Grayson’s boys and girls basketball teams, each undefeated against Georgia competition, are looking to sweep the Class 7A championships Saturday at the Macon Coliseum.
Their opponents are second-ranked McEachern (boys) and sixth-ranked North Paulding (girls).
Neither Grayson team has won a state title, but they’re favored for the task.
Grayson’s boys are 29-2, and they’ve won 14 straight. Both losses came out of state.
Grayson’s top player has been Gicarri Harris, a 6-4 guard signed with Purdue. He averages 18 points, six rebounds and five assists per game.
Also formidable are Amir Taylor, a 6-8 forward with 10 Division I offers; Jacob Wilkins, a 6-9 forward committed to Georgia; C.J. Hyland, a point guard signed with Western Carolina; and Anthony Alston, a 6-3 guard signed with Appalachian State.
Grayson must contend with McEachern’s Ace Bailey, who is having one of the best seasons for a boys basketball player in state history.
A 6-9 forward, Bailey is averaging 32.5 points, 16.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 blocked shots for a 26-5 team that has played a national schedule.
McEachern is ranked No. 12 in MaxPreps’ national poll, one spot below Grayson. McEachern’s lone in-state loss came against Grayson on Nov. 11. Grayson won 79-62 in the opening game for both teams.
Other top McEachern players are four-star recruit Jaye Nash (12.2 points, 7.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds), Nnadozie Onyirimba (11.3 points, 9.6 rebounds) and Jayden Bynes (9.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 steals).
Grayson’s girls are 31-0. Only one Georgia team has come within 15 points of beating them, and that was Mount Paran Christian in a Nov. 18 overtime game. Grayson is ranked No. 5 in the national rankings of both MaxPreps and ESPN HoopGurlz.
Grayson’s top players are Danielle Carnegie, a 5-9 guard signed with Georgia Tech averaging 18 points and eight rebounds, and Erin Rodgers, a 6-0 forward signed with Florida Atlantic averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds.
They’re well-supported by guard Tatum Brown, a junior, who has scored 1,000 career points; Taj Hunter, a senior pledged to Western Carolina; and Malaya Jones, who is going to Nicholls State.
North Paulding’s girls have won nine straight games to reach a championship game for the first time. They defeated Cherokee 55-52 with balanced scoring – no scorer with more than 10 points.
North Paulding’s Ava Andrews, a 6-1 junior, was the Region 3 player of the year. Yolanda Floyd and Marina Sippola made the all-region team.
A Grayson sweep, though impressive, would not be unprecedented in the state tournament. It’s happened more than 20 teams, including Greenforest Christian’s wins in Class A Division II this season. Norcross in 2022 was the most recent to do it in the highest classification.
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