The GHSA state basketball playoffs continued Saturday with the second round of the state’s 100th tournament. Access the BOYS and GIRLS brackets, the Georgia High School Prep Scoreboard HERE and the boys and girls updated schedules.
7A
Boys:
North Gwinnett 38, Norcross 37
No. 7 North Gwinnett held off No. 9 ranked Norcross and extended its winning streak to 15 games. Norcross’ London Johnson was fouled on a three-point attempt with 3.5 left, but only connected on one of his free-throws. Brenden Rigsbee and RJ Godfrey led the Bulldogs with nine points each.
Milton 63, Archer 42
Nationally ranked Milton cruised past Archer to set up a home game against Newnan in the Elite eight. Bruce Thornton (20 points), Carlyle Kanaan (14), Lebbeaus Thomas Overton (12), and Kendall Campbell led the Eagles with double-digit scoring.
Pebblebrook 87, Newton 59
Pebblebrook stormed to a 43-24 halftime lead and took a 61-45 lead into the final frame. The Falcons advance to take on North Gwinnett in the Elite Eight.
Girls:
Newton 55, North Paulding 46
North Paulding overcame a 27-23 halftime deficit to advance to the Elite 8. Newton’s Aliyah Washington netted a game-high 21 points to go with her 12 rebounds.
Brookwood 56, Campbell 48
Unranked Brookwood avenged its 53-50 loss to Campbell in last year’s quarterfinals and advanced to the Elite Eight to face North Paulding after closing out the No. 4 ranked Spartans.
6A
Boys:
Westlake 71, Heritage-Conyers 69 (OT)
Westlake completed a furious comeback with an overtime win at home against Heritage-Conyers, overcoming a 22-7 deficit after the first quarter, a 33-20 deficit at halftime and a 10-point deficit with five minutes to play in regulation before tying the game at 60-60 to force overtime. The Lions improved to 16-3 and will play at Kell in the quarterfinals.
Grovetown 60, Lee County 52
Grovetown defeated Lee County on the road to reach the state quarterfinals, leading 38-18 at halftime and holding off a Lee County rally in the second half. The team will play at River Ridge on Tuesday in the third round.
Evans 63, Tucker 50
Evans led 32-22 at halftime and led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter in its home win over Tucker to advance to the state quarterfinals. Devin Story led the Knights with 18 points, Joshton Mincey scored 17 points and Brasen James scored 11 points to go with eight rebounds. Also for Evans, Rashad King added seven points, six assists and seven rebounds; Tyson Jones had seven rebounds and three blocks; and Jay Stephens had seven rebounds.
Westlake 71, Heritage-Conyers 69 (OT)
Westlake completed a furious comeback with an overtime win at home against Heritage-Conyers, overcoming a 22-7 deficit after the first quarter, a 33-20 deficit at halftime and a 10-point deficit with five minutes to play in regulation before tying the game at 60-60 to force overtime. The Lions improved to 16-3 and will play at Kell in the quarterfinals.
Lee County 55, Brunswick 52 (OT)
M.J. Taylor hit the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give Lee County the home win. Taylor finished with 18 points and also made a clutch three-pointer at the end of regulation to tie the game at 46-46 heading into overtime. For Brunswick, Xavier Bean led the team with 14 points. The teams were tied at 23-23 at halftime, and Brunswick held a 38-36 lead after the third quarter.
Wheeler 77, Lanier 64
Host Wheeler had four players score in double-figures, as guard Isaiah Collier scored 19 points to go with eight assists and four rebounds to lead the Wildcats. Ja’Heim Hudson had 18 points and 11 rebounds; Juvon Gamory had 12 points and three assists; Maxwell Harris had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists; and Kaleb Washington had 10 points and 10 rebounds. For Lanier, Andrew McConnell scored 23 points, Justin Birch added 17 points and Makai Vassell had 12 points.
Girls:
Grovetown 60, Lee County 52
Grovetown defeated Lee County on the road to reach the state quarterfinals, leading 38-18 at halftime and holding off a Lee County rally in the second half. The team will play at River Ridge on Tuesday in the third round.
Westlake 84, Brunswick 36
Westlake outscored visiting Brunswick 22-7 in the first quarter and 29-6 in the third quarter to help it advance to the state quarterfinals. Taniya Latson led Westlake with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with five steals, three assists and three rebounds. Raven Johnson had 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals; Brianna Turnage had 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals; and Camerah Langston had nine points, four steals and three assists.
5A
Boys:
St. Pius X 70, Blessed Trinity 52
The Golden Lions advanced into the quarterfinals for the sixth straight season following their sound victory over Blessed Trinity. Senior point guard Brookes Kahlert led the team in scoring with 19 points. Next in line was the duo of Senior Trey Acklin and Junior Eamonn Kenah, who each scored 16 points. St. Pius now awaits its matchup against Tri-Cities in the elite eight.
New Manchester 59, Decatur 52
The New Manchester Jaguars narrowly bested Decatur in the second round to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. There, they’ll be matched up against Eagle’s Landing following the Eagles’ win over Forest Park.
Clarke Central 71, Villa Rica 57
The Clarke Central Gladiators propelled themselves into the quarterfinals with a sound victory over Villa Rica, their 17th consecutive win. They will be matched up against Dutchtown following the Bulldogs’ victory over Jonesboro.
Veterans 81, Woodward 63
The Veterans Warhawks rolled past Woodward to remain undefeated on the season (23-0) and earn a spot in the quarterfinals. Junior guard Tajh Williams was electric on the court, scoring a team-high 24 points including six three-pointers. Next in line were Senior guard DeAngelo Hines and Freshman TJ Grant who scored 17 and 15 points, respectively. Senior forward Khalil Johnson also chipped in eight points.
Chapel Hill 60, Lithonia 53
The Panthers became the first 4-seed team in the playoffs to advance into the quarterfinals with an upset-victory over Lithonia. Senior KJ Doucet contributed heavily on offense, scoring a team-high 20 points and snagging eight rebounds. Chapel Hill’s next challenge will be taking on top-ranked Veterans.
Dutchtown 57, Jonesboro 51
The Dutchtown Bulldogs narrowly bested Jonesboro to earn a spot in the elite eight where they’ll be matched up against Clarke Central. Dutchtown was led by the duo of Senior guard Cam Callahan and Sophomore forward Coen Carr, who each scored 14 points. Callahan and Carr also snagged five and six rebounds, respectively. Sophomore guard Davarri Barthell also contributed on offense with 10 points.
Girls:
Dutchtown 42, McIntosh 34
The Dutchtown Lady Bulldogs found themselves down 11-10 at the end of the first quarter but managed to go ahead 21-17 at the half and held onto the lead to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. There, Dutchtown will be paired against New Manchester.
4A
Boys:
Dougherty 61, New Hampstead 56
Visiting Dougherty extended its 12-8 first quarter to lead to 35-20 at the half. No. 1 seed North Hampstead cut the lead to 59-56 with 31 seconds left before the Trojans iced the victory.
Cedar Shoals 75, Stephenson 66
Cedar Shoals trailed 28-6 at the end of the first quarter before roaring back to clinch the victory. Kashik Brown led the way with 28 points and teammate Jah Colbert finished with 20 points to lead Cedar Shoals.
3A
Boys:
LaFayette 63, Greater Atlanta Christian 54
Three players scored in double figures for LaFayette as the Ramblers moved past GAC and into the quarterfinals. Aidan Hadaway and DeCameron Porte each scored 19 points. Junior Barber scored 16 points and Jaylon Ramsey scored seven points.
Cross Creek 60, Americus-Sumter 52
Corey Trotter led Cross Creek with 24 points, Richard Visitacion scored 18 points and Devin Pope scored 12 points to lead the Razorbacks past the Panthers. Cross Creek with travel to LaFayette in the second round.
Windsor Forest 64, Appling County 41
The Knights led 20-15 after the first quarter and expanded its lead to 31-21 at the break. Windsor Forest outscored the Pirates 33-20 in the second half to pull away.
Hart County 70, Cherokee Bluff 45
After ending the first quarter tied at 12, the Bulldogs took control with a 19-7 run in the second quarter and a 19-11 advantage in the third quarter to take control. Hart County pushed the lead with a 20-15 effort in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Johnson-Savannah 75, Long County 43
The Atomsmashers had little trouble with Long County in the second round and will face top-ranked Sandy Creek in the quarterfinals.
Girls:
Johnson-Savannah 68, Tattnall County 58
Tiana Williams scored 25 points with five assists and five steals to lead the Atomsmashers past Tattnall County. K’Lya Hankerson scored 24 points with 20 rebounds and 15 blocks. Amani Hamilton scored 17 points with 20 rebounds and six blocks. Johnson will face Greater Atlanta Christian in the quarterfinals.
2A
Boys:
Washington County 61, Westside-Augusta 51
Third-ranked Washington County will square off against Region 6 No. 3 seed Columbia following its 61-51 victory over the Westside-Augusta Patriots. Senior Jairus Brown provided a game-high 20 points for the Golden Hawks, and finished with four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals as well.
Columbia 57, Callaway 56
Region 6 No. 3 seed Columbia held on through seventh-ranked Callaway’s second-half rally to complete the road upset in a Sweet Sixteen thriller that saw three lead changes in the final minute of play. Callaway steadily chipped away at the Eagles’ 10-point halftime advantage until the Cavaliers’ pulled ahead by a point (54-53) with just over three minutes remaining. The final lead change belonged to Columbia, however, which will face Washington County in the Elite Eight.
Lovett 74, Elbert County 49
Fourth-ranked Lovett traveled to Elbert County Saturday night and handled the Region 8 No. 1 seeded Blue Devils to advance to the next round. 6′11 senior—and Georgetown signee—Ryan Mutombo finished with 34 points and seven blocks for the Lions, whose only two losses over the past ten games both came against top-ranked Pace Academy.
Swainsboro 74, Laney 68 (OT)
Second-ranked Swainsboro and Region 4 No. 2 seed Laney each had dominant stretches in a streaky Sweet Sixteen showdown that ultimately ended with the host Tigers getting their 18th straight win to advance to the Elite Eight. The visiting Wildcats successfully contained the defending 2A champs early on, outscoring Swainsboro 13-4 in the second quarter for a 32-24 edge at the break. The Tigers bounced back with a 28-point third quarter, but Laney rallied in the fourth for a 62-62 tie at the end of regulation. Swainsboro maintained control throughout the overtime period, however, and the Tigers will face a rolling Lovett squad in the semifinals.
Girls:
A Public
Boys:
Greenforest 51, Trinity Christian 48
The Greenforest Eagles edged out the Trinity Christian Lions in the Sweet Sixteen round of the state playoffs. The game was close in the first quarter, with the Eagles leading the Lions 14-11 going into the second quarter. Then, the Eagles began to run away with the game in the second quarter and take a 31-20 lead going into halftime. The third quarter was uneventful, as the two teams only combined for 13 points. Then, in the fourth quarter, things heated up as the Lions scored 21 points in the quarter to make it close.
Girls:
A Private
Boys:
Holy Innocents’ 41, Darlington 35
The Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears defeated the Darlington Tigers in a close game in the Sweet 16 round of the state playoffs. The top player for the Golden Bears today was senior combo guard Garrison Powell, who had 25 points and seven rebounds. The Golden Bears will face off against the Savannah Country Day Hornets in the Elite Eight.
Mt. Pisgah 62, Providence 50
The Mount Pisgah Christian Patriots blew out No. 1 ranked Providence Christian Academy on the road in the Sweet 16 round of the state playoffs. The Patriots started off hot with a dominant first quarter, leading the Storm 23-5 going into the second quarter. The Patriots expanded that lead to 40-15 at the half. The Patriots continued their dominance in the third quarter, leading the Storm 45-27 going into the fourth quarter. The Storm managed to narrow the gap in the fourth quarter by scoring 23 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. The Patriots will face off against the St. Anne-Pacelli Vikings in the Elite Eight.
Christian Heritage 68, Athens Academy 56
The No. 10 ranked Christian Heritage Lions held off the Athens Academy Spartans in the Sweet 16 round of the state playoffs. The Lions led the Spartans 33-29 at halftime and went on to win the game by double-digits. Senior Deion Colzie was the top performer for the Spartans with 26 points and four blocks. Senior Jack Nasworthy was second with nine points. Seniors James Chandler and Hugh Laughlin were tied for third with six points each. Another notable performer was senior Palmer Bush, who had 10 assists. The Lions will face off against the First Presbyterian Day Vikings in the Elite Eight.
Girls:
Greenforest 51, Trinity Christian 48
The Greenforest Eagles edged out the Trinity Christian Lions in the Sweet Sixteen round of the state playoffs. The game was close in the first quarter, with the Eagles leading the Lions 14-11 going into the second quarter. Then, the Eagles began to run away with the game in the second quarter and take a 31-20 lead going into halftime. The third quarter was uneventful, as the two teams only combined for 13 points. Then, in the fourth quarter, things heated up as the Lions scored 21 points in the quarter to make it close.
