The state basketball semifinals will be played with home-court advantage for the first time in history Friday and Saturday with 32 games in high school gyms, each qualifying a team to next week’s finals in Macon.
In recent years, the final fours have been staged in large neutral venues from the Buford City Arena to Valdosta State University, but citing COVID-19 concerns, the Georgia High School Association decided in October to restrict this seasons semifinals to the participating teams’ home courts.
In most cases, the locations were decided by coin flips. So random chance is sending Upson-Lee’s girls – ranked No. 1 in Class 3A and making its first semifinals appearance – to defending champion Greater Atlanta Christian. Pace Academy, the defending Class 2A boys champion, is driving 240 miles to fifth-ranked Thomasville.
Those semifinal trips are routine in most GHSA sports, but basketball had been unique since the original tournament in 1922. For many years, the entire tournament was played at the Macon Auditorium. Expanded playoffs later put early rounds into home gyms, but it took a pandemic to end 100 years of neutral semis.
At this point, most won’t mind, especially the 10 semifinalists making it for the first time. Here are more storylines and facts from the 2021 final fours.
Defending titles: Nine 2020 champions remain. Five are boys teams – Wheeler of 6A, Dutchtown of 5A, Pace Academy of 2A, Hancock Central of 1A Public and St. Francis of 1A Private. Five are girls teams – Westlake of 6A, Forest Park of 5A, Greater Atlanta Christian of 3A and Holy Innocents’ of 1A Private. Westlake’s girls are chasing their fifth consecutive title. St. Francis’ boys can win for a third straight time.
Twice as good: Five schools have qualified girls and boys teams to the semifinals. They are McEachern (7A), Dutchtown (5A), Cross Creek (3A), St. Francis (1A Private) and Holy Innocents’ (1A Private). It’s happened 19 times that a school has swept the boys and girls titles, most recently in 2019, when Buford and Carver of Columbus did it.
Cinderellas: Three teams have reached the semifinals as No. 4 seeds. Each finished fourth in its region but won three consecutive road games in the state tournament. They are Chapel Hill’s boys (5A), Cedar Shoals’ girls (4A) and Galloway’s girls (1A Private). Chapel Hill was just 14-10 in the regular season and 0-7 all-time in the state tournament, but the Panthers then defeated No. 4 Veterans, No. 6 Lithonia and Region 7-champion Calhoun. Cedar Shoals has beaten No. 1 Luella and No. 4 Spalding. Galloway, ranked No. 7, is less surprising, but this will be the Scots’ first semifinal.
Most interesting boys game: Dutchtown, the defending Class 5A champion, is at No. 3 Tri-Cities, the 2019 6A champion. Dutchtown beat No. 8 Clarke Central 72-64 in Athens this week. Tri-Cities beat No. 1 St. Pius 73-71 in overtime. Tri-Cities is led by Region 4 player of the year Peyton Daniels, a guard who signed with Vanderbilt. Dutchtown counters with first-team all-Region 4 performers Micah Evans and Coen Carr.
Most interesting girls game: Brookwood, unranked despite a Region 4 championship and a 2020 quarterfinal finish, is in the semifinals for the first time in the program’s 40-year history. Woodstock, a 25-year-old program, also is in the semifinals for the first time. They’re meeting in the 7A bracket. The Broncos have beaten No. 4 Campbell and No. 6 North Forsyth. Woodstock is ranked No. 9. Brookwood sophomore point guard Diana Collins is a major college recruit. Woodstock guard Briget Utberg was her region’s co-player of the year. She scored 32 points in the quarterfinals against Newton.
More first-timers: Brookwood and Woodstock are among 10 boys or girls teams in the semifinals for the first time. Others include Upson-Lee’s girls and Kell’s boys, both ranked No. 1. Other first-timers are Chapel Hill’s boys, Towns County’s boys, Chattahoochee County’s boys, River Ridge’s girls, Lumpkin County’s girls and Galloway’s girls.
Long time coming: Cairo’s girls are in the semifinals for the first time since 1982, when future five-time Olympian Teresa Edwards led the Syrupmakers to a championship. Lee County’s boys (1985), Woodward Academy’s girls (1999) and Berkmar’s boys (2001) also are back for the first time since winning state titles. Berkmar had lost six consecutive quarterfinals until breaking through this week. Butler’s girls (1978) and Commerce’s girls (1989) also are breaking long droughts.
Next: The championship games will be March 10-13 at the Macon Coliseum.
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