GHSA Basketball Quarterfinals roundup from Tuesday

The quarterfinal round of the GHSA state basketball tournament is split between Tuesday and Wednesday nights and we will have coverage each evening.

On Tuesday, Chip Saye covered the Harrison girls 57-49 victory over Grayson and Stan Awtrey covered the Berkmar at Grayson boys game.

See the Tuesday Roundups below.

7A

Boys:

Norcross 58, North Gwinnett

Norcross edged North Gwinnett on the road thanks to 16 points from London Johnson, 15 points from Jerry Deng and 13 points from Mier Panoam. For North Gwinnett, R.J. Godfrey led all scorers with 23 points and Dylan Gary scored 13 points.

Girls:

Campbell 61, Cherokee 52 (2OT)

Campbell outlasted Cherokee at home in double-overtime, getting 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals from Laila Battle. Also for Campbell, Jaida Fitzgerald scored 12 points and had six rebounds and Nia Bozeman scored 11 points with five rebounds and three steals.

Norcross 77, Brookwood 60

Jania Akins scored a game-high 28 points with four rebounds and two assists. Also for visiting Norcross, Zaria Hurston scored 23 points to go with 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Laniya Kenon had 14 points, six rebounds and two steals.

6A

Boys:

Grovetown 82, Wheeler 76 (OT)

Wheeler led by 13 points in the third quarter but host Grovetown came back to tie the game at 69-69 at the end of regulation. Malik Ferguson led Grovetown with 20 points while Frankquon Sherman scored 19 points, Markel Freeman scored 14 points and Derrion Reid scored 13 points for the Warriors.

Girls:

Kell 67, Rome 55

Host Kell got 20 points from Crystal Henderson to go with four assists and three rebounds. Also for Kell, Amaya Moss scored 19 points with 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists; Jada Peterson scored 13 points; and Jada Green scored 10 points with 15 rebounds and two steals.

Rockdale County 64, Brunswick 56

Danielle Carnegie of visiting Rockdale County led all scorers with 35 points. Lia Edwards contributed 18 points for Rockdale. For Brunswick, Shamya Flanders led the team with 16 points. Brunswick led 37-27 at halftime.

5A

Boys:

Tri-Cities 86, Chapel Hill 81 OT

Top seeds Tri-Cities and Chapel Hill needed overtime to settle the score and the Bulldogs’ starpower ultimately prevailed. Senior Simeon Cottle led Tri-Cities with a game-high 42 points and he finished the night 18-of-18 from the foul line. Juniors Kory Mincy and Noricco Danner added 20 points and five assists and 13 points and seven rebounds, respectively.

Girls:

Woodward Academy 84, Jackson 58

Top-seeded Woodward Academy picked up its 16th-straight victory after jumping out to a 42-23 halftime lead. Sara Lewis scored 15 points in the first half and led the War Eagles with 23 points. Sydney Bowles finished with 20 points to go with her game-high seven assists and Woodward Academy also got strong performances from Kennedie Mosely (10), Zoe Scott (8) and Mackenzie Moring (8).

4A

Boys:

Westover 63, Jefferson 55

Top seeds Westover and Jefferson both entered their quarterfinal matchup battle tested, but Westover was able to dominate early and cruise to victory. The Patriots jumped out to a 21-10 lead in the first quarter and also forced Jefferson senior guard Dalen Gales to sit after getting into early foul trouble. Turnovers and Westover’s strong rebounding continued to favor the Patriots and they went into the half with a 37-19 lead. Jefferson outscored Westover 36-26 in the second half, but were unable to close the gap.

Girls:

Marist 36, Heritage-Catoosa 16

Top-seeded Marist held its opponent to fewer than 20 points for the second-straight round and seventh time this season and extended its win-streak to 14 games. Avery Fantucci led the War Eagles’ offensively with 21 points and teammate Lauren Kim finished with eight points.

3A

Boys:

Beach 56, Burke County 52

Beach is in the final four after a closely-contested road victory. The Bulldogs led 15-10 after the first quarter and 31-26 at the half. Burke County tied the game at 50 entering the fourth quarter but Beach held Burke to just one basket in the final minutes to secure the victory.

Girls:

Lumpkin County 49, Cross Creek 37

Lumpkin County is two wins away from the program’s first-ever title after eliminating defending-champion Cross Creek. Averie Jones scored 26 points to lead Lumpkin. Mary Mullinax scored nine points, Lexi Pierce added eight points and Kate Jackson finished with six points.

2A

Boys:

Northeast 67, Vidalia 53

No. 2 seed Northeast became the first Class 2A boys team to advance to the semifinals following a stunning road win over top-seeded Vidalia. The Indians entered the game riding a 25-game win-streak, but Northeast was able to jump out to a 40-17 halftime lead. Vidalia outscored the Raiders 36-17 in the second half, but were unable to overcome Northeast’s overwhelming first half margin.

Girls:

Josey 61, Fannin County 53

Defending state champion Josey eliminated Fannin County in a rematch of last year’s Class 2A championship game and held off the Rebels’ late fourth quarter rally. Josey closed out the third quarter with a 44-33 lead, but a Fannin County scoring burst that culminated with a Courtney Davis three-pointer cut the deficit to 54-51 with 1:02 left. Josey’s Aqoyas Cody responded with a basket and two clutch free-throws to give Josey a 58-53 edge with 19.4 left and the Eagles closed out the win.

A Private

Boys:

King’s Ridge 62, Calvary Day 47

King’s Ridge previously defeated Calvary Day 68-43 on Dec. 28 and dispatched the top-seeded Cavaliers again on the road Tuesday night to advance to the Final Four. The Tigers took a 16-15 lead after the first quarter and grew the margin to 28-23 at the half. King’s Ridge poured on an 18-8 scoring edge in the third quarter and ultimately outscored the Cavaliers 34-16 in the second half. Isaac Martin (15) and Liam Thomas (13) led King’s Ridge in scoring, while CJ Gaines (15) and Dayyan O’Neal (12) were the top scorers for Calvary Day.

Girls:

Mt. Paran 48, Trinity Christian 21

Top-seeded Mt. Paran snapped Trinity Christian’s 17-game win-streak and held the Lions to a season-low 21 points. The Eagles took a 19-10 lead after the first quarter and went into the half with a 29-16 lead before closing out a 19-5 scoring advantage in the entire second half.

A Public

Girls:

Taylor County 54, Dublin 4

No. 2 seed Taylor County took advantage of its strong first half and is just two wins away from taking its first state title since 2015 and its 12th all-time state crown. The host Vikings jumped out to a 17-8 lead after the first quarter and took a 29-15 lead into the half. Dublin outscored Taylor County 15-10 in the third quarter before the Vikings closed out the victory in the final frame.