Milton’s boys and Collins Hill’s girls, two programs that dominated Georgia high school basketball years earlier, both nicknamed Eagles, are poised to reclaim their glory as the state tournament begins Tuesday and Wednesday.
Both are ranked No. 1, and both lost last year to an eventual champion now playing in the class below, 6A. For Milton, that was Wheeler in the semifinals. For Collins Hill, that was Westlake in the final.
Milton, the 2010 and 2012 boys champion in the highest class, is ranked No. 1 with a 23-2 record and riding a 21-game winning streak. Milton opens at home against Mill Creek.
Collins Hill, which won five girls titles from 2001 to 2007, has lost in the final the past two seasons. This year’s team is 21-1 Collins Hill opens at home against Etowah.
The best first-round games probably involve Norcross, which is the only school with a ranked team playing on the road.
The girls team, ranked No. 7, lost their region semifinal to Archer 37-36 on a buzzer-beater. That meant a lower seed and a road trip to eighth-ranked West Forsyth.
Norcross’ boys, ranked No. 9, also lost a close one to Archer, 44-42, is at Denmark.
Both Norcross teams remain favored to win, but it will be tougher. The girls have won eight straight first-round games. The boys have won 11 straight in the first round.
A few more interesting notes ... North Paulding’s boys have never won a state playoff game. They’re at home against East Coweta. Also, two boys teams, South Forsyth and Walton, won region titles for the first time this century last week. South Forsyth won its first since 1998, Walton its first since 1989.
Here are the draws for the first round:
BOYS
R4 #3 Parkview at R1 #2 Camden County
R2 #4 Newnan at R3 #1 Walton
R6 #3 Gainesville at R7 #2 Archer
R8 #4 Mill Creek at R5 #1 Milton
R7 #3 Norcross at R6 #2 Denmark
R5 #4 Roswell at R8 #1 North Gwinnett
R1 #3 Colquitt County at R4 #2 Newton
R3 #4 North Cobb at R2 #1 Pebblebrook
R8 #3 Peachtree Ridge at R5 #2 Cherokee
R6 #4 Lambert at R7 #1 Berkmar
R2 #3 East Coweta at R3 #2 North Paulding
R4 #4 South Gwinnett at R1 #1 Tift County
R3 #3 Marietta at R2 #2 McEachern
R1 #4 Lowndes at R4 #1 Grayson
R5 #3 Etowah at R8 #2 Collins Hill
R7 #4 Discovery at R6 #1 South Forsyth
GIRLS
R4 #3 Parkview at R1 #2 Colquitt County
R2 #4 Pebblebrook at R3 #1 Marietta
R6 #3 West Forsyth at R7 #2 Norcross
R8 #4 Mill Creek at R5 #1 Cherokee
R7 #3 Discovery at R6 #2 South Forsyth
R5 #4 Etowah at R8 #1 Collins Hill
R1 #3k Lowndes at R4 #2 Grayson
R3 #4 Hillgrove at R2 #1 McEachern
R8 #3 North Gwinnett at R5 #2 Woodstock
R6 #4 Denmark at R7 #1 Archer
R2 #3 East Coweta at R3 #2 North Paulding
R4 #4 Newton at R1 #1 Tift County
R3 #3 Harrison at R2 #2 Campbell
R1 #4 Camden County at R4 #1 Brookwood
R5 #3 Roswell at R8 #2 Peachtree Ridge
About the Author
