Class 2A Championship Game Review

Girls

Wesleyan's girls hoops program has become the most dominant program in the state, and might be the most dominant team in any sport right now. It was never a contest for the Lady Wolves against Paideia, which they had already beaten by double-figures earlier in the year, as Wesleyan dismantled the Pythons 79-40. 

This was never a game. Wolves star center/point guard/do-everything player Anne Marie Armstrong didn't hardly have to break a sweat the way her teammates were playing. Armstrong had 40 points in the semifinals win, but left it to guards Erin Hall and Aysia McKenzie to shoot Paideia right out of the gym. Judean Hanks and Chantel Kennedy also helped in executing the Wolves' run-and-gun style, while Hall just hung out around the NBA 3-point line and hit 6-7 treys on the afternoon.

Paideia has a lot to be proud of, upsetting Randolph-Clay to get to the final in the first place. Thing is they ran into one of the best all-around teams in Georgia in the championship. Like I mentioned in my live blog of this game, Wesleyan loses one senior (reserve Carter Johnson) and drops down to Single-A next year. Not fair.

Boys

Howard Thompkins won a mythical national championship at Oak Hill last year (team finished No. 1 in USA Today poll), but something tells me he values this title just a little bit more. The Georgia-bound senior, who wasn't able to play after hurting his back halfway through the second quarter, relished the performances of his teammates down the stretch, becoming the most animated and vocal supporter of the team from the bench. When the game was over and the Wolves had beaten East Laurens 68-51 for the school's first boys title, Thompkins just stood with his arms outstretched, later embracing fellow post-player Erik Strong, who was crying tears of joy. 

How'd they do it? Tanner Smith. The Clemson signeee scored 27 points and dominated the game from the time Thompkins went out. His performance may be the best of the entire playoff season.

Class 2A Boys Championship Game - Wesleyan vs. East Laurens

Final impressions

Smith showed why he's an ACC player. He absolutely took the Wolves on his shoulders and carried them to the win. East Laurens just fouled too much in the second half. They got impatient on offense, committed some costly offensive fouls, and went to the outside shot only when it was too late. It's a shame that the Falcons second loss on the year had to come in the championship game, but that's the way it goes.

The Wolves players can always remember that they walked off the floor to Britney Spears's "Oops I Did it Again" after the first boys state title in school history.

Fourth quarter

Exclamation point: Tanner Smith's breakaway dunk after a steal with 30 seconds to make it a 61-43 final. It's a mob scene. Thompkins stands with his arms in the air, Erik Strong falls to the floor sobbing... Wesleyan has a lot to cheer about.

Down 19 with 2:45 left, East Laurens needs to start attempting some 3s. They can't hit any. Guard Antwan Bailey is trying frantically to hit a trey, but to no avail. With a minute and a half and a 17-point lead, the Wesleyan fans are anticipating a sweep of 2A and the first-ever title for the boys.

Smith posts up again, and lays it up to make it 53-39. A charge on the other end of the court charged to EL, and the Falcons fans are barking at the officiating again. Smith fouled shortly after, and hits one of two free throws to make it 54-39 with 4:58 left. East Laurens has ten team fouls, and seems to be losing a little bit of composure. 

Thompkins has been receiving intermittent treatment from some of the team's trainers, who are stretching out his legs and having him walk around next to the Wesleyan bench.

A charge from East Laurens' Lewis on the other end, and the Falcons have seven team fouls. Dillon McLaughlin hits both free throws after a Falcons reach, and Wesleyan leads by 12 with 5:55 left in the game. EL has not been able to follow up Williams's miracle shot. 

Zac Johnston, sophomore shooting guard for the Wolves, gets a layup for the first points of the quarter for either team. Wolves by 10. After an East Laurens miss, he gets fouled to put the Wolves one foul away from being in the bonus. 

Third quarter

East Laurens trying to fight back, but still trails by 11 with 20 seconds left in the third. After a Wesleyan turnover, Williams hits a halfcourt shot from right in front of the press table with no time on the clock. With the view I had, it looked good as soon as it left his hand. Wesleyan by only eight points, 45-37, after the buzzer beater, and now the Falcons fans are on their feet. This could be an interesting fourth quarter.

Tanner Smith is a man. He keeps the ball in his hands, looks like he's going to set up the offense, then dribbles through the EL defense for a contested lay-in. Down the court, he throws up his arms to incite the Wesleyan crowd. Needless to say, it worked. My ears hurt. Next Wolves possession, Smith pulls up for a 10-footer. East Laurens coach Jimmy Williams decides he's seen enough for the time being, and calls a full timeout. Thompkins limps to the Wesleyan huddle. 43-32 Wolves.

Boy, has the pace picked up. Up and down the court. East Laurens is attacking the basket a lot more with Thompkins out, but may be getting a little overzealous. Williams picks up a charge at the 4:07 mark.

Expect to see a lot of Tanner Smith in the second half. Aside from handling the ball, he should be in the post a lot more. He just posted up an EL guard and got a layup.

East Laurens' Bailey gets the hoop and foul on a stick back, but airballs the free throw. Cue the Wesleyan cheering section. 35-25 Wesleyan with six minutes in the quarter.

Thompkins looks like he wants to play, and is still on the Wesleyan bench at the start of the half. But the way he's walking, I wouldn't expect to see him.

Second quarter

Wesleyan is up 33-21 at the half, but star big man Thompkins is the last to get to the locker room and is requiring a lot of help to get there. Don't want to guess the nature or severity of the injury, but it doesn't look like he's going to play anymore today.

Thompkins is up, but in obvious pain. He's walking slowly back to the bench and, clearly, is not going to attempt these free throws. We'll keep you updated.

Thompkins gets undercut (accidentally, of course) by an East Laurens defender after trying to bring down an offensive rebound. He hit the ground flat on his back and has been down for a good three or four minutes. 

Thompkins banks in an eight-footer over two defenders. The Falcons are missing layups and wide-open 3s, something they weren't doing in the first quarter. The Wesleyan lead has ballooned to 12 at 31-19.

Tanner Smith is taking over the game. He just hit a 3 and took it coast-to-coast for a layup and foul. Hits the free throw to make it 29-19 with 2 minutes to go in the half.

Chris Sephus of East Laurens with a nice, hang-in-the-air drive to get it past Thompkins. 18-13 Wolves.

Jimmy Williams airballs a shot, and the Wesleyan crowd lets him hear it. Tanner Smith gets his first two points of the game on a tough post move. He's got a good inside-outside game, and can handle the ball as well. Right as I'm typing this, he leads the break and dishes to guard Michael Cornelius for the transition bucket. 17-11 Wesleyan with 5:40 left.

Both crowds need a break after the first quarter; they've been animated, to say the least. If you're watching on TV or following the GPB stream online, you know what I'm talking about. We're ready for more basketball. Wesleyan to inbound.

First quarter

The East Laurens fans are REALLY upset with some of the calls that have gone against the Falcons lately... tied 11-11 at the end of the opening period.

Thompkins blocks his first shot of the game on Terrance Strong's attempt, and the Wolves score on the next possession to make it 8-6 EL. 

Out of the timeout, Williams sends the Falcons fans into a frenzy with a layup. 

Ken Taylor, 6-5 senior shooting guard, puts the Falcons up 4-1 with a jumper. Williams with a steal off a Thompkins pass on the next possession, passes to Taylor for an uncontested layup in transition. 6-1 EL going into the game's first TV timeout.

East Laurens wins the tip, and Jimmy Williams, Jr., the coach's son, gets a layup off his own miss. 2-0 Falcons. 

More random pre-game musings...

So the Centreplex staff (or GHSA, or whoever) has really pulled out all the stops for the warmup music. Listening to LFO's "Summer Girls" right now... Next up it's something that sounds like Backstreet Boys, but after a quick Google search I find out it's 5ive, a British boy band from the late 90s. Notice a pattern here?

Ok, how about some real basketball analysis? On first sight, and with a cursory glance at the roster, East Laurens is clearly going to be at a disadvantage in the post. Howard Thompkins of Wesleyan, at 6-9, is two inches taller than any of East Laurens' kids. The Wolves have five players 6-5 or taller, the Falcons from Dublin, Georgia have two.

Advantages (purely guesses at this point): 

Quickness: East Laurens

Shooting: Wesleyan

Experience: Wesleyan

Size: Wesleyan

Thompkins is headed to Georgia next year, and 6-5 Tanner Smith to Clemson for the Wolves, so edge also goes to the Norcross school in terms of high-profile talent. East Laurens also has a pretty decent collection of fans here; wonder if they picked up any supporters from crosstown rival Dublin High, which lost to Wesleyan in the semifinals? 

2A Girls Championship Game - Paideia vs. Wesleyan

Final impressions

Paideia was a bit of a surprise to make it this far, but can take a lot away from this playoff season in which they defeated powerhouse Randolph-Clay to get to the finals. Wesleyan, in my eyes, cements a dynasty in girls basketball, and get this: they only lose ONE SENIOR, Carter Johnson (who, after her spill in the second quarter, was fine, by the way). Preseason No. 1, anybody?

Fourth quarter

79-40 is your final score. The Wolves win their fourth title in five years.

Aneesah Daniels hits two free throws for Paideia with 30 seconds left. She has been the star for the Pythons.

Credit to the Paideia fanbase, which was loudest at the end of the game. The Wolves fans were also really enthusiastic about seeing their reserves get into the game for the final minute and a half or so.

Maybe the prettiest play of the game: Judean Hanks of the Wolves lobs the ball for a stationary Hall, who jumps, catches the ball, and lofts up a nice eight-footer all before coming back down  

Paideia's star center Kaci Palmore, who we haven't heard much from in this game, gets a layup. With 2:43, she gets another one. Hopefully the senior can get a few more points before her career is over. Score is 71-34. 

Very quietly, Anne Marie Armstrong is having herself a heck of a championship game. But Erin Hall is showing me that she can carry a team with her long-range shooting. She just drained another deep, deep trey at the 4:30 mark. Next Wolves possession she hits another one. Unbelievable.

Third quarter

A pretty sizable crowd is already settled in to watch the Wesleyan boys take on East Laurens right after this one. On a completely unrelated note, what looks to be one of the girls team's managers is on the bench wearing an all-white suit. Looking good, man. Looking good.

Armstrong with another swat. The Wolves are slowing things down a little bit on offense, but the defense is as intense as ever. Abraham scores another two down low for Paideia, however, and Walker follows with a layup on the next possession for the Pythons. The deficit is still at 34

Alex Abraham, 5-10 sophomore for Paideia, gets the hoop and the foul. She hits the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play. The Pythons turn on the pressure after the made free throw, but Wesleyan breaks the press and Baughn draws a foul. 59-24 with the free throws.

Timeout Wesleyan at the 3:39 mark. Jan Azar didn't like the offense, apparently, which was stagnating a little bit. Hard to complain with a 34-point lead, however.

Speaking of Erin Hall, she just hit a 3 from beyond the NBA arc. Impressive. It's 52-19 in the first few minutes of the third. A minute later, it's Hall again from deep.

Halftime impressions

Armstrong is the best player on the court, but it's Wesleyan's guard play and outside shooting that's dominated the game so far.

There is one girl (or several girls, it's hard to tell) in the Wesleyan crowd that scream their heads off during every Paideia free throw. The rest of the student section just covers their ears.

Asked a Wesleyan parent if Erin Hall is related to Chad Hall, former Wolves basketball and football standout who just finished his collegiate football career at Air Force. The two are cousins.

Second quarter

Paideia's Alana Pulliam hits one of two free throws to make it 43-17. At the VERY LAST, and I mean VERY LAST second of the half, Wesleyan's McKenzie hits a layup to make it 47-17. Paideia will absolutely have to find more offense than Aneesah Daniels if they want to put up more points in the second half. But you'll have to excuse me for a second; I can't hear myself think because of the ovation the Wesleyan boys just got as they ran on for a shootaround.

Wesleyan's Carter Johnson is down momentarily, shaken up after a run-in with Paideia's Daniels. With a little help, she makes it to the bench. It's not a leg injury; just looks like she took a shot.

Hall with another trey, score is now 41-13 with a minute and a half remaining in the second.

Paideia's Daniels gets a transition layup, but Wesleyan strikes right back with an easy bucket from Chantel Kennedy. They can really punish you for not getting back on defense. The score stands at 31-9 with 3:36 left in the half.

Armstrong with a HUGE block on a Paideia big on one end of the flooer, beginning a fast break that she ends off a rebound and put-back.

I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but I believe Armstrong is 0-2 from the floor. Wesleyan just has more weapons at their disposal than Paideia. As I type this, sophomore Judean Hanks hits a three to make it 26-7. After a steal on the inbounds, Armstrong gets the ball down low and gets fouled. She makes one free throw to push it to 27-7. 

This Wesleyan team is deadly from the outside. Sophomore Erin Hall is the latest Lady Wolf to show off a very effective jumper, making it 23-6 with a 15-footer.

Wesleyan gets the ball at the start of the second, and Grace Leah Baughn ends up getting free for an easy layup. Whether Armstrong is trying to post up or hanging around the perimeter, she draws attention.

First quarter

Paideia has made it very clear what their defensive strategy is: double team Armstrong. They're denying her the ball, alright, but are getting killed from the outside. Paideia center Aneesah Daniels takes a hard fall, but steps to the free throw line. She misses both, but after a scramble for the rebound, ends up taking the last shot of the quarter, an airball three. Paideia will try to regroup after a rough first period. 17-6 Wesleyan.

Another sweet jumper from McKenzie makes it 15-2, and a layup from Hayley Hughes makes it 17-2. 

FINALLY! Paideia gets on the board with a layup, but not after Wesleyan scored the game's first 13 points. 

Paideia better be careful; they're down 11-0 to start the game and just turned the ball over. Timeout Pythons.

McKenzie with another nice 3-pointer. She's got a great looking shot. Armstrong can run, pass and rebound. She's very versatile. 

Wesleyan's Aysia McKenzie hits a jumper for the first points of the game. 3-0 Wolves.

Anne Marie Armstrong easily won the tip. Both teams look a little too eager at the start of the game, as they are missing a lot of shots and playing a little sloppy. I think they'll settle down once they ease into things.

Girls Final Four Previews

CLASS AAAAA: SUPRISES AND FAVORITES ADVANCE

Duluth vs. Redan: Neither team was expected to advance this far. The Duluth Wildcats had never even reached the semifinal round before, while Redan was a No. 3 seed out of Region 2 and did not get to play a single state tournament game at home. Duluth’s not-so-secret weapon Mykala Walker exploded in the quarterfinal round, scoring a game-high 22 points – including 11 points in the fourth quarter – and the Wildcats’ defense shocked the state by holding top-seeded Parkview to just 37 points. For Redan, Alisha Andrews is lethal scorer and can score 20 points at will. So don’t let that “No. 3 seed” label fool you, Duluth: Redan beat their three state tournament opponents by an average of almost 16 points.

Mill Creek vs. Stephenson: Mill Creek went through the majority of the 2007-08 season as the top-ranked team in the Score Prep Top Ten poll. Porsha Porter eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as a junior last year, and she was selected to the North-South Senior All-Star Game as well. She is joined by stars Moneshia Simmons and Olivia Towers-Solis, among several other well-rounded players. Their opponents, the Stephenson Jaguars, have experienced much frustration in the past three seasons, falling to the Maya Moore-led Collins Hill Eagles twice and South Gwinnett once. With Score Prep DeKalb Player of the Year Jylisa Williams, the Jaguars know there is no better time than now to get over the hump and win a state title.

Tad Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.

CLASS AAAA: PANTHERS HAVE ANOTHER SHOT AT STATE TITLE

Fayette County vs. Madison County: The Tigers made it 2-for-2 in reaching the state semifinals along with the boys team, but they won’t be sitting in the shadow. Sophomore Anma Onyeuku has led the team thus far and did again in the quarters with 14 points. Junior Tessa Holt can do a little bit of everything. The Tigers know how to win close games, and they proved it by beating Jonesboro by two points in the quarterfinal round. On the other side, head coach Dan Lampe’s Red Raiders rely on junior center/forward Courtney Freeman to lead the team. Freeman helped the Red Raiders score a bit of an upset as they shut down Mays 67-57 in the quarterfinals and advanced to the Final Four.

Southwest DeKalb vs. Westlake: Head coach Kathy Richey-Walton’s Southwest DeKalb team has never won a state title, but the Panthers could change that this season. Future South Carolina Gamecock Charenee Stephens has been unstoppable thus far and Kayla Lewis is more than pitching in during this run. Both scored 20 points in the quarterfinal round. The Panthers entered the tournament as the No. 1 team. Meanwhile, Westlake is led by junior Tamika Willis and sophomore Dalia Robinson, who both play beyond their years. Willis has averaged 20 points per game so far this tournament. Westlake, No. 3 entering the tournament, blew out Baldwin 66-40 to reach the semifinals.

Fletcher Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

CLASS AAA: SENIORS ARE THE STORY IN SEMIFINALS

Kendrick vs. Carrollton: The Kendrick Lady Cherokees have come so close to winning a state title over the past few years, and this year may be their best chance to do it. Seniors Jane McKinney and Mukia Merrick will be two of the best players on display this weekend. The team’s only weakness could stream from their dominance. Will they stay composed if someone finally plays them close? Carrollton was eliminated in the Elite Eight in the past three seasons, but under the leadership of point guard Velicia Bell, they finally got over the hump this season. The Trojans have been blowing away the competition, winning all of their tournament games by at least 12 points.

Monroe Area vs. Glenn Hills: Monroe Area rely heavily seniors Maya Brown and Brittany Kirkland. Both of them can fill up the stat sheet. Dee Gober is also a threat. A lack of size could provide a problem. Brown is the tallest of the bunch at 5-9. Glenn Hills’ Ciara Lyons is a pure scorer. She averaged 25 points per game in the regular season. Stopping her is out of the question. But Glenn Hills will need their supporting cast to step up to win a state title. The Spartans flew under the radar this season due to seven losses, but they have had tremendous success since winning the Region 3-AAA Tournament. They even opened the state tournament with a 74-29 victory over Crisp County.

Josh Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.

CLASS AA: LADY WOLVES SEEK FOURTH TITLE IN FIVE YEARS

Randolph-Clay vs. Paideia: The Randolph-Clay Lady Red Devils, like the boys team, is headed to Macon. The girls lost in dramatic fashion in the semis against Wesleyan last year (and guess who is lurking on the other side of the bracket?). Paideia’s Cinderella story continues, as the private school will take on Randolph-Clay’s girls on Thursday. Paideia, coached by Paul Meire, Jr., enjoyed a 14-game winning streak up until the region semifinals loss against Greater Atlanta Christian. Meire’s Lady Pythons are certainly battle-tested, and will look to pull off the upset over Randolph-Clay, a powerhouse that comes into the contest with a 26-3 record.

Wesleyan vs. Savannah Christian: Wesleyan isn’t all about Anne Marie Armstrong (the Score Prep Gwinnett Player of the Year), but the versatile player was near the top of the Gwinnett statistics in points and rebounds. She’s helped out by Erin Hall, a 5-foot-8 sophomore shooting guard and the team’s second-leading scorer. Wesleyan’s girls are going for their fourth state AA title in five years, but have Savannah Christian to contend with first. The Lady Raiders will be underdogs coming into this matchup, but Adrienne Defillipis and Meredith Stephens can really fill it up from beyond the arc. They will have to continue their hot shooting if there is to be an upset on Thursday.

Alex Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.

CLASS A: HIGH-POWERED OFFENSES TO LIGHT UP SCOREBOARD

Calvary Day vs. Towns County: It seems opposites always attract, whether it be in relationships or sports, which is the case between these two teams. Calvary Day brings height and a little bit of an older roster, while Towns is led by their youth and excitement. Calvary Day’s Katie Covington and Anna Moody are excellent players on the interior for the Cavaliers. For Towns, however, junior Nikki Winn and sophomore Kerri Abernathy lead the Towns attack. Their youthful exuberance helps fuel their high-scoring offense and somewhat counteracts their inexperience. Towns County rarely has trouble putting up points, and before from squeaking away with a 45-40 win last round, the team scored 63 and 71 in the first two rounds, respectively.

Terrell County vs. SW Atlanta Christian: While this game will feature two teams who have won titles in the last three years, most eyes will be following Terrell County’s Monshay Thomas. This all-state player won Region Player of the Year last year and is averaging six assists and eight rebounds on the year. To balance out, Southwest Atlanta Christian will rely on their balanced offensive attack with Latanya Scott, Mariah Eades and Briana Brown. Eades led five double-digit scorers with 15 in their quarterfinal victory. Southwest Atlanta Christian’s offensive game has been on fire lately, as the team has averaged 66 points per game in the state tournament and has scored 70-plus points in its past two games.

Jason Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.

Boys Final Four Previews

CLASS AAAAA: TWO NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS IN FINAL FOUR

Hiram vs. Wheeler: Three of the four teams that reached the semifinal round were expected to be there from the beginning. The Hiram Hornets were a different story. Entering the state tournament with zero postseason wins in school history, the Hornets won their three state tournament games by slim margins. Stewart Clark leads the way with over 1,000 career points. Still, Hiram is in for a tough battle against nationally-ranked Wheeler. Aside from a three-point squeaker against McEachern in Round 2, Wheeler has obliterated their opponents, capping off their streak with a 22-point win over Berkmar in the quarterfinals. With Miami-signee Dequan Jones and star junior Ari Stewart on the floor, the Wildcats have a great shot at winning their second state championship in four seasons.

Norcross vs. Savannah: Another nationally-ranked team, the Norcross Blue Devils, reached the Final Four. Led by Rivals.com’s top-ranked small forward and Wake Forest-signee Al-Farouq Aminu, the Blue Devils won all three of their state tournament games by at least 15 points. Denzail Jones and Tarriq Muhammad make the back-to-back defending state champs even more dangerous. But if you think the Savannah Blue Jackets will be intimidated, think again. Savannah is led by Kevin Williams, who scored 19 points in the team’s quarterfinal victory over Douglass. And head coach Tim Jordan was also selected to be the head coach of the South team in the upcoming North-South Senior All-Star Game on March 30.

Tad Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.

CLASS AAAA: CAN EAGLES REACH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AGAIN?

Fayette County vs. Miller Grove: The Fayette County Tigers, having never won a state playoff game prior to this season have RUN all the way to the state tournament’s Final Four. Head coach Andre Flynn’s team normally puts 70 points on the scoreboard and is led by flashy 6-foot-7 junior Noel Johnson and 5-foot-11 senior Brandon Boykin. Miller Grove, meanwhile is led by Mfon Udofia, who has simply been a beast in the scorebooks. In the quarters, the 6-foot-2 junior scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Wolverines head coach Sharmon White will also use quick 6-foot-6 center Obataiye Edwards down low to clean up the boards.

Westlake vs. Columbia: On the other side, some are calling the Westlake vs. Columbia game the “de facto championship,” as it pits No. 1 Westlake vs. No. 2 Columbia. Columbia entered the tournament as a No. 3 seed following an early region tournament loss, but Travis Leslie and the rest of the Eagles seniors refused to let the team fail to reach the Final Four. Leslie had 23 against Peeblebrook, and the team shut down Tony Woods and Rome in the quarterfinals. The Eagles fell in the state championship game last year, so they are hoping to win it all this time around. At Westlake, however, a two-headed monster will be standing in the way. Oklahoma-bound Raymond Willis has been tearing up defenses all year and Gideon Gamble will make you pay if you leave him open.

Fletcher Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

CLASS AAA: WILDCATS AREN'T ONLY ONES WITH TALENT

Dunwoody vs. Carver-Columbus: Dunwoody are the clear favorites this weekend. Three graduating seniors and Division-I signees – Chris Singleton (Florida State), Delwan Graham (Louisiana State) and Pierre Jordan (Florida State) – are all headed for big things at the next level. They have great outside shooting with Jordan and Issiah Grayson. And also attack inside with athletic bigs in Graham and Singleton. They’re a deep team too, with plenty of talent coming off the bench. With just three seniors on the roster, Carver-Columbus is easily the most untested team remaining. But they will ride into Macon with an eight-game winning streak, 16 wins in their last 18 games, and plenty of confidence - especially after their three-point victory over Liberty County in the quarterfinals rounds.

Hart County vs. Glenn Hills: Most fans didn’t know much about Hart County before the state tournament. They know now. Rock-solid center Quint Clinkscales is the catalyst offensively for an athletic team that scored just under 70 points per game in the regular season. When it comes to talent, Glenn Hills is right up there. Forwards Jerel Stephenson and Chris Reynolds are both headed for Division I-A ball. And they can both do it all. Point guard Reggie Middleton might be the key to their success - he always spots the open man and can score too.

Josh Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.

CLASS AA: WESLEYAN FAVORITE TO WIN FIRST STATE TITLE

Dublin vs. Wesleyan: Dublin, last year’s Class AA boys champions, beat previously undefeated Randolph-Clay 80-79 in the quarterfinal round. Dublin, which started the year with four straight losses because it was missing team members which are also football players (including 6-foot-5 Georgia Tech commitment Nick McRae, the team’s only senior), finds itself in the Final Four yet again, and will take on Wesleyan on Thursday. Wesleyan lost in last year’s second round, but had Georgia commit Howard Thompkins rejoin his team after spending a year at Oak Hill Academy. He and Clemson commit Tanner Smith give the Wolves a chance to win their first-ever state title. Wesleyan comes into the Final Four with a gaudy 25-5 record.

East Laurens vs. Lovett: East Laurens, which plays alongside Dublin in Region 4-AA, plays Lovett, Wesleyan’s regionmate in 6-AA. East Laurens is led by coach-on-the-floor Jimmy Williams, Jr., as well as fellow seniors Antwan Bailey and Ken Taylor. The Falcons come in with a near-perfect 29-1 record, with the only loss coming to Class AAA West Laurens, 79-77. The team easily took care of a talented Long County team by 26 points in the quarters. Point guard Andre Hicks, who signed with the University of Alabama-Birmingham as a running back, makes the Lovett attack move; he and Alex Elam form a two-man attack that was instrumental in taking out Coosa in the quarterfinals in Rome last week.

Alex Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.

CLASS A: OFF THE BENCH AND INTO THE FINALS

Turner County vs. Wilkinson County: This game will challenge the definition of substitution as both teams will rely heavily on their benches, an advantage that can make any player on the team a leading scorer candidate. However, that’s where the similarities end between these two. Wilkinson is looking for their second consecutive state championship while Turner is looking for their first since 1963. Wilkinson’s guard combo of Jamaal Day and Justin Stubbs have in-the-gym range and are great from behind the arc, which is where the Warriors look to do most of their damage. Turner’s advantage, meanwhile, may come in the paint where Demetrius Ewing and Todd Lawson will look to easy baskets on offensive rebounds and close range shots. The duo will need the talents of Marquis Jackson to get them the ball inside.

Portal vs. Hancock Central: The Final Four is unfamiliar territory for each of these teams who have hovered around the semifinal round for the past couple of years only to be eliminated in the quarterfinals. To get into the finals, Portal will need an excellent game from their field general, point guard David Buchannon. On the season, Buchannon is averaging over 20 points and right around three steals a game, which helps jumpstart the Panthers’ offense. For Hancock, the offense rests inside in the hands of Kammeon Holsey. He led the team in scoring with 16 in their quarterfinal win over Whitefield, and has really grown over his junior season.

Jason Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.