GHSA state basketball quarterfinals: Wednesday night recap

The GHSA state basketball playoffs continued Wednesday with the quarterfinals of the state’s 100th tournament.

Access the latest  BOYS and GIRLS brackets and find the entire Georgia High School Sports Scoreboard HERE. Also, click the links ahead to access the updated BOYS and GIRLS basketball state tournament schedules to see the quarterfinal pairings.

Class 7A

Boys

Berkmar 51, Tift County 35

Top-seeded Berkmar topped the Blue Devils on the road to move two victories away from its first state title since 2001. Jameel Rideout (12) and Dara Olonade (11) finished in double-digit scoring and Malique Ewin finished with nine points.

Milton 70, Newnan 34

Nationally-ranked Milton returned to the semis for the second-straight year in convincing fashion. The Eagles jumped out to a 40-16 halftime lead.

McEachern 84, Collins Hill 63

Visiting McEachern took a 36-28 lead at the half and grew it to 58-49 heading into the third quarter before icing the game with a 26-14 scoring edge in the final frame.

Class 6A

Boys

Lee County 67, Chattahoochee 64

Lee County senior guard Jordan Moser netted a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to send the host Trojans to the semifinals for the first time in 36 years.

Wheeler, Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill took an early 8-4 lead before the No. 1 ranked Wildcats closed out the first quarter on an 8-0 run. Wheeler built its lead to 32-18 at the half and will visit Centennial in the semis.

Centennial 81, Evans 68

Centennial defeated No. 1 seed Evans to advance to the semifinals. Logan Turner paced the Knights with a game-high 29 points.

Class 5A

Boys

Dutchtown 72, Clarke Central 64

The Dutchtown Bulldogs are en route to defending their 2020 Class 5A state title following their victory over Clarke Central. The Senior duo of guard Cameron Callahan and forward Micah Evans were the spark of the Bulldogs’ offense, with both players scoring 18 points. Dutchtown now advances to face Tri-Cities in the semifinals in just the second year of Jordan Griffin’s tenure as head coach of the Bulldogs.

Eagle’s Landing 64, New Manchester 46

Eagle’s Landing claimed a strong victory over New Manchester to put the Eagles in the semifinals and two wins away from the program’s first state title since 2013. Eagle’s Landing hasn’t lost a game since its matchup against Tift County on Dec. 29, and has all the momentum heading into the Eagle’s semifinals matchup against Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill 79, Veterans 63

The Chapel Hill Panthers served Veterans its first loss of the season as they advanced into the semifinals, ending the Warhawks historic season where they made their first elite-eight appearance in school history. The duo of Senior KJ Doucet and Junior Cam Thornton was a key factor in the Panthers’ offensive production, with both players scoring 18 points. Next in line was Junior forward Chris Shannon who scored 14 points, and Senior Jameis Winters and Junior Peyton Weathersby both scored eight. Chapel Hill now advances into the semifinals where the Panthers will be matched up against Eagle’s Landing.

Tri-Cities 73, St. Pius X 71

Tri-Cities and St. Pius X played a close game through all four quarters, forcing overtime to break the 64-64 tie at the end of regulation. With the clock winding down Senior Eli’sha King drained the go-ahead basketball for Tri-Cities, and St. Pius was unable to score on a last-second half-court shot. Leading the Bulldogs on offense was the duo of Senior Peyton Daniels and Junior Simeon Cottle, who both scored 26 points. The victory gives Tri-Cities its fifteenth in a row, and launches the Bulldogs into the semifinals where they’ll be just two wins away from the program’s second state title in school history.

Girls

Forest Park 42, Hiram 27

Forest Park earned a spot in the semifinals following a sound win over Hiram, with the Lady Panthers’ defense showing up big to hold Hiram to just 27 points. The Lady Hornets struggled to pierce the Forest Park defense early as they were held to just 14 points in the first half, and the Lady Panthers never let go of their lead. The win gives Forest Park its eighth consecutive victory and brings the Lady Panthers one step closer to claiming a second-consecutive title after claiming last season’s Class 6A title.

Forest Park 42, Hiram 27

Forest Park earned a spot in the semifinals following a sound win over Hiram, with the Lady Panthers’ defense showing up big to hold Hiram to just 27 points. The Lady Hornets struggled to pierce the Forest Park defense early as they were held to just 14 points in the first half, and the Lady Panthers never let go of their lead. The win gives Forest Park its eighth consecutive victory and brings the Lady Panthers one step closer to claiming a second-consecutive title after claiming last season’s Class 6A title.

Class 4A

Boys

Westover 70, Cedar Shoals 50

Visiting Westover used a game-changing 15-3 run in the second quarter to out-pace No. 1 seed Cedar Shoals. Isaac Abidde (16), Shamir Wingfield (16) and Keshay Watson (11) led Westover with double-digit scoring.

McDonough 29, Monroe 25

McDonough stunned host Monroe in one of the wildest games of this postseason. Monroe led 20-17 at the half and then ran out the entire clock in the third quarter. After no team scored in the third frame, the Warhawks closed out the victory with a 12-5 edge in the final frame. McDonough’s 29 is the lowest for a boys winner in state since 1950 when Jordan beat Brown, 27-26, also a quarterfinals game, according to Becky Taylor of the Georgia High School Basketball Project. The 54 combined points is also the lowest in a GHSA boys game since that Jordan-Brown game in 1950.

McDonough 29, Monroe 25

McDonough stunned host Monroe in one of the wildest games of this postseason. Monroe led 20-17 at the half and then ran out the entire clock in the third quarter. After no team scored in the third frame, the Warhawks closed out the victory with a 12-5 edge in the final frame.

Girls

Troup 49, Flowery Branch 42

No. 8 ranked Troup sparked an 8-0 run in the second quarter to build a 16-13 lead and pushed it to 32-22 before the Falcons closed the gap to 32-28 at the end of the third. Troup advances to the semifinals to take on Cairo.

Class 3A

Boys

Hart County 76, Thomson 46

The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs are headed for a semifinal showdown with top-ranked Sandy Creek after moving past Thomson. The Bulldogs led 17-11 after the first quarter and expanded the lead with a 20-9 effort before halftime.

Cross Creek 72, Lafayette 60

Richard Visitacion led Cross Creek past Lafayette and into the semifinals with a 27-point performance Wednesday. Devin Pope scored 22 points and Corey Trotter scored 13 points for the Razorbacks.

Windsor Forest 60, Salem 57

Shamar Norman led with 24 points with four 3-pointers and D’Ante Bass scored 21 points with three 3-pointers to lead the Knights past Salem. Windsor Forest trailed 17-12 at the end of the first quarter but rallied with a 20-11 run in the second quarter to lead 32-28 at the half.

Girls

Greater Atlanta Christian 53, Johnson-Savannah 43

The defending champions are one win away from a return trip to Macon after outlasting Johnson-Savannah. Two players — Jaci Bolden (17 points), Kaleigh Addie (16 points) — scored in double figures while Molly Pritchard and Laurren Randolh each scored seven points.

Class 2A

Boys

Lovett 80, Swainsboro 68

Fourth-ranked Lovett came away with a comfortable third-round win over Region 2 No. 1 seed Swainsboro to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2007. The Lions got double-digit scoring from freshman Chris Anderson (20 points), sophomore Kyle Walters (18 points), and seniors Ryan Mutombo (15 points) and Collin Goldberg (10 points), and led 43-38 at halftime and 64-54 heading into the fourth quarter. The 80-68 victory over second-ranked Swainsboro sets up a semifinals showdown between Lovett and Region 6 No. 2 seed Columbia.

Thomasville 64, Rabun County 53

Region 1 No. 1 seed Thomasville built an 18-point lead (48-30) in the first three quarters of its Elite Eight matchup with Rabun County before coasting to victory over the visiting Wildcats. The fifth-ranked Bulldogs advance to the semifinals with the win—their 14th in a row—where they will battle nationally-ranked Pace Academy with a trip to the championship game on the line.

Girls

Butler 56, Columbia 55

Seventh-ranked Butler survived a late rally from Region 6 No. 1 seed Columbia to secure a 56-55 win on the road and a spot in this weekend’s semifinals. The Region 4 No. 1 seed Bulldogs held a 10-point lead (34-24) at halftime and a 46-37 edge heading into the fourth quarter before Columbia began to close the gap. The Eagles knotted the game at 55-55 with 0:35 remaining on the clock, but senior Brionna Sims sank the game-winning free throw with five seconds to spare. Sims finished the game with 15 points, and Jayla Thomas contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who will face Fannin County in the Final Four.

Greenville 78, Emanuel County Institute 75 (OT)

Third-ranked Greenville kept its perfect season alive with a come-from-behind victory in overtime against Region 3 No. 1 seed ECI. The visiting Bulldogs—who entered the Elite Eight matchup on a 14-game win streak—built a 35-23 lead by halftime, but the Patriots closed the gap in the third quarter to trail by five points (46-41) heading into the final frame. Greenville tied it up (47-47) with six minutes to play before taking the lead, and a pair of free throws for ECI with 0:04 on the clock sent the game to overtime. The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead and held a 75-72 edge with 0:34 remaining, but Greenville finished with a 6-0 run to seal the win.

Commerce 55, Turner County 47

Region 8 No. 2 seed Commerce outscored visiting Turner County 23-13 in the fourth quarter to defeat the eighth-ranked Rebels and advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1989. The tightly-contested Elite Eight matchup saw the teams tied 9-9 after the first quarter and 24-24 at halftime before Turner County took a narrow 34-32 lead into the final frame. The Tigers dominated through the end of regulation, however, and will travel to Calhoun County to square off with the seventh-ranked Cougars this weekend.

Class A Public

Boys

Butler 56, Columbia 55

Seventh-ranked Butler survived a late rally from Region 6 No. 1 seed Columbia to secure a 56-55 win on the road and a spot in this weekend’s semifinals. The Region 4 No. 1 seed Bulldogs held a 10-point lead (34-24) at halftime and a 46-37 edge heading into the fourth quarter before Columbia began to close the gap. The Eagles knotted the game at 55-55 with 0:35 remaining on the clock, but senior Brionna Sims sank the game-winning free throw with five seconds to spare. Sims finished the game with 15 points, and Jayla Thomas contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who will face Fannin County in the Final Four.

Girls

Dublin 79, Drew Charter 63

Dublin maintained control through the entirety of its third-round matchup with host Drew Charter, handing the top-ranked team its only loss of the season and securing a trip to the Final Four with the 79-63 upset. The Fighting Irish extended their 38-31 halftime lead to a 14-point edge midway through the third before Drew Charter found a bit of a spark to close the gap, but Region 4 No. 1 Dublin outscored the home team 27-16 in the fourth to seal the win.

Hancock Central 65, Terrell County 63

Hancock Central won its ninth-straight game with a narrow 65-63 road victory over the tenth-ranked—and previously undefeated—Greenwave out of Terrell County. The Region 7 No. 1 seeded Bulldogs improve to 14-1 on the season and advance to this weekend’s Final Four, where they will square off with Dublin following the Fighting Irish’s 79-63 upset of top-ranked Drew Charter.

A Private 

Boys

St. Francis 65, Greenforest 63

The St. Francis Knights won a squeaker against the Greenforest Eagles in the Elite Eight. Senior Jusaun Holt scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds and three assists. Senior Toby Gaynes scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds and four assists. Junior Drew Robinson scored 9 points and had four rebounds. Senior power forward Kai Simmons scored 9 points and had five rebounds. The Knights will face off against the Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears in the Final Four.

Mount Pisgah Christian 62, St. Anne-Pacelli 55

The Mount Pisgah Christian Patriots advanced to their second-straight Final Four. Senior guard Chase Tucker scored 24 points—fueled by his five made three-pointers. Senior guard JoJo Peterson scored 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four blocks. Junior guard Kasheem Grady scored 10 points, senior forward Nate Gordon had eight points and six rebounds. The Patriots will face off against the Christian Heritage Lions against the Final Four.

Christian Heritage 59, First Presbyterian 54

The Christian Heritage Lions defeated the First Presbyterian Day Vikings in the Elite Eight. The Lions led the Vikings 19-13 going into the second quarter. The Lions led the Vikings 31-28 going into halftime. The Vikings trailed the Lions 48-47 going into the fourth quarter after junior combo guard Julius King hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter. The Lions will face off against the Mount Pisgah Patriots in the Final Four.

Holy Innocents’ 58, Savannah Country Day 48

The Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears defeated the Savannah Country Day Hornets at home to advance to the semifinals. Garrison Powell (21), Landon Kardian (15) and Justin Wilson (13) paced Holy Innocents’ with double-figure scoring. The Golden Bears will face off against the St. Francis Knights in the Final Four.

Girls

Holy Innocents’ 58, Savannah Country Day 48

The Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears defeated the Savannah Country Day Hornets at home to advance to the semifinals. Garrison Powell (21), Landon Kardian (15) and Justin Wilson (13) paced Holy Innocents’ with double-figures.

Galloway 54, Greenforest 52

The Galloway Scots won an Elite Eight matchup against the Greenforest Eagles on a buzzer-beater from sophomore Kyla Cain. The Scots will face off against the Hebron Christian Academy Lions in the Final Four.