The first round of the state playoffs saw every No. 1 seed advance on the boys and girls side. The Druid Hills boys cruised past visiting Chestatee 69-43 and was led by Harry Gewirtz’s game-high 20 points. Keshawn Evans finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jo Williams added 11 points and five assists. The Pickens girls also had a strong performance in their 83-44 win over Riverdale. No. 2 seed Pickens jumped out to a 23-6 lead after the first quarter and took a 40-15 advantage into the half. The pace picked up in the second half and Pickens extended the lead to 62-31 heading into the final frame.
The top-seeded Fayette County boys were led by five-star Indiana-signee Kaleb Banks’ 30 points in their 77-62 win over Southeast Whitfield. Banks also notched seven blocks and 11 rebounds. Teammate Tariq Mumphrey scored 16 points and RJ Kennedy, Donovan Hand and Sean Van Dorn each finished with eight points. Also, North Oconee used a 21-point third quarter to hold off No. 3 seed Mays 49-44. The Titans were led by Jake Chandler’s game-high 16 points and a 14-point effort by Brodie Scott. Mays got 13 points from Daron Lindsey and 10 points from Mykell Williams.
The Bainbridge girls had 12 different scorers to fuel its 48-point victory over Jenkins (73-25). Marquita Jakes posted a game-high 12 points and Detavia Salter notched 10 points to lead the Bearcats.
The top-seeded Baldwin girls posted a 69-30 win over Shaw. Point guard Madison Ruff’s turned in a game-high 16 points and four assists. Kassidy Neal chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals and Janaye Walker had six points to go with her game-high 19 rebounds.
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