Ten No. 1-ranked teams have to win road games this week to stay alive in the state basketball tournament, which resumes Tuesday and Wednesday with 64 quarterfinal games.
One is Sandy Creek’s boys, who are playing at Johnson-Savannah on Wednesday in the only No. 1-vs.-No. 2 game in the quarterfinals. It will be a four-hour road trip for the Patriots.
“Our mindset is that we are embracing the moment and want the moment,’’ Sandy Creek coach Jon-Michael Nickerson said. “Our players know there are going be obstacles regularly on their journey to their ultimate goal. Whether it be an injury, foul trouble or a lost coin flip, the mindset remains the same. The obstacle is the way.”
Mount Paran Christian girls coach Stephanie Dunn feels the same but still thinks the GHSA should consider state rankings when determining home-court advantage. Instead, the GHSA flips a coin when region champions or other same-seeded teams meet in the quarters.
In Mount Paran’s case, Region 4 champion Thomson won the toss and will put its 16-game winning streak on the line at home against Dunn’s No. 1-ranked Class 2A team.
“We play in tournaments on the road throughout the season in preparation for the state tournament, so my team should be prepared for the challenge,’’ said Dunn, whose team is a reigning state champion with a 29-1 record, its only loss to No. 1 Brookwood of Class 7A.
Also traveling this week will be Wheeler’s boys, the No. 1 Class 7A team. They’re playing at No. 3 McEachern in a game that matches the GHSA’s No. 1 senior prospect, Wheeler guard Isaiah Collier, against the No. 1 junior prospect, McEachern forward Ace Bailey.
Wheeler was ranked No. 1 a year ago when it lost the coin flip and traveled and fell short against Grovetown, the eventual 6A champion.
River Ridge’s girls suffered the same Class 6A misfortune last year. They were No. 1 but lost on the road to Lovejoy, the eventual champion. Ranked No. 1 again, River Ridge is on the road Tuesday against Marist, the 2022 Class 4A champion.
River Ridge coach Jason Taylor said he wished the GHSA would consider neutral-sites quarterfinals or consider power ratings to determine home court but believed his team would be ready.
“It didn’t work out to well for us last year, but it’s the hand you’re dealt, so you either show up and play your best game or fold to the pressure of playing on the road,’' River Ridge coach Jason Taylor said “You would always rather play at home in front of your crowd, or on a neutral court, but we are accepting of the challenge. We’re excited to still be playing.”
Other No. 1 girls teams traveling will be Holy Innocents’ to No. 10 Trinity Christian in 4A and St. Francis to No. 6 Lamar County in A Division I.
Other No. 1 boys teams traveling will be Alexander to No. 4 Jonesboro in Class 6A, McDonough to No. 8 Westover in 4A, Columbia to No. 7 Windsor Forest in 2A and Mount Vernon to No. 9 Temple in A Division I.
Six No. 1 teams are playing at home. They are Eagle’s Landing’s boys (5A), Greenforest’s boys (A Division II), Brookwood’s girls (7A), Kell’s girls (5A), Hebron Christian’s girls (3A) and Lake Oconee Academy’s girls (A Division II).
Of course, many teams don’t give a flip about coin tosses or home-court advantage. Union Grove is one. The 22-year-old Henry County school is celebrating having either of its teams in the quarterfinals for the first time.
The boys team beat McIntosh 61-60 on the road last weekend and will play at Chapel Hill in the Class 5A quarters Wednesday. Union Grove’s girls won at Northside-Columbus and will play at Maynard Jackson on Tuesday. Union Grove basketball teams had been 0-12 in state tournaments until this year.
Other teams in quarters for the first time are Chestatee’s girls, Mount Zion-Carroll’s girls, North Paulding’s girls and Mount Vernon’s boys. Oglethorpe County’s girls are in the quarters for the first time since 1957, and Benedictine’s boys are in for the first time since 1959.
After this round, home-court edge won’t be a factor. The 32 quarterfinal winners will play again Friday and Saturday on neutral courts, most of them at college arenas. The finals are March 8-11 at the Macon Coliseum.
About the Author
