From Score Atlanta reporter Jason Boral:
It seems everywhere you look in the semis for the 1A tournament there are contrasting styles that will make the chase for the championship very interesting.
After almost allowing a historic comeback in the quarters, Hancock Central must respond and take on one of the best players at any classification in Portal’s David Buchannon. Buchannon is excellent at controlling the tempo of the game which puts his team in the right position to be victorious. On the other side, Hancock has the talented big man Kammeon Holsey. It’s always great to see two contrasting styles try and force their style of play on the other; the one who can do it first usually wins.
The other boys matchup, Wilkinson vs. Turner County, is probably the most exciting the semifinal round has seen since … well, last year when these two teams last met. Both teams have deep benches and rely on them heavily to win. Just thinking about all the subs and fast-paced play gets me pumped up, like if I was sucking down a Red Bull or something. I think if Wilkinson’s Justin Stubbs can make his 3-pointers, Turner will have a tough time keeping up.
Two of the best teams in the last few years meet in the semis of the girls bracket. Both SW Atlanta Christian and Terrell County have a state title in the last three state tournaments. The game also touts one of the most talented players in the state in Terrell’s Monshay Thomas. I could probably devote an entire blog to what she’s done in her career and she is definitely worth the price of admission, but I’ll just leave at she’s good – real good. SW Atlanta is no slouch however, they just rely more on collective scoring. Five players scored in double figures in their quarterfinal win, expect much of the same against Terrell.
To close out the bracket, you have a youthful team in Towns County who loves to score. But it will be an interesting matchup with Calvary Day as they have talented post players and can slow any offense down.
Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
2A semifinal preview
Dublin wasn't about to relinquish it's hold on Class 2A boys basketball, even though Randolph-Clay was ranked No. 1 and undefeated. The Fighting Irish can still defend last year's championship after knocking off the Red Devils 80-79 in a truly great high school basketball game. Dublin's Rashard Smith was huge in this one, scoring 20 points to lead his team to victory. Randolph-Clay's Dexter Ellington had 27 in the losing effort, and his team had a last second desperation shot to win. On that same side of the bracket, Wesleyan took care of business against Region 6 counterpart Pace Academy, even though the score was probably a little too close for comfort for the Wolves, who are seeking the first state title for the program. In the end, the inside game of Howard Thompkins, Tanner Smith and Erik Strong proved too much for Pace, and Wesleyan took a 59-52 win and a berth in the Final Four.
East Laurens will meet Lovett on the other side. East Laurens is really, really good. They obliterated a fine Long County team 79-53 to get to the semifinals, and Lovett handled Coosa 58-51 for the Final Four berth. Lovett came on strong after a potentially disastrous 2-5 start overall and a 1-5 start in the region, and now hopes to ride Andre Hicks and Alex Elam into the final game, as the football team did back in December.
The Wesleyan girls are on pace to cement their dynasty in Class 2A, as they will go for their fourth title in the last five seasons. The team handled Buford by a double-digit margin in the quarters, which is something they did to the other Wolves three times during the regular season. Savannah Christian took down Josey on Friday, as Meredith Stevens, Adrienne DeFilippis and Alyson Faircloth shot the Lady Eagles out of the gym. If they can stay hot, they'll at least have a chance to knock off Wesleyan.
Randolph-Clay advanced over Laney to face No. 4 seed Paideia, which is enjoying an unlikely run that unfortunately might be stopped in its tracks against the formidable Lady Red Devils. Randolph-Clay's girls hardly ever allow an opponent to get to 50 points.
3A semifinal preview
From Score Atlanta reporter Josh Bagriansky:
It’s been a wild ride in AAA.
The top two ranked teams were eliminated in the first two rounds of the boys tournament, leaving Scott Bracco’s Dunwoody team looking primed for a third state championship in four years. They are not just the favorites in AAA, but also one of the best teams in all classifications. Big time recruits Chris Singleton (FSU) and Delwan Graham (LSU) can both jump out of the gym. And the backcourt of Pierre Jordan (also a future-Seminole) and Issiah Grayson is not too shabby either. To be honest, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping DHS, especially a young team like Carver-Columbus, who face off with the ‘Cats in the semis.
Seeing Hart County get this far was a shock for a lot of us, but they proved they belong in two surprising victories against Blessed Trinity and East Hall. They’re an athletically-gifted team that features a great post scorer in Quint Clinkscales. They beat two very tough opponents in the first two rounds in Blessed Trinity and East Hall, so I wouldn’t count on them being intimidated.
HC will have their hands full against Glenn Hills. Keep an eye on Jerel Stephenson and Chris Reynolds. They are two great talents that have flown under the radar all season. If anyone can beat Dunwoody, I think it’s these guys.
The girls side also features a clear favorite. Kendrick has simply dominated their competition all year long. They haven’t lost this season, and they haven’t really come close to defeat. Janae McKinney is a great scorer and Mukia Merrick is one of the top distributors in AAA. The only question for the Lady Cherokees is whether they can keep their composure if someone keeps it close.
Monroe Area has the tough task of facing KHS, but they have their own dynamic duo in Maya Brown and Brittany Kirkland.
The Glenn Hills-Carrolton game will be fun. I can’t wait to see Ciara Lyons, who is one of the best scorers in the state, regardless of gender or classification. Carrolton has a real talent of its own in Velicia Bell. Watching those two match up will be a lot of fun.
Bagriansky can be reached at JoshB914@gmail.com.
It’s been a wild ride in AAA.
The top two ranked teams were eliminated in the first two rounds of the boys tournament, leaving Scott Bracco’s Dunwoody team looking primed for a third state championship in four years. They are not just the favorites in AAA, but also one of the best teams in all classifications. Big time recruits Chris Singleton (FSU) and Delwan Graham (LSU) can both jump out of the gym. And the backcourt of Pierre Jordan (also a future-Seminole) and Issiah Grayson is not too shabby either. To be honest, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping DHS, especially a young team like Carver-Columbus, who face off with the ‘Cats in the semis.
Seeing Hart County get this far was a shock for a lot of us, but they proved they belong in two surprising victories against Blessed Trinity and East Hall. They’re an athletically-gifted team that features a great post scorer in Quint Clinkscales. They beat two very tough opponents in the first two rounds in Blessed Trinity and East Hall, so I wouldn’t count on them being intimidated.
HC will have their hands full against Glenn Hills. Keep an eye on Jerel Stephenson and Chris Reynolds. They are two great talents that have flown under the radar all season. If anyone can beat Dunwoody, I think it’s these guys.
The girls side also features a clear favorite. Kendrick has simply dominated their competition all year long. They haven’t lost this season, and they haven’t really come close to defeat. Janae McKinney is a great scorer and Mukia Merrick is one of the top distributors in AAA. The only question for the Lady Cherokees is whether they can keep their composure if someone keeps it close.
Monroe Area has the tough task of facing KHS, but they have their own dynamic duo in Maya Brown and Brittany Kirkland.
The Glenn Hills-Carrolton game will be fun. I can’t wait to see Ciara Lyons, who is one of the best scorers in the state, regardless of gender or classification. Carrolton has a real talent of its own in Velicia Bell. Watching those two match up will be a lot of fun.
Bagriansky can be reached at JoshB914@gmail.com.
4A semifinal preview
From Score Atlanta reporter Fletcher Proctor:
As the field just eliminated four elite teams from the boys side as well as the girls side, the teams remaining still stand because of outstanding players. In the case of Miller Grove, 6-foot-2 junior Mfon Udofia hoisted the Wolverines onto his back as he tossed in 25 points and helped his squad advance past Lithia Springs and into the Final Four. Meanwhile it wasn’t Fayette County junior Noel Johnson, but rather senior Cuincy Carruthers that helped the Tigers achieve their first-ever semifinals appearance.
As for the other side of the bracket, high school basketball fans will get to see No. 1 Westlake and Raymond Willis take on No. 2 Columbia and Travis Leslie. Columbia advanced to Gwinnett Arena by pressuring Wake Forest-bound Tony Woods and Rome into a 69-51 defeat. Westlake is counting its blessings, surviving a wild one-point quarterfinal victory over Riverdale. Gideon Gamble will be the key for Westlake in the semifinal as most of the opposition’s attention will be focused on the future Boomer Sooner Willis.
For the ladies, youth was served as Fayette County secured its first Final Four appearance with a win over Tai Brown and Northside-Warner Robins. Sophomore Anma Onyeuku scored 14 in the victory and junior Tessa Holt did a little bit of everything with six points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. They will face junior Courtney Freeman and Madison County at Gwinnett Arena; the Red Raiders knocked off Mays in the quarterfinals. Sade Means and Mays fell behind and could not combat the impressive performance by Dan Lampe’s squad.
The other game will pit No. 1 Southwest DeKalb, still seeking its first state title, against No. 3 Westlake. Westlake was impressive in blowing out Baldwin 66-40 in the quarterfinals, but the Lady Panthers of SW DeKalb are very imposing, as they sport two regular 20-point scorers. Charenee Stephens notched 21 points and 15 rebounds in the 74-63 win over Clarke Central, and Kayla Lewis added 20.
Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.
As the field just eliminated four elite teams from the boys side as well as the girls side, the teams remaining still stand because of outstanding players. In the case of Miller Grove, 6-foot-2 junior Mfon Udofia hoisted the Wolverines onto his back as he tossed in 25 points and helped his squad advance past Lithia Springs and into the Final Four. Meanwhile it wasn’t Fayette County junior Noel Johnson, but rather senior Cuincy Carruthers that helped the Tigers achieve their first-ever semifinals appearance.
As for the other side of the bracket, high school basketball fans will get to see No. 1 Westlake and Raymond Willis take on No. 2 Columbia and Travis Leslie. Columbia advanced to Gwinnett Arena by pressuring Wake Forest-bound Tony Woods and Rome into a 69-51 defeat. Westlake is counting its blessings, surviving a wild one-point quarterfinal victory over Riverdale. Gideon Gamble will be the key for Westlake in the semifinal as most of the opposition’s attention will be focused on the future Boomer Sooner Willis.
For the ladies, youth was served as Fayette County secured its first Final Four appearance with a win over Tai Brown and Northside-Warner Robins. Sophomore Anma Onyeuku scored 14 in the victory and junior Tessa Holt did a little bit of everything with six points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. They will face junior Courtney Freeman and Madison County at Gwinnett Arena; the Red Raiders knocked off Mays in the quarterfinals. Sade Means and Mays fell behind and could not combat the impressive performance by Dan Lampe’s squad.
The other game will pit No. 1 Southwest DeKalb, still seeking its first state title, against No. 3 Westlake. Westlake was impressive in blowing out Baldwin 66-40 in the quarterfinals, but the Lady Panthers of SW DeKalb are very imposing, as they sport two regular 20-point scorers. Charenee Stephens notched 21 points and 15 rebounds in the 74-63 win over Clarke Central, and Kayla Lewis added 20.
Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
5A semifinal preview
So now it’s Hiram vs. Wheeler and Savannah vs. Norcross. You can already sense people are getting anxious to see a Norcross-Wheeler state championship. Not so fast. Hiram had never even won a postseason game before this season, so they might just be the Team of Destiny. Meanwhile, Savannah TORCHED their first two opponents before edging out Douglass in the quarterfinal round
But can either team pull off the seemingly impossible and take out 5A’s two nationally-ranked juggernauts? Aside from a hiccup against McEachern in Round 2, Wheeler has been on fire – Dequan Jones actually had a quiet game (10 points) in the quarterfinals and it was Ari Stewart who went ballistic with 23 points. And with Al-Farouq Aminu and Denzail Jones running the show over at Norcross, it’s hard to picture a state championship taking place without the Blue Devils in it. Don’t bet on that happening.
(And if Wheeler and Norcross do indeed both end up in the state title game … is it possible that we could get another classic like their first-round battle in 2007 that was decided by one point?)
As for the girls, I was shocked to see the results of the Mill Creek-Marietta game. I wasn’t surprised that Mill Creek won – the Lady Hawks were Score Prep’s top-ranked team through most of the season – but I certainly did not expect a 20-point victory. Marietta’s Telia McCall (Score Prep Cobb’s Player of the Year) had an amazing season but in the end, Porsha Porter, Olivia Towers-Solis and Moneshia Simmons will be the ones moving on.
This definitely sets up an intriguing battle with Stephenson: the Jaguars had their fill with Maya Moore and Collins Hill in two of the past three postseasons, so it will be interesting to see if they can get over the hump now after a convincing win over Luella.
On the other side of the bracket, two surprise teams will face off for a state championship bid. I DEFINITELY don’t think anyone expected Duluth to hold top-seeded Parkview to just 37 points, and Mykala Walker’s 22-point performance may have been the gutsiest of this round for all classifications. The Wildcats will play in the semifinals for the first time in school history, and they will face third-seeded Redan, a team that won all three of its games away from home.
Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.
But can either team pull off the seemingly impossible and take out 5A’s two nationally-ranked juggernauts? Aside from a hiccup against McEachern in Round 2, Wheeler has been on fire – Dequan Jones actually had a quiet game (10 points) in the quarterfinals and it was Ari Stewart who went ballistic with 23 points. And with Al-Farouq Aminu and Denzail Jones running the show over at Norcross, it’s hard to picture a state championship taking place without the Blue Devils in it. Don’t bet on that happening.
(And if Wheeler and Norcross do indeed both end up in the state title game … is it possible that we could get another classic like their first-round battle in 2007 that was decided by one point?)
As for the girls, I was shocked to see the results of the Mill Creek-Marietta game. I wasn’t surprised that Mill Creek won – the Lady Hawks were Score Prep’s top-ranked team through most of the season – but I certainly did not expect a 20-point victory. Marietta’s Telia McCall (Score Prep Cobb’s Player of the Year) had an amazing season but in the end, Porsha Porter, Olivia Towers-Solis and Moneshia Simmons will be the ones moving on.
This definitely sets up an intriguing battle with Stephenson: the Jaguars had their fill with Maya Moore and Collins Hill in two of the past three postseasons, so it will be interesting to see if they can get over the hump now after a convincing win over Luella.
On the other side of the bracket, two surprise teams will face off for a state championship bid. I DEFINITELY don’t think anyone expected Duluth to hold top-seeded Parkview to just 37 points, and Mykala Walker’s 22-point performance may have been the gutsiest of this round for all classifications. The Wildcats will play in the semifinals for the first time in school history, and they will face third-seeded Redan, a team that won all three of its games away from home.
Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.
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