2 p.m. Girls: Wesleyan vs. Hebron Christian
4 p.m. Boys: Douglass vs. Cedar Grove
6 p.m. Girls: Calvary Day vs. Lumpkin County
8 p.m. Boys: Sandy Creek vs. Cross Creek
At Georgia College and State University
Class A Division I
2 p.m. Girls: Galloway vs. Elbert County
4 p.m. Boys: Mount Pisgah Christian vs. Swainsboro
6 p.m. Girls: Woodville-Tompkins vs. St. Francis
8 p.m. Boys: King’s Ridge Christian vs. Mount Vernon
Saturday’s games
At Georgia State University
Class 7A
2 p.m. Girls: Norcross vs. Buford
4 p.m. Boys: Norcross vs. Cherokee
6 p.m. Girls: McEachern vs. Brookwood
8 p.m. Boys: Wheeler vs. Grayson
At University of West Georgia
Class 6A
2 p.m. Girls: Lovejoy vs. Brunswick
4 p.m. Boys: Lee County vs. Lanier
6 p.m. Girls: Langston Hughes vs. River Ridge
8 p.m. Boys: Alexander vs. Etowah
At Fort Valley State University
Class 4A
2 p.m. Girls: Hardaway vs. Griffin
4 p.m. Boys: Westover vs. Pace Academy
6 p.m. Girls: Baldwin vs. Holy Innocents’
8 p.m. Boys: Benedictine vs. Fayette County
At Georgia College and State University
Class 2A
2 p.m. Girls: Josey vs. Banks County
4 p.m. Boys: Model vs. Providence Christian
6 p.m. Girls: Landmark Christian vs. Mount Paran Christian
8 p.m. Boys: Columbia vs. Westside-Augusta
At Valdosta State University
Class A Division II
2 p.m. Girls: Mount Zion-Carroll vs. Lake Oconee Academy
4 p.m. Boys: Greenforest Christian vs. Charlton County
6 p.m. Girls: Clinch County vs. Taylor County
8 p.m. Boys: Wilkinson County vs. Macon County
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