The GHSA state basketball playoffs continued Friday with the second round of the state’s 100th tournament. Here are the BOYS and GIRLS brackets and HERE is the basketball scoreboard. Go here for the boys and girls schedules and scores.
7A
Boys:
Collins Hill 73, Discovery 65.
Discovery opened on an 11-2 run and led 24-11 at the end of the opening quarter. After Collins Hill trailed by 15, they chipped into the lead and then sparked an 18-6 run in the third quarter and a game-clinching 9-0 run in the fourth.
Girls:
Marietta 58, Parkview 54
No. 6 ranked Marietta took a 32-23 halftime lead before holding off visiting Parkview. The top-seeded Blue Devils extend their winning-streak to eight games.
North Forsyth 62, Roswell 41
No. 1 seed North Forsyth led 28-18 at the half. The Raiders outrebounded Roswell 11-3 in the third quarter and exploded their lead to 46-24 heading into the final frame.
Woodstock 52, Archer 49
No. 10 ranked Woodstock led host Archer 29-23 at the break before setting up its Elite Eight Showdown between the winner of tomorrow’s Newton/North Paulding game.
McEachern 78, Grayson 63
No. 1 seed McEachern was paced by Denim DeShields’ 23 points. Kristen Roche (17), Jillian Holingshead (15), Caelan Ellis (12) and Sianny Sanchez-Oliver (11) also scored in double figures for the Indians. Grayson was led by Catherine Albene’s 20 points and Nadia Howard’s 12 points.
Cherokee 57, Norcross 45
No. 3 Cherokee held off No. 8 Norcross to set up a showdown with No. 6 ranked Marietta in the Elite Eight.
Collins Hill 78, South Forsyth 48
No. 1 ranked Collins Hill took a 33-31 halftime lead before pouring on a 45-17 advantage in the second half. Old Dominion commit Eden Sample celebrated the victory and was honored for scoring her 1,000th career point.
6A
Boys:
Centennial 66, Winder-Barrow 58
Logan Turner led all scorers with 23 points to go with six rebounds, two assists and two steals as Centennial won at home to advance to the quarterfinals. Centennial also got a double-double from Kyle Duncan, who scored 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had three assists. Mansir Williamson contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, and K.J. Spooney had 10 points, two assists and two steals for the Knights. Julian Nixon added five points, six rebounds and two steals for Centennial.
Richmond Hill 42, North Atlanta 39
Host Richmond Hill got 16 points from Jaeden Marshall and 12 points from Leighton Finley as the Wildcats outlasted North Atlanta. After a North Atlanta turnover with .8 seconds and then a quick foul by the Warriors, Marshall made two free throws with .1 remaining to give Richmond Hill its final total.
Langston Hughes 61, Rockdale County 55
Region 4 No. 3 Langston Hughes overcame an early deficit, trailing 19-7 after the first quarter, to defeat Region 3 No. 1 Rockdale County on the road. Langston Hughes led 29-22 at halftime and 49-43 after the third quarter, and the team will travel to Region 5 No. 1 Carrollton in the quarterfinals.
Kell 63, Shiloh 55
Kell led 29-22 at halftime and 37-33 through three quarters in what was a low-scoring game before the fourth quarter, in which Kell led by as many as 15 points on its way to the home win. The Longhorns got a balanced scoring effort led by Jaylen Harris, who had 15 points. Parrish Johnson added 14 points and Scoot Henderson scored 13 points to go with 11 rebounds and six assists for Kell, and Najhae Colon had nine points, four assists and three steals.
Chattahoochee 76, Buford 72 (OT)
Chattahoochee came back from a 15-point deficit with 2:30 to play to tie the game at the end of regulation and defeat Buford in overtime at home. The Cougars got 25 points from A.J. White and 19 points from Keith Murray, who also made the game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation. Jordan Brown scored 16 points for the Cougars, and Tomiwa Adetosoye scored nine points.
Girls:
Langston Hughes 61, Rockdale County 55
Region 4 No. 3 Langston Hughes overcame an early deficit, trailing 19-7 after the first quarter, to defeat Region 3 No. 1 Rockdale County on the road. Langston Hughes led 29-22 at halftime and 49-43 after the third quarter, and the team will travel to Region 5 No. 1 Carrollton in the quarterfinals.
Carrollton 64, Sequoyah 43
Carrollton’s Demauri Flournoy led all scorers with 25 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in the Lady Trojans’ home win. Teammates Kehinde Obasuyi and JeNee Edwards also scored in double-figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Obasuyi added six assists and four steals, and Edwards also had eight rebounds and two blocks. Eghosa Obasuyi had eight points and three steals and Kanija Daniel had seven points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists for Carrollton. For Sequoyah, A’ryn Jackson, Amy Singh and Susanna Rogers all scored nine points.
Kell 50, Habersham Central 32
Kell advanced to the quarterfinals with a home win against Habersham Central, getting 16 points, five rebounds and five assists from Crystal Henderson. Sylvia Kahoro was the only other Lady Longhorns player to score in double figures, adding 14 points and two assists. Jada Green scored six points and had nine rebounds and three blocks, while Jamiah Gregory contributed five points, six rebounds and two assists. Amaya Moss, Mackenzie Franklin and Makyah Favors each scored three points, with Moss adding nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals. The Lady Longhorns led 12-8 after the first quarter but opened a 12-point lead, 28-16, at halftime. Kell held a 40-23 lead after the third quarter.
Lovejoy 48, Statesboro 31
Junior center Layla Hood scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead visiting Lovejoy past Statesboro, which suffered its first loss and finished the season 22-1. Lovejoy improved to 19-5. Lovejoy led 28-9 at halftime and 39-25 after the third quarter.
Buford 90, Sprayberry 63
Buford improved to 26-0 with its home win over Sprayberry. Ava Grace Watson and Tatum Ozment each scored 17 points, and Ashyia Willis and Abbi Perkins each scored 16 points. Buford won the last four Class AAAAA state titles before moving up to Class AAAAAA this season.
River Ridge 55, Rome 42
Freshman Allie Sweet scored 21 points and had 15 rebounds to help River Ridge to a win over visiting Rome. Lady Knights sophomore Mataya Gayle added 13 points and four assists, and junior Sofia Reyes grabbed 14 rebounds. The teams were tied at 13-13 after the first quarter, and River Ridge held three-point leads at halftime (21-18) and after the third quarter (34-31) before pulling away in the fourth. River Ridge improved to 26-3.
5A
Boys:
Tri-Cities 101, Locust Grove 53
The Tri-Cities Bulldogs crossed the century mark in points as they advanced into the quarterfinals following their defeat over Locust Grove. Senior Peyton Daniels was electric on the court, and led the team with 26 points. Next in line was Junior Simeon Cottle, who scored 15 points. The Bulldogs now await the winner of the Blessed Trinity/St. Pius X game.
Girls:
Woodward Academy 71, Coffee 47
The Woodward War Eagles secured a sound victory over Coffee to put them into the quarterfinals. Junior Sydney Bowles led the team with 30 points, seven rebounds and snagged two steals. Next in line was Senior Kai Lanier, who scored 15 points with four rebounds and five steals. Other top scorers were Sophomore Sara Lewis (seven points) and Junior Mackenzie Moring (nine points) who also collected four steals. Woodward will be matched up against Southwest DeKalb in the quarterfinals.
New Manchester 55, Greenbrier 49
New Manchester narrowly bested Greenbrier to move into the quarterfinals. There, the Lady Jaguars will be matched up against the winner of the McIntosh/Dutchtown game.
Griffin 59, Eagle’s Landing 49
The Lady Bears bested Eagle’s Landing to earn a spot in the Class 5A quarterfinals. There, Griffin will be paired up against Loganville following its victory over Jackson.
Loganville 51, Jackson 29
At the end of the first half, Loganville held onto a three-point lead up 18-15. In the third, the Lady Red Devils’ offense began to click, putting up 14 points while holding the Jackson offense to just seven points, and held on strong to finish the game on top to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. There, Loganville will be matched up against the winner of the Eagle’s Landing/Griffin game.
4A
Boys:
Fayette County 84, Cedartown 46
Fayette County was led by junior Kaleb Banks’ 32 points and 10 rebounds. Cardell Bailey added 15 points, RJ Kennedy and Donovan Hand finished with nine points and Terry Brown finished with eight points to go with his six assists.
Westover 50, Spencer 49
No. 5 Westover defeated No. 1 ranked Spencer at the buzzer to advance to the Elite Eight. Westover was trailing by one-point until Kavon Johnson’s game-winning court-to-court layup.
Baldwin 46, Hardaway 44
Baldwin was led by sophomore Jacobi Nixon’s 12-point effort in the first half to cling to a 20-20 halftime tie and improve to 14-0.
McDonough 52, Mays 49
McDonough held court against visiting Mays and was led by Anon Sterr’s 16 points and six rebounds. Keenan Gray scored 10 points and Howard Fagan hauled in 11 rebounds to go with his nine points.
Girls:
Jefferson 88, Arabia Mountain 58
No. 2 ranked Jefferson punched its ticket to the Elite Eight for the fifth-straight year. Deshona Gainther (29) and Livi Blackstock (27) contributed 58 of the Dragons’ points and Ellie Kinlaw turned in a 12-point performance.
Cairo 58, Hardaway 48
No. 1 ranked Cairo was led by Ambria Vicks’ 18-point and 14-rebound performance. Leah Perry added a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Cedar Shoals 42, Northwest Whitfield 29
Host Northwest Whitfield led 13-5 at the end of the first quarter but was outscored 35-16 in the following three quarters. No. 4 seed Cedar Shoals got on the board first to take a 2-0 lead but did not reclaim the lead until it was 19-18 in with 6:13 left in the third.
Flowery Branch 45, Marist 35
Unranked Flowery Branch stunned No. 4 ranked Marist to advance to the Elite Eight. The Falcons stormed to a 30-14 halftime lead and took a 38-23 lead into the final frame.
Troup 48, Bainbridge 41
No. 8 ranked Bainbridge stormed to a 30-10 lead before entering the half with a 32-15 edge. Visiting Bainbridge cut the lead to 36-25 at the end of the third quarter before the Tigers held on for victory.
3A
Boys:
Sandy Creek 95, White County 37
The top-ranked Patriots led 29-7 after the first quarter and 59-19 at the half. Sandy Creek continued its dominance with a 26-9 effort in the third quarter and a 10-9 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter. Sandy Creek will play the winter of Johnson-Savannah and Long County.
Thomson 80, Peach County 77
Thomson awaits the winner of Cherokee Bluff and No. 2 Hart County after its away victory at Peach County in the second round.
Girls:
Sonoraville 67, Sandy Creek 48
Alexa Geary scored 26 points with five 3-pointers to lead the Phoenix past Sandy Creek. Matti Parker scored 14 points and Diana Smith added 10 points. Kinsley Long scored seven points for Sonoraville. Arielle Belinga led Sandy Creek with 21 points.
Greater Atlanta Christiaan 64, Gilmer 39
Kaleigh Addie scored 21 points to lead GAC past Gilmer and into the quarterfinals. Laurren Randolph and Jaci Bolden each scored 13 points while teammate Molly Pritchard added nine points with 15 rebounds.
Lumpkin County 58, Westminster 40
Lumpkin County’s Averie Jones scored 27 points to lead the Indians into the quarterfinals. Mary Mullinax scored 10 points, Isabel Davenport scored nine points, Lexi Pierce scored eight points and Makenzie Caldwell scored four points for Lumpkin.
Pierce County 66, Jackson 56
The Bears will travel to Region 7 No. 1 seed Lumpkin County in the quarterfinals after outlasting Jackson. Pierce County led 13-11 after the first quarter and 29-22 at the break. Jackson trailed just 50-46 entering the fourth quarter but the Bears put together a 16-10 run to put the game away.
Stephens County 66, Coahulla Creek 50
Stephens County led 17-8 after the first quarter and 32-15 at halftime as the Indians moved past Coahulla Creek. Stephens County extended the lead after a 21-16 third quarter and held on through a 19-13 run by Coahulla Creek in the fourth quarter.
2A
Boys:
Pace Academy 70, Banks County 40
Top-ranked Pace Academy got another strong performance out of senior Matthew Cleveland, whose 29 points helped the Knights gain control of a surprisingly competitive matchup with Banks County—and put the 5-star prospect and Florida State-commit over the 2000-point mark for his high school career. The Region 8 No. 2 seed Leopards held their own through two quarters that ended with the teams tied at 23-23, but were outscored 47-17 in the second half. Cleveland contributed 13 rebounds as well for the Knights, who will see the winner of tomorrow’s second-round game between Toombs County and Butler next week in the Elite Eight.
Girls:
Elbert County 62, South Atlanta 27
Top-ranked Elbert County got its 14th-straight win with a dominant victory over visiting South Atlanta in the second round of the state playoffs. The Blue Devils have outscored their first two postseason opponents by a margin of 114-41 and will face the winner of the matchup between Josey and East Laurens in next week’s Elite Eight.
Fannin County 54, Heard County 46
Region 7 No. 1 seed Fannin County trailed visiting Heard County 25-22 at halftime before seizing control in the third, outscoring the Braves 17-11 and securing a spot in the Elite Eight with the 54-46 victory. The fifth-ranked Rebels will enter their third-round showdown with Early County on a 15-game win streak.
Early County 67, Swainsboro 47
Region 1 No. 3 seed Early County’s hot streak continued Friday night with a 20-point victory over visiting Swainsboro. The Bobcats bounced back from a rough stretch with eight losses over a span of 11 games and have now won seven of their last eight.
A Public
Boys:
Irwin County 69, Mitchell County 66
Third-ranked Irwin County faced a 48-37 third-quarter deficit in its Sweet Sixteen showdown with visiting Mitchell County, but the Indians outscored the Region 1 No. 3 seed Eagles 32-18 through the rest of the game to complete the comeback and advance to the third round of the playoffs. Irwin County got double-digit scoring from Garland Benyard (29 points), Derrick Taylor (11 points) and Gabe Benyard (10 points), and Derrick Harris finished with 31 points—including six three-pointers—for Mitchell County.
Terrell County 58, Lanier County 49
Region 1 No. 1 seed Terrell County’s perfect season is still alive following the tenth-ranked Greenwave’s 58-49 win over visiting Lanier County. A relatively close first half ended with Terrell County up 32-27, but the Greenwave outscored the Bulldogs 14-6 in the third quarter to remain comfortably in control through the rest of the game and move on to the next round of the state playoffs.
Girls:
Emanuel County Institute 60, Pelham 45
Prencis Hardin carried Region 3 No. 1 seed ECI to a 60-45 win over visiting Pelham with a 33-point performance to secure a spot for the Bulldogs in the next round of the state playoffs. Fellow senior NuTuri Smith added 14 points for ECI, which will face the winner of tomorrow’s Sweet Sixteen matchup between Mt. Zion-Carrollton and Greenville in next week’s Elite Eight.
Commerce 43, Armuchee 33
Region 8 No. 2 seed Commerce secured a spot in the Elite Eight with a strong finish in its second-round matchup against tenth-ranked Armuchee. The visiting Tigers trailed the Indians 15-9 after the opening quarter and 18-15 at the break before outscoring the home team 28-15 in the third and fourth quarters. Commerce will compete with the winner of tomorrow’s Sweet Sixteen battle between Turner County and Dublin next week, with a trip to the semifinals on the line.
Lake Oconee Academy 63, Trion 45
Top-ranked Lake Oconee Academy defended home court with a 63-45 victory over visiting Trion in Friday’s Sweet Sixteen game. The Titans built a 38-18 lead in the first two quarters before the Region 6 No. 2 seed Bulldogs opened the second half with back-to-back-to-back threes. Trion’s strong third quarter was not enough to close the gap, however, and it will be the Titans who advance to play the winner of tomorrow’s round-two matchup between Montgomery County and Clinch County.
Calhoun County 46, Brooks County 27
Region 1 No. 1 seed Calhoun County came away with a comfortable second-round win over visiting Brooks County to advance to the Elite Eight, where the seventh-ranked Cougars will battle Region 7 No. 1 seed Georgia Military College for a spot in the semifinals.
Georgia Military College 53, Towns County 44
A slow start left GMCHS trailing Region 8 No. 3 seed Towns County 23-14 at halftime, but the Region 7 No. 1 seed Bulldogs gained control of the second-round game with a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Indians 20-9. The 53-44 victory marked the 16th-straight for the Bulldogs, who will square off with Calhoun County in next week’s Elite Eight.
A Private
Boys:
First Presbyterian Day 67, Savannah Christian 43
No. 8 ranked First Presbyterian Day led 18-4 going into the second quarter and coasted to the Elite Eight to face the winner of Athens Academy and No. 10 ranked Christian Heritage.
Girls:
Holy Innocents 46, Mt. Paran 38
The Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears won a squeaker against the Mount Paran Christian Eagles. After reaching a 10-10 tie at the end of the first quarter, the Eagles managed to take the lead over the Golden Bears 19-16 at halftime. The game remained close throughout the third quarter, with the Eagles leading the Golden Bears by one point, 29-28, going into the fourth quarter. However, the Golden Bears outscored the Eagles 18-9 in the fourth quarter and were able to pull away as a result. The two-time defending state champion Golden Bears will move on to the Elite Eight.
Stratford Academy 38, Savannah Country Day 37
In a true thriller that came down right to the wire, the Stratford Academy Eagles edged the Savannah Country Day Hornets. The Eagles had to come back to win this game, having trailed the Hornets on the road 17-11 at halftime. The Eagles managed to close the gap in the third quarter, trailing the Hornets 27-25 going into the fourth quarter.
