GHSA state basketball semifinals: Saturday night recap

Boys

Berkmar 59, McEachern 58

Milton 74, Pebblebrook 67

Pebblebrook took a 15-9 lead in the first half before No. 1 ranked Milton responded to advance to the finals. Milton, which is ranked No. 10 nationally in the Maxpreps poll roared back to take a 33-20 lead in the second quarter before Pebblebook chipped into the deficit to make it a 37-32 game. Kanaan Carlyle scored 19 points in the first half and finished with a team-high 24 points. Pebblebrook was able to regain a 50-47 lead in the second half before Milton answered with a game-changing 15-3 run. Pebblebrook was led by Kani Young’s 15 points and Milton was also led by a 13-point performance by L.T. Overton. Milton will take on Berkmar in the finals and previously defeated the Patriots 62-54 on Nov. 28.

Class 6A

Boys

Wheeler 73, Centennial 63

Host Centennial led 19-18 at the end of the first quarter and held on to its 35-34 halftime lead before Wheeler closed out the victory. Wheeler has previously won seven state titles and claimed last year’s Class 7A state crown before being classed down to Class 6A. Wheeler will face Cobb County rival Kell for the fourth time this season in next week’s finals. Wheeler edged the Longhorns 74-73 on Jan. 15 and then clinched a 68-65 victory on Feb. 12. Kell earned a 78-71 double-overtime victory on Feb. 19 that gave the Longhorns the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Class 5A

Boys

Eagle’s Landing 91, Chapel Hill 49

The Eagles picked up their 16th consecutive victory with a convincing win over Chapel Hill, thrusting them into the finals for a chance at the programs second state title in school history. The game was Eagle’s Landing’s to lose, as the Eagles came right out of the gate going up 41-19 at the half. With the Eagle’s Landing offense firing on all cylinders, a comeback from Chapel Hill was out of sight as the Eagles hit their highest point total in the postseason. Eagle’s Landing is averaging just under 76 points a game heading into its matchup against Tri-Cities in the Class 5A finals. The Bulldogs are averaging 85.5 points per game, hinting at a high-scoring contest between the two. For Eagle’s Landing, a victory in the finals would give the Eagles their first title since 2013. For Tri-Cities, a victory in the finals would give the Bulldogs their second title in school history and first since 2019 after winning it all in Class 6A.

Girls

Forest Park 61, Dutchtown 50

The Forest Park Lady Panthers moved one step closer to a second consecutive state title with a sound victory over Dutchtown, ending the Lady Bulldogs chance at the program’s first ever state title. The win is Forest Park’s ninth straight victory, and the Lady Panthers’ 61 point scored is the second highest mark they have hit in the postseason. After one quarter of play, Forest Park was only up 19-14, leaving room for a Dutchtown comeback. However, the Lady Panthers stepped up their defense in the second quarter and held Dutchtown to just four points while adding 17 points of their own to the scoreboard to go up 36-18. The third quarter proved to be a closer contest as Forest Park narrowly outscored Dutchtown 13-12. The fourth quarter saw an improvement in the Lady Bulldogs’ offense as Dutchtown outscored Forest Park 20-12, but the spark was not enough to propel them through to the finals. Now, Forest Park advances to face off against Woodward Academy, who is looking for its first state title since 1999.

Class 4A

Boys

Fayette County 59, Westover 50

Host Fayette County rallied in the fourth quarter to top the No. 5 ranked Patriots and move one win away from the program’s first-ever state title. Fayette County opened up a 10-6 lead in the first quarter, but Westover responded with a 7-1 run to take a 16-11 lead at the end of the frame. Fayette County sparked an 11-6 run to open the second quarter to tie the game at 22-22 and Westover eventually went into the half with a 27-24 lead. Isaac Abidde led Westover with 10 points at the half. Fayette County opened the fourth quarter with a 47-41 lead before closing out the victory.

Baldwin 46, McDonough 42

Baldwin outscored visiting McDonough 31-15 in the second half to rally past the Warhawks and improve to 16-0 on the season. McDonough built a 10-7 lead in the first quarter and went into the half with a 27-15 lead. Baldwin was able to chip the deficit to 33-30 by the end of the third frame and then closed out McDonough in the final frame. Rudolph Satcher paced the Braves with a game-high 16 points and teammate Shatavious Hogan chipped in with 10 points. The Braves also got contributions from William Freeman (9) and Jacobi Nixon (7). Baldwin will face Fayette County in the finals with a chance to win its first state title since 1981.

Class 3A

Boys

Cross Creek 77, Windsor Forest 76

An acrobatic layup from Corey Trotter with two seconds left in the game downed Windsor Forest and lifted Cross Creek to the state championship game against Sandy Creek after a runner-up finish in Class 4A last season. Cross Creek faced an inbounds play underneath the basket with seconds left and down 76-75. The inbound pass was tipped by a Windsor Forest defender before landing in the hands of Anthoine Lorick who drove toward the free throw line. Lorick saw a cutting Trotter and passed the ball perfectly as Trotter leapt, caught the ball mid-flight, and laid it off the glass and into the basket to give the Razorbacks the lead. Cross Creek held a 49-36 lead at the half and at the end of the third quarter, the Razorbacks led 66-55. Windsor Forest opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run and with 2:15 left, Cross Creek was clinging to a 75-72 lead. Windsor Forest retook the lead 76-75 for the first time since the second quarter on a layup by Abasi Scott with 20 seconds left in the game before Trotter’s game-winner. Richard Visitacion and Lorick each scored 22 points and Trotter finished with 16 points for the Razorbacks.

Girls

Greater Atlanta Christian 48, Upson-Lee 35

Class 2A

Boys

Pace Academy 56, Thomasville 44

Nationally-ranked Pace Academy trailed fifth-ranked Thomasville through much of the first half of the semifinals matchup before seizing control early in the third to advance to the Class 2A title game. The defending Class 3A champion Knights faced a 17-12 deficit at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter after Harrison Jackson followed the host Bulldogs’ four first-quarter threes with another, but Pace Academy closed the half with back-to-back baskets from behind the arc to take a 26-23 lead at the break. Thomasville missed its first six shots of the second half—all from 3-point range—and a trio of fouls on the Bulldogs during that span allowed Pace Academy to maintain its momentum through the rest of the game. Florida State-signee Matt Cleveland (14 points) and Josh Mininberg (13 points) provided double-digit scoring for the Knights, who will face seventh-ranked Columbia in next week’s championship game.

Columbia 67, Lovett 52

Seventh-ranked Columbia started strong and maintained control throughout its Final Four matchup with Region 6 foe Lovett, avenging the Eagles’ 72-59 loss at the hands of the Lions in the region tournament and advancing to the title game with the 67-52 victory. Columbia held a 9-0 edge over host Lovett 9-0 just 2:30 into the game before growing its lead to 20-7 after the first quarter, 31-14 at the break, and 46-28 heading into the final frame. The Lions opened the fourth quarter on a 12-3 run to cut Columbia’s lead to single digits (49-40) with 4:01 to play, but the Eagles made 13 consecutive free throws down the stretch to prevent Lovett from getting any closer. Senior Kawasiki Ricks and junior Mason Lockhart each finished with 14 points, and Georgetown-commit Ryan Mutombo provided 31 points and seven rebounds for Lovett. Columbia will play Pace Academy next week for the state title, which would be the first for the Eagles since their run of three-straight Class 3A championship wins (2010-12).

Girls

Fannin County 43, Butler 41

Freshman Courtney Davis stole the ball following Butler’s pass inbounds and connected with a streaking Becca Ledford, who sank the game-winning layup as the clock expired to send fifth-ranked Fannin County to the state championship game for the first time since 2004. The tightly-contested Final Four matchup between the Region 7 No. 1 seed Rebels and Region 4 No. 1 seed Bulldogs seemed poised to head into overtime with the score knotted at 41-41 before Ledford’s buzzer-beater. The 43-41 victory marks the 23rd win of the season—and 17th in a row—for the Rebels, who will square off against Josey in the title game.

Class A Public

Boys

Towns County 59, Chattahoochee County 45

Fourth-ranked Towns County outscored host Chattahoochee County 36-20 in the second half of Saturday’s semifinals game to stamp its ticket to the state title game. The matchup marked the first-ever Final Four appearance by both the Indians and seventh-ranked Panthers, and the opening frame ended with the score knotted at 15-15. Chattahoochee County took a narrow 25-23 lead before the break, but a 17-8 scoring edge in the third quarter gave Towns County a 40-33 advantage heading into the final frame. The Indians improve to 24-3 with the 59-45 victory, and will carry a 12-game win streak into their showdown with sixth-ranked Hancock Central next week.

Class A Private

Boys

Mount Pisgah 66, Christian Heritage 57

The Patriots are one win away from the program’s first ever state championship after moving past Christian Heritage. Pisgah displayed its depth in the semifinals and five players scored in double figures led by 6-foot-4 senior guard Jojo Peterson who scored 12 points. Senior guard Nick Speros, senior guard Chase Tucker, and junior guard Kasheem Grady scored 11 points. Senior guard Garrett Sutherland scored 10 points while Nate Gordon scored six points and Gabe Carter finished with five points.

Holy Innocents’ 59, St. Francis 46

Holy Innocents’ is one victory away from the program’s first state championship after knocking off two-time defending champion St. Francis in the semifinals. Senior Garrison Powell, a 6-foot-4 guard, led with 23 points and four assists. Senior guard Justin Wilson scored 14 points with six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Senior Landon Kardian, a 6-4 small forward, scored 13 points with six rebounds.

Girls

Hebron Christian 68, Galloway 54

The Hebron Christian Lady Lions picked up their 22nd consecutive victory with a sound win over Galloway, giving them a chance for their first state title in school history. At the end of the first quarter, Galloway was holding onto a two-point lead at 16-14. The game remained close through the second quarter with Hebron Christian taking over the lead to go up 28-27 at the half. The third quarter saw a change in pace, as the Lady Lions defense proved to be too much for Galloway. The Scots were held to just seven points while Hebron tacked on 21 points to take a 49-34 lead. Galloway managed to put together a 20-point fourth-quarter performance, but it was not enough to overcome the Lady Lions as they secured the semifinals victory. Senior Malia Fisher was electric for Hebron Christian, scoring a team-high 18 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Next in line was the duo of Senior Carly Heidger and Junior Jessie Parish, who each scored 14 points. Heidger also added six rebounds and six assists while Parish contributed a team-high 11 rebounds with five assists. The fourth Lady Lion to score double digit points was Senior Carly Fahey, who put up 12 points with three rebounds. Hebron Christian now awaits its finals matchup against St. Francis, who is looking for its first state title since 2016.