Here’s a recap of Tuesday’s quarterfinal play in the boys and girls state basketball tournaments.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covered the Harrison girls’ 57-49 victory over Grayson and the Berkmar boys’ 62-57 victory over Grayson.
Quarterfinal play continues Wednesday, and the AJC will cover three games: Milton at Pebblebrook (boys), Forest Park at Loganville (girls) and Hebron at St. Francis (girls). Semifinals are set for March 4-5, with the championships March 9-12 in Macon.
See the Tuesday roundups below.
7A
Boys:
Norcross 58, North Gwinnett 55
Norcross edged North Gwinnett on the road thanks to 16 points from London Johnson and 13 each from Jerry Deng and Mier Panoam. For North Gwinnett, R.J. Godfrey led all scorers with 21 points and Dylan Gary scored 15 points.
Girls:
Campbell 61, Cherokee 52 (2OT)
Campbell outlasted Cherokee at home in double overtime, getting 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals from Laila Battle. Also for Campbell, Jaida Fitzgerald scored 12 points and had six rebounds and Nia Bozeman scored 11 points with five rebounds and three steals.
Norcross 77, Brookwood 60
Jania Akins scored a game-high 28 points with four rebounds and two assists. Also for visiting Norcross, Zaria Hurston scored 23 points to go with 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals, and LaNiya Kenon had 14 points, six rebounds and two steals.
6A
Boys:
Grovetown 82, Wheeler 76 (OT)
Wheeler led by 13 points in the third quarter, but host Grovetown came back to tie the game at 69 at the end of regulation. Malik Ferguson led Grovetown with 20 points, while Frankquon Sherman scored 19 points, Markel Freeman scored 14 points and Derrion Reid scored 13 points for the Warriors.
Girls:
Kell 67, Rome 55
Host Kell got 20 points from Crystal Henderson to go with four assists and three rebounds. Also for Kell, Amaya Moss scored 19 points with 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists, Jada Peterson scored 13 points, and Jada Green scored 10 points with 15 rebounds and two steals.
Rockdale County 64, Brunswick 56
Danielle Carnegie of visiting Rockdale County led all scorers with 35 points. Lia Edwards contributed 18 points for Rockdale. For Brunswick, Shamya Flanders led the team with 16 points. Brunswick led 37-27 at halftime.
5A
Boys:
Tri-Cities 86, Chapel Hill 81 (OT)
Top seeds Tri-Cities and Chapel Hill needed overtime to settle the score, and the Bulldogs’ starpower ultimately prevailed. Senior Simeon Cottle led Tri-Cities with a game-high 42 points, and he finished 18-of-18 from the foul line. Juniors Kory Mincy and Noricco Danner added 20 points and five assists and 13 points and seven rebounds, respectively.
Girls:
Woodward Academy 84, Jackson 58
Top-seeded Woodward Academy picked up its 16th straight victory after jumping to a 42-23 halftime lead. Sara Lewis scored 15 points in the first half and led the War Eagles with 23 points. Sydney Bowles finished with 20 points to go with her game-high seven assists. Woodward Academy also got strong performances from Kennedie Mosley (10), Zoe Scott (8) and MacKenzie Moring (8).
4A
Boys:
Westover 63, Jefferson 55
Top seeds Westover and Jefferson entered their quarterfinal matchup battle-tested, but Westover was able to dominate early and cruise to victory. The Patriots jumped to a 21-10 lead in the first quarter and also forced Jefferson senior guard Dalen Gales to sit after getting into early foul trouble. Turnovers and Westover’s strong rebounding continued to favor the Patriots, and they went into the half with a 37-19 lead. Jefferson outscored Westover 36-26 in the second half but was unable to close the gap.
Girls:
Marist 36, Heritage-Catoosa 16
Top-seeded Marist held its opponent to fewer than 20 points for the second straight round and seventh time this season, extending its win streak to 14 games. Avery Fantucci led the War Eagles with 21 points, and teammate Lauren Kim finished with eight points.
3A
Boys:
Beach 56, Burke County 52
Beach is in the final four after a closely contested road victory. The Bulldogs led 15-10 after the first quarter and 31-26 at the half. Burke County tied the game at 50 entering the fourth quarter, but Beach held Burke to one basket in the final minutes to secure the victory.
Girls:
Lumpkin County 49, Cross Creek 37
Lumpkin County is two wins from the program’s first title after eliminating defending champion Cross Creek. Averie Jones scored 26 points to lead Lumpkin. Mary Mullinax scored nine points, Lexi Pierce added eight points and Kate Jackson finished with six points.
2A
Boys:
Northeast 67, Vidalia 53
No. 2 seed Northeast became the first Class 2A boys team to advance to the semifinals after a stunning road win over top-seeded Vidalia. The Indians entered the game riding a 25-game win streak, but Northeast was able to jump to a 40-17 halftime lead. Vidalia outscored the Raiders 36-17 in the second half but was unable to overcome Northeast’s overwhelming first-half margin.
Girls:
Josey 61, Fannin County 53
Defending state champion Josey eliminated Fannin County in a rematch of last year’s Class 2A championship game and held off the Rebels’ late fourth-quarter rally. Josey closed the third quarter with a 44-33 lead, but a Fannin County scoring burst that culminated with a Courtney Davis 3-pointer cut the deficit to 54-51 with 1:02 left. Josey’s Aqoyas Cody responded with a basket and two clutch free throws to give Josey a 58-53 edge with 19.4 left, and the Eagles closed out the win.
A Private
Boys:
King’s Ridge 62, Calvary Day 47
King’s Ridge previously defeated Calvary Day 68-43 on Dec. 28 and dispatched the top-seeded Cavaliers again on the road Tuesday night to advance to the final four. The Tigers took a 16-15 lead after the first quarter and grew the margin to 28-23 at the half. King’s Ridge poured on an 18-8 scoring edge in the third quarter and ultimately outscored the Cavaliers 34-16 in the second half. Isaac Martin (15) and Liam Thomas (13) led King’s Ridge in scoring, while CJ Gaines (15) and Dayyan O’Neal (12) were the top scorers for Calvary Day.
Girls:
Mt. Paran 48, Trinity Christian 21
Top-seeded Mt. Paran snapped Trinity Christian’s 17-game win streak and held the Lions to a season-low 21 points. The Eagles took a 19-10 lead after the first quarter and went into the half with a 29-16 lead before closing a 19-5 scoring advantage in the second half.
A Public
Girls:
Taylor County 54, Dublin 42
No. 2 seed Taylor County took advantage of its strong first half and is two wins from taking its first state title since 2015 and its 12th all-time state crown. The host Vikings jumped to a 17-8 lead after the first quarter and took a 29-15 lead into the half. Dublin outscored Taylor County 15-10 in the third quarter before the Vikings closed out the victory in the final frame.
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