Round 1 is in the books, and neither the boys or girls tournaments featured a major upset. However, a No. 1 seed has fallen on the girls’ side.
The No. 4-seeded Butler Bulldogs beat the Tattnall County Warriors 48-47 on Tuesday, with sophomore Alexia Rolling making the go-ahead free throw with 25 seconds left for what turned out to be the game’s final points. The Bulldogs would get a steal on Tattnall County’s next possession and the Warriors never got the ball back.
The Bulldogs were led by senior Markera Thomas’ 15 points. Junior Tamyia Jackson had 12 points, and junior Logan Davis had five assists and four steals.
The Bulldogs (18-9) are in the playoffs for the sixth straight season and advance for the first time since 2021, when they reached the semifinals. That’s the furthest the program has been, matching that feat one other time, in 1978.
Bulldogs fourth-year coach Eboni Fields said the team was happy to get a playoff win after last season’s first-round exit.
“They’re very excited,” Fields said. “The name of the game now is, ‘Survive and advance.’ We’re advancing to the second round and, with this group, there’s only two players left from that final four team. Everyone else is either freshmen or returners from last year who lost in the playoffs, so this is exciting for them.”
Butler’s win also gave Region 4 a clean sweep of Region 3, with No. 1 seed Thomson beating Pierce County 59-22, No. 2 Josey beating Vidalia 52-22 and No. 3 Laney beating Brantley County 64-46.
Though neither Tattnall County (17-9) or Butler entered the tournament ranked in the AJC polls, the MaxPreps 2A computer rankings have them almost even. Butler is No. 13 with a 9.8 rating, and Tattnall County is No. 11 with a rating 10.0.
Up next for the road-warrior Bulldogs in Round 2 are the Northeast Raiders (17-8), with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday. The Raiders are the No. 2 seed from Region 2, and on MaxPreps, they’re No. 15 with a 9.0 rating.
The Raiders, who last year reached the semifinals for their first playoff wins since 2011, coasted past Berrien 81-48 on Tuesday, with seniors Laniya Richardson (26 points) and Shadae Thorpe (22) leading the way.
“Looking at the film, they look like a really good team,” Fields said of Northeast. “They’ve got a really good guard (Richardson) who’s averaging (20.3 points), so this has to be a defensive-minded game for us. We have to try to slow them down and make more shots.”
Aside from Butler, other lower seeds that won on the girls’ side were all No. 3 seeds against No. 2s. Fannin County beat Athens Academy 62-37, Spencer beat Fitzgerald 72-69, and Laney won 64-46 over Brantley County.
On the boys’ side, lower seeds to advance were also No. 3s, with North Cobb Christian beating Redan 59-56, and Butler beating Tattnall County 59-44. Though the higher seed won in all other instances, a pair of No. 1 seeds got a scare. South Atlanta edged Landmark Christian, 55-53, and Windsor Forest, ranked No. 7, beat No. 8 Thomson 72-68. In the only other matchup of ranked teams, top-ranked Columbia beat No. 10 Drew Charter 63-50.
For all Round 1 scores, check the updated boys and girls brackets on GHSA.net.
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