The Class 5A championships will be a southside affair.
All four teams who will play for championships on Thursday are from schools located south of Interstate 20: Forest Park and Woodward Academy (College Park) in girls and Tri-Cities (East Point) and Eagle’s Landing (Fayetteville) in boys.
The classification is guaranteed a new champion, too. The Buford girls, who won four in a row, moved up to Class 6A. The Dutchtown boys were eliminated in the Final Four.
But each of the four teams is no stranger to state championships. Forest Park won the state championship last year in 6A, before moving down a division. Woodward has won three state titles, but hasn’t scratched since 1999. The Tri-Cities boys won the 6A title in 2019 and Eagle’s Landing won it all in 2013.
It should make for an interesting evening at the Macon Coliseum.
Forest Park vs. Woodward Academy, 5 p.m.
It doesn’t happen very often that the two finalists emerge from the same league, but that’s the case here where Woodward Academy and Forest Park are both members of Region 3. Woodward won the region championship and Forest Park finished second. Members of the region opted to skip a post-season tournament and decided to send its top four teams to the state playoffs based on regular-season finish.
Woodward Academy swept the two games against Forest Park this season, winning a tight 55-51 game at Forest Park, but administering a 71-46 whipping on Feb. 12.
Woodward Academy (21-1) has won 20 straight, thanks to its intimidating defensive style and some timely scoring by Sydney Bowles and Sara Lewis.
Bowles, a 6-foot- junior, is a big-time prospect who can drive it to the basket or step back and loft in a succession of 3-pointers; she averages 22.8 points and nine rebounds. Lewis, a 6-1 junior, averages 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals. Kai Lanier, daughter of Georgia State coach Rob Lanier, averages 8.0 points and is a tenacious defender.
Forest Park (24-5) won the Class 6A championship a year ago and has much of the returning cast returning, including 6-foot-4 all-state selection Sania Feagin, last year’s Gatorade Player of the Year. Feagin averages 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocks; she has signed with South Carolina.
It’s hardly a one-girl show, as Olympia Chaney (11.1 points, 3.1 assists, 3.1 steals), Jasmine Stevens (9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds) and Ghylissa Knowles all bring senior experience. Yasmine Allen, a 5-10 freshman, averages 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds
Tri-Cities vs. Eagle’s Landing, 7:30 p.m.
This one has all the signs of a shootout, as both sides like to move it and down the court. Eagle’s Landing has scored at least 70 points over the last three games and has won its four state playoff games by an average margin of 33.5 points. Tri-Cities has scored at least 70 in each of its four state playoff games and is average 85 points in the postseason; the Bulldogs also eliminated No. 1-ranked St. Pius in a third-round shootout.
Tri-Cities (23-4) has won 16 straight games and field one of the top offenses in the state, averaging 86 points. Their top player is Peyton Daniels, a high-scoring 6-foot-2 guard who has signed with Vanderbilt. Daniels was the Region 3 Player of the Year after averaging 23 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was joined on the all-region team by 6-foot-8 Davorian Rudolph (first team), Simeon Cottle and Jackson Watson (both second team) and Davon Cottle (honorable mention).
Eagle’s Landing (26-1) brings a 15-game winning streak into the championship game. Their top player is A.J. Barnes, the Region 4 Player of the Year. Barnes, a 6-foot-5 junior is an outstanding shooter, but is smooth enough to handle point guard. Barnes and David Thomas, a first-team all-region pick, make up a potent one-two punch.
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