MITCHELL COUNTY
25-6, REGION 1
It’s been a long time since Mitchell County has held a state title trophy. In fact, it’s been 44 years since the Eagles could call themselves champions. They have a chance to change all that this weekend as they take on region foe Randolph-Clay in the Class A Public State Championship. The Eagles know they only have to beat Randolph-Clay to win the title, but the Eagles have had their share of trouble with them this season. Mitchell County has compiled a 25-6 record, and of those six losses, three of them came against the Red Devils including the season opener and the Region 1 tournament title game. Despite having fits with Randolph-Clay, being ranked No. 7 in the power ratings and not winning a title since 1970, the Eagles are still one of the more dangerous teams in Class A. And they proved that when they took down No. 2 Turner County in the Elite Eight, which ended a streak of three straight seasons in which they lost in the quarterfinals. Mitchell County has had a very good season despite not being able to get past Randolph-Clay. The other three losses came against Pelham (twice) and Valdosta. Both schools are in higher classifications than Mitchell County, so the Eagles have beaten every team in Class A they have faced other than the Red Dev- ils. A big reason for their success is the play of junior guard A’miracle Jones and senior forward Shonbreka Holton. Jones averaged 16.2 points per game while Holton averages 14 points per game. The Eagles have already gotten past the first challenge and that’s breaking the curse of the Elite Eight with the win against Turner County. Now they face a bigger challenge in taking down a team they lost to three times this season.
RANDOLPH-CLAY
26-4, REGION 1
In 2012-2013, Randolph-Clay looked like it would get a state championship banner to hang on top of the Joe C. Williams Gym. That did not happen as the Red Devils fell to Gordon Lee in the state finals. The loss only made head coach Jennifer Acree and her girls stronger because, during the regular season, the Red Devils started the year winning their first nine games and they have not lost a game since falling short to Monroe in early February. The Red Devils were able to breeze through the first two games of the region tournament by giving up only 18 points per game. Acree’s team then won the region title by beating Mitchell County 77-74. Randolph-Clay was the No. 1 team in the Class A-Public Power Ratings for the majority of the season. But when they lost three times in six games back in January, they fell out of the top spot and that gave Claxton the opportunity to be No. 1. Randolph Clay got back to No. 1 when Claxton lost to Calvary Day in the Region 3-A title game. One of the reasons the Red Devils are the No. 1 team in Class A-Public is the combination of senior guard Brandie Buie and sophomore forward Kobi Thornton. Buie is averaging 24 points per game while Thornton is averaging 19 points per game. Buie and Thornton have done their part to get the Red Devils back on top, but role players like junior forward Brianna Thornton, senior guard Shanice Jackson and sophomore guard Alicia Mathis have all been productive role players throughout the year. The Red Devils are going for their third state title in school history. They won their first title back in 1996 and won the second title in 2000.
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