Class A Public: Semifinal coverage from Valdosta State

Drew Charter took a 15-9 lead after the first quarter and sparked a 10-2 scoring run early in the second to build a 25-11 lead. Social Circle responded with a 15-10 run to close out the half, but still went into the break facing a 15-point (35-20) deficit. Social Circle pushed the pace in the third quarter and outscored the Eagles 21-14 to make it a 49-41 game. The undefeated Redskins took a brief 53-52 lead with 3:38 left and also led 56-54 with just 35 seconds remaining, but Drew knocked down a pair of free throws with 20 seconds on the clock to tie it up 56-56 and Social Circle misfired on the final possession of regulation to force overtime.

Drew opened its overtime scoring with back-to-back three-pointers to claim a 62-58 lead with 2:22 remaining and preserved that margin to close out the 70-66 victory.

Warren County 49, Manchester 48

Warren County overcame a 17-8 first quarter deficit by outscoring Manchester 41-30 in the next three quarters and 28-18 in the second half. The Screaming Devils opened up the second quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 17-15, but Manchester’s Tra’vion Jackson sparked an 8-0 run of his own to push Manchester’s lead to 25-15, and the Blue Devils eventually went into the half holding on to a 29-21 lead.

Warren County trailed 40-30 late in the third quarter, but closed it out on an 8-1 scoring run to make it a 41-38 game heading into the final frame. Lorenzo Johnson closed out the third quarter with a pair of free throws and returned to the foul line to connect on another pair of foul shots. Warren County grabbed its first lead since 5-1 in the opening frame shortly after at 42-41 and Johnson extended the lead with a field goal to make it 44-41. Manchester answered with baskets by Camron Long and Jackson to reclaim a 45-44 lead, but Johnson would continue to keep Warren County’s championship aspirations alive.

A Johnson basket put Warren County back up 46-45, but Manchester’s Darius Bryant made two foul shots give the Blue Devils a late 47-46 lead. Johnson answered again with a three-pointer that proved to be the game-winner as Manchester’s final attempt misfired.

Johnson led Warren County with 22 points—including 13 in the final quarter. Warren County’s win-streak extends to 17-straight and they will return to the court Wednesday at 3:00 pm in Macon with an opportunity to win the program’s first-ever state title. Manchester’s 11-game win-streak was snapped with the defeat and they finish the season 28-3.

GIRLS

Hancock Central 50 Commerce 35

Hancock Central emerged victorious in the program’s first semifinal appearance since 1977 and outscored the Tigers 29-17 in the second half to accomplish the feat. The Bulldogs led Commerce 21-18 at the half and pulled away in large part to the play of Region 7-A Public Player of the Year and 6-foot senior center Jalexicia Hargrove—who is also listed as a ‘Ms. Middle Georgia’ Finalists for her play this season.

Hancock Central was absent in many of the pre-playoff polls, but Commerce still entered the matchup as a slight underdog—primarily because the Tigers did not reach the .500 mark until its latest win in the quarterfinals and have been flying under the radar. The Tigers opened up the season 1-9, but improved significantly, and will finish the year 14-15 following Saturday’s loss—resulting in a 13-4 record in their last 17 games.

Hancock Central, on the other hand, extends its win-streak to 16 games and remains undefeated within Class A Public this season. The Bulldogs have had a flawless run inside the classification this season, but they have also had to endure adversity this postseason, including a 56-48 overtime win in the second round against Bryan County and a 58-56 win over No. 2 ranked Montgomery County in the quarterfinals.

Lake Oconee Academy 58, Taylor County 30

Lake Oconee Academy (25-1) overwhelmed Taylor County (22-5) with a 21-6 first quarter lead and picked up their 21st-straight victory. The Titans will take on Hancock Central in the championship this Wednesday and both programs will be playing to win their first-ever state title. Hannah Heinen and Jada Williams each scored five points in the first quarter to fuel the game-changing 21-6 opening frame.

Lake Oconee tacked on a 11-8 scoring edge in the second quarter and took an 18-point lead into the break (32-14). Williams led the way with nine points in the first half, Heinen had five and teammate Kensi Stevens contributed six points to help build the insurmountable lead.

Taylor County did managed to outscore the Titans 9-7 in the third quarter to cut Lake Oconee’s lead to 39-23, but the Titans had the clock on their side and closed out the victory with a 19-7 scoring advantage in the final frame.