Leftovers from the first round of the state playoff and a look ahead to the Sweet 16.
Biggest boys surpise: Jones County was the No. 4 seed from Region 2, but went on the road and hammered Region 1 champion Bradwell Institute 65-44. That gave Region 2 a sweep, as Eagle’s Landing, Union Grove and Dutchtown also prevailed in their first-round games.
Biggest girls surprise: The Dalton girls went on the road and took down Loganville, the Region 8 regular-season champions. The Catamounts sort of got overshadowed by state-ranked Calhoun and Hiram in the regular season, but Grace Ridley and Company kept their season alive with an easy 51-30 victory.
Doubling up: Five schools had their boys and girls teams prevail and move into the second round -- Decatur, Jones County, Kell, Hiram and Union Grove.
Ranked teams who fell: All 10 ranked boys teams advanced to the second round. First-round losers among the girls were No. 9 Ware County and No. 10 Greenbrier.
Here are three of the most compelling second-round boys and girls games.
Boys
No. 7 Tri-Cities (19-10) at No. 3 Hiram (24-2), Saturday, 5 p.m. – This is a game worthy of the semifinals. Defending state champion Tri-Cities played a difficult schedule and is a dangerous team behind the leadership of Region 5 Player of the Year Kory Mincy (20.1 points, 4.1 assists) and Noricco Danner (13.7 points, 5.1 assists). Hiram will be a handful. The Hornets have won 16 straight and survived a pair of overtime battles against Calhoun over the last two weeks. Hiram has a strong starting five led by Jay Boyd and Chase Tyler, a pair of first-team all-Region 7 selections.
Union Grove (18-11) at McIntosh (21-7), Saturday, 3 p.m. – These two old rivals met twice in non-region games during the regular season with Union Grove winning both – 62-44 and 53-51. Union Grove is led by first-team all-region selection Tony Colley, who averages 13 points, 5.9 rebounds and is an excellent 3-point shooter. McIntosh features Region 3 Player of the Year Uche Iloh, a 6-foot-7 junior who averages 16.6 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. First-team all-region pick Brandon Cheri averages 14 points and 3.5 assists for the Chiefs.
No. 6 Dutchtown (21-8) at No. 8 Decatur (18-8), Saturday, 5:30 p.m. – Dutchtown is back in the spotlight under coach Wallace Corker. The Bulldogs have an outstanding defensive team and is led by all-Region 2 selections Jeremiah Edwards and Braxton Cooley. Decatur got hot at the right time and is riding a five-game winning streak, which includes wins over Lithonia and No. 10 Tucker in the Region 4 playoffs. Luke Brooks, Turner Cumming and Quay Wallace were all named to the all-region team for the Bulldogs.
Girls
No. 5 Union Grove (22-7) at Northside-Columbus (20-6), Friday, 6 p.m. -- This will be the second meeting this season between the two teams. Union Grove won the non-region game 56-40 on Jan. 20. Union Grove is led by the one-two punch of first-team all-Region 2 selections Jordan Brooks (13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.9 steals) and Nadea Smith (10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds). Northside’s Mya Giles was the Region 3 Player of the Year after averaging 17.5 points and McKayla Hosley was a first-team selection.
No. 4 Bradwell Institute (22-4) at Decatur (19-8), Saturday, 4 p.m. – Bradwell makes the long road trip from Hinesville. Seniors Taniyah Bowman (16.7 points, 3.4 assists, 5.3 steals) and Bailey Gilmore (9.5 points, 8.8 rebounds) and sophomore Parris Parham (12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds) lead the Tigers. Decatur rose up and upset Arabia Mountain in the Region 4 playoffs to earn the No. 1 seed and the home game. The Bulldogs are led by all-region selections Cornelia Ellington (19.6 points, 5.1 assists), Ryen Evans (11.9 points) and Marlo Simms (13.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks).
No. 8 Hiram (22-5) at No. 2 Kell (22-5), Friday, 6 p.m. – Can Hiram slow down the high-flying Longhorns, who have won 10 in a row? Kell is led by Crystal Henderson, the Region 6 Player of the Year who had her jersey retired at the end of the season. Jada Green and Jamiah Gregory were also named to the all-region team. Hiram lost in the Region 7 championship game and got dumped into a much tougher draw. The Hornets ride first-team all-region selections Kalisha Phillips and Camryn O’Neill and second-team picks Taylor Crawford and Lauren Watson.
Second-round schedule
Girls
Thursday
Cambridge (21-8) at Calhoun (23-4), 7 p.m.
Friday
Jones County (20-8) at Arabia Mountain (25-2), 6 p.m.
Cartersville (17-10) at Midtown (21-8), 7 p.m.
Harris County (19-8) at Warner Robins (25-3), 6 p.m.
Union Grove (22-7) at Northside-Columbus (20-6), 6 p.m.
Dalton (21-8) at Maynard Jackson (24-1), 6 p.m.
Hiram (22-5) at Kell (22-5), 6 p.m.
Saturday
Bradwell Institute (22-4) at Decatur (19-8), 4 p.m.
Boys
Friday
Lithonia (18-9) at Eagle’s Landing (26-1), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Tri-Cities (19-10) at Hiram (24-2), 5 p.m.
Jones County (17-12) at Tucker (20-6), 4 p.m.
Mays (20-8) at Winder-Barrow (20-8), 6:30 p.m.
Union Grove (18-11) at McIntosh (21-7), 3 p.m.
Cass (15-13) at Chapel Hill (21-8), 6 p.m.
Dutchtown (21-8) at Decatur (18-8), 5:30 p.m.
Eastside (23-6) at Kell (24-2), 7:30 p.m.
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