The first round of the state basketball tournament got underway last week and teams from Fulton County performed extremely well. A total of 11 boys and girls teams made it to the second round (which began after our papers went to press — so we’ll offer some highlights from last weekend).
Westlake picked up where it left off and crushed Valdosta, 83-68 in their opening round game. They have not lost a game since Jan. 19 and their record stands at 27-2. Led by Region 4-AAAAA player of the year Marcus Thornton, the Lions will be very tough to beat.
Milton brought the momentum it picked up from the region championship into the state tournament against Collins Hill. Evan Nolte scored 30 points and had 10 rebounds in a 63-55 victory. Three three-pointers by Nolte in the first quarter put the Eagles up early and they never trailed.
Banneker escaped an upset bid by Madison County and came out with a 54-51 win. The Trojans had a 14-point lead early in the second half, but relinquished it in the fourth. Late free throws by junior shooting guard Sherrod Wade saved the game and pushed the lead to three. A buzzer-beating missed three-pointer provided the Trojans with the narrow escape and a trip to the second round.
South Atlanta built a 19-point lead in the third quarter against Crisp County. The Jaguars almost let the lead slip away however, as Crisp made a valiant comeback to tie the game. Center Nikalus Jacobs refused to let his team lose and they found a way to win behind his game-high 27 points, 70-62.
Riverwood came in as winners of five out of six games and continued that trend by defeating Morgan County, 65-44. The No. 2 seed took the lead early at home and blew out the visitors by 21 points. They face No. 1 seed Johnson (Gainesville) in the second round.
Westminster came into the first round as underdogs against No. 2 seed Dade County. The Wildcats proved that seeding does not matter in the state tournament, as they upset the home team, 83-81.
Blessed Trinity upset its first-round opponent as well. Rockmart came in as the No. 1 seed in Region 7-AA was downed, 65-42 on their home court. The Titans built a 17-point halftime lead and never looked back. Qiydar Davis had 21 points and Chris Freeman added 17 for the victorious Titans.
The Westlake Lady Lions have been stellar all year and the first round of the state tournament proved that. Westlake destroyed Coffee County, 64-24 to move on to the second round. It was the ninth win in a row by double digits for the Lions. The top seed in region 4 looks very much like a state champion at this point.
The same can be said about Milton’s girls as they knocked off North Gwinnett, 63-43. A second-half run of 15-0 by the Eagles put the game away. Nikki Dixon and Kris Puthoff-King carried the team, combining for 47 of the 63 points. The defense for the Lady Eagles is allowing only 38 points per game during their current four-game winning streak.
Lovett got the state tournament off to a good start with a 59-41 win over Armuchee. The Lady Lions held a slim 5-point halftime lead and then went on a 17-1 run in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Sophomore Tatiana Jackson led all scorers with 19 points while freshman Sydney Umeri pitched in with 16 points.
Blessed Trinity walked away from its first round matchup as an upset winner. The Lady Titans beat No. 1 seed Pepperell out of Region 7, 61-57. The game shouldn’t have been that close, but key free throw misses narrowed the margin. Libby Kalinowski and Kimmy Cremins both had 13 points. Joi Reynolds got into double-figures with 10 points.
Deighton can be reached at jdeighton@scoreatl.com.
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