Class A quarterfinals preview

From Score Atlanta reporter Jason Boral:

While there have yet to be any buzzer beaters in the boys Single-A tournament, the favorites have moved on, setting up some fantastic matches in the later rounds. The game between Southwest Atlanta Christian and Wilkinson County will feature the last two state champions. WilCo is a danger from outside, as seen by the 13 threes they knocked in as a team on Tuesday. Southwest Atlanta will rely on its big man Joel Lamb, making the game a contest of inside-outside play.

As for great matchups, both Whitefield Academy and Hancock Central won on the road on Tuesday, meaning one of their seasons will end when they play each other at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. We will have three No. 1 seeds one No. 2 seed in the Final Four for the boys.

On the other side of the bracket, all-state candidate David Buchannon led the Portal Panthers into the quarterfinals to face Terrell County. Buchannon reminded most of a reversible jacket, working well inside and out while scoring 25 points. His one-man show will have to be at its peak if the Panthers want to defeat Terrell.

Terrell County probably earned the sweetest victory on the girls side by beating Treutlen. Not only did they earn a spot in the Elite 8 against Savannah Country Day, they avenged last year's season-ending loss at the hands of Treutlen. The Greenwaves of Terrell boast two players who aren't strangers to the 20+ points-a-game category in Monshay Thomas and Shayla Jester. But against Savannah Country Day, the points will be tougher to come by because of their stellar defense.

We all know that while defense wins championships, it's offense that sells tickets. Meaning, the game between the Southwest Atlanta Christian and Gordon Lee girls should have a packed house. SWAC brings to the table the "Three Amigos" of offense with Latanya Scott, Briana Brown, and Mariah Eaves, who all scored in double digits in their second-round victory. On the other bench, don't take your eyes off Kori Penland. She might be more machine than girl, scoring over 38 points multiple times this season.

Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.