The top-ranked Wheeler boys and Westlake girls teams will headline the field in the Class 6A basketball semifinals, which will be played Friday and Saturday at participating schools.
The winners will meet in the finals at 5 p.m. (girls) and 7:30 p.m. (boys) on March 12 at the Macon Coliseum, which is hosting the championship games in all classifications over four days next week.
Here’s a look at the four 6A semifinals:
Girls
*Lovejoy at Carrollton (6 p.m. Friday): Fourth-ranked Lovejoy (20-5) ended the championship run of Buford, which moved up to 6A this season after winning 5A titles the past four years, with a 49-42 victory in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats, seeded No. 2 from Region 4 behind Westlake, are in the semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons, winning the 6A title in 2018 and finishing as runners-up in 2019. Sophomore La’Nya Foster and freshman Bryanna Preston are the leading scorers in a balanced offense. Third-ranked Carrollton (29-1) won a state championship in 2009 and had runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2015, and it reached the quarterfinals three of the past four seasons in 5A. The Trojans suffered their only loss on Dec. 22 against Class 7A McEachern, 53-49. They have won 21 consecutive games since, with only two decided by fewer than 20 points, including a 49-40 victory over No. 6 Hughes in the quarterfinals. De’Mauri Flournoy, a Vanderbilt signee, is the Region 5 player of the year.
*Westlake at River Ridge (6 p.m. Friday): Tenth-ranked River Ridge (27-3) is in the semifinals for the first time in the program’s 12-year history following playoff victories over Kennesaw Mountain, Rome and Grovetown. The Knights have won 20 consecutive games since a loss to Class 7A semifinalist Marietta on Dec. 19. Sophomore Mataya Gayle scores a team-leading 17.9 points per game, and freshman Allie Sweet averages 8.8 points and 11 rebounds. River Ridge will have its hands full slowing down top-ranked Westlake (18-0), which won the past three 7A championships and has not lost a game played in Georgia in four years. Last season, the Lions became just the eighth school in GHSA history to win three consecutive girls titles in the highest class. Westlake’s 55-46 victory over No. 5 Kell in the quarterfinals was its second-closest of the season, trailing only a 68-64 win over Class 7A No. 2 McEachern on Dec. 12. Raven Johnson, a South Carolina signee, was the state’s all-classification player of the year in 2020.
Boys
*Wheeler at Centennial (7 p.m. Saturday): Top-ranked Wheeler (25-5) won the 7A championship last year before moving down in reclassification. The Wildcats are two wins from their eighth state title after playoff victories over Sequoyah, No. 7 Lanier and No. 10 Richmond Hill, the last two coming on the road. Ja’Heim Hudson, Kaleb Washington and Isaiah Collier made the 10-player all-region team in Region 6. AJ Burke scored a team-high 15 points in a 61-47 quarterfinal victory over Richmond Hill. No. 6 Centennial (24-4) was the top-seeded team in the Region 7 tournament but settled for the No. 2 seed in the state playoffs after a loss to Chattahoochee in the region final. That’s the Knights’ only loss in 16 games since Jan. 12. They have beaten South Cobb, Winder-Barrow and No. 4 Evans in the state tournament. Top scorers Logan Turner and Kyle Duncan were first-team all-Region 7 selections. Centennial is trying to reach the finals for the first time since its 2007 team finished as the 5A runner-up.
*Kell at Lee County (6 p.m. Saturday): No. 2-ranked Kell was a semifinalist in 5A last year before moving up in reclassification. The Longhorns (21-6) suffered two close losses to No. 1 Wheeler in the regular season but beat the Wildcats in overtime in the Region 6 championship game. They have since beaten River Ridge, No. 5 Shiloh and No. 9 Westlake in the state playoffs. Scoot Henderson, the No. 14-rated player nationally among juniors, was the Region 6 player of the year. He had 25 points and 13 rebounds in a quarterfinal victory over Westlake. Lee County (17-10), the only unranked 6A boys or girls team still standing, is in the semifinals for the first time since its 1985 team won the 3A state title. The Trojans knocked off defending champ Chattahoochee 67-64 in the quarterfinals on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Jordan Moser. The Trojans have won 13 of 14 games since starting the season 4-9. That streak includes two wins to claim the Region 1 tournament and playoff victories against Hughes, Brunswick and Chattahoochee.
About the Author
