WILKINSON COUNTY
26-6, REGION 7
The Warriors are making a familiar 32-mile westbound trek to Macon on Thursday and sit one win away from bringing home a seventh state title to the storied program. Last season, Wilkinson County battled past Wilcox County 53-49 for the Class A-Public state championship. Undersized and underclassman-heavy, Wilkinson County started last year’s championship an abysmal 1-of-11 from the foul line and had to find a way to overcome a 33.9 percent shooting performance from the field. Rebounding, hustle plays and a game- high 20 points from then-sophomore Torrico Simmons was the answer. Simmons continues to elevate his game and as a whole this year’s team is more experienced and more balanced than in 2013. Simmons’ ability to shoot the deep ball and get to the foul line and the emergence of senior guard Tray Little has created an unstoppable one-two punch. Little has nearly doubled his production this season after coming off the bench in 2013 and averages north of 16 points per game. In the first round of the playoffs, Little dropped a career-high 36 points as Wilkinson County beat Wheeler County for the fourth time this season (71-49). Simmons is the team’s leading scorer, right at 20 points per game, and comes off an efficient 18 points in Wilkinson County’s 75-68 win over Calhoun County in the semifinals. Simmons can erupt at any moment, and netted a career-high 37 points in Wilkinson’s 81-69 win over Aquinas in the Region 7 championship last month. Senior guard Derrick Trawick Jr. is averaging 14 points per game this season and Antonio Whipple has come up big in the postseason with nearly 10 points per game to go with his double-digit rebounds. Rebounding is a strength of this team and Whipple (6-foot-6) and 6-foot-3 senior Kareem Sanders are difference-makers in the post.
TURNER COUNTY
26-4, REGION 2
Turner County has been a contender for the past several seasons, but it has been 51 seasons (1963) since the Rebels’ last went the distance and won a state title. In 2012, Turner County lost a 46-44 heart- breaker in the state semifinals and, last season, the Rebels’ run fell flat in the quarterfinals to Wilcox County, 75-62. This year’s team could have what it takes and the lineup is as balanced as they come. Without a height presence down low, 6-foot-2 senior Antonio Graddic plays center in a high-tempo of- fense that attacks the basket from all directions. Junior guard Quan Hillmon has been especially aggressive this postseason. He netted a season-high 23 points in the 69-61 quarterfinals victory over Portal. Senior point guard Nate Martin has also played fearlessly in the playoffs and is averaging 13 points per game with his team-high 16 shot attempts per game. In the quarterfinals, there were nine players that scored and in the semifinals the Rebels continued spreading the ball around with eight players finding the scoring column. Graddic and Hillmon each scored 11 apiece in the semifinals as team-highs. The Rebels have been able to close out tight games and have scored 19 points in the final quarter of all three playoff games, the highest average of any quarter. Turner County’s weaknesses have been compen- sated with effort and outstanding defense, but the three-point shooting remains a concern. Turner County is 9-of-43 shooting from beyond the arc this postseason. Turnovers have also been a problem, but the Rebels have improved each round. In the Sweet 16, Turner County turned it over a season-high 31 times, but decreased its totals to 22 in the quarterfinals and only 15 giveaways in the semifinals. Defensively, Turner County has averaged 14 steals and 8.3 blocks per game this playoffs.
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