The GHSA basketball playoffs are officially here, which means it is time to take a look at some of the best matchups in 5A in the first round. Here are the ones you don’t want to miss.
Boys
Milton vs Riverwood- This is a great first-round matchup between two elite teams. Milton is a state title contender in 5A this season and finished the year 20-7 and as Region 7-5A No. 3 seed. Riverwood lost its region tournament and finished as a No. 3 seed heading into the postseason with a 16-11 record.
They are led by one of the most gifted scorers in the 2025 class JR Leonard who is averaging 31.3 PPG. He also leads the Raiders with 6.4 rebounds per game. In his last six games, Leonard is averaging 41 points per game. He hit a season-high 53 points in a close loss to Creekview. Myles Nobles will be another player to watch for Riverwood this postseason who is the second-leading scorer on the team with 9.2 PPG. Now Riverwood hasn’t had the season they probably wanted to but lost a lot of talent from last year’s state championship-winning team. However, they have a great head coach in Buck Jenkins who knows how to optimize talent and always has his team ready to play.
Milton is led by Josh Dixon who made first-team all-region this season. He is a blur when he gets the ball in the open court and hard to slow down. He’s been a leading scorer for the Eagles this season and also recently hit a rare milestone seen on the high school level surpassing 2,000 points for his career. The dynamic guard can fill it up and will be a vital piece for Milton if they want to win a state title this year. Daniel Ogunyemi has put together another impressive season for the Milton Eagles. He was named Region 7-5A Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Ogunyemi has made an impact on both ends of the floor. Jaydon Cole is a sniper from three-point range and was named to the all-region team. He is an underrated guard who can score in bunches if you let him. I didn’t even mention stock riser Solomon Britton, a young power forward in the 2027 class that is beginning to come into his own.
Both coaches and teams have playoff experience which makes for an entertaining battle on Wednesday night. The guard play will be some of the best you will see in these playoffs with Dixon and Leonard going at it. An area to watch will be the defensive glass because Riverwood is not as big as they’ve been in years past and Milton has big bodies that can lock the paint down. Can Riverwood get enough scoring outside of Leonard if Milton takes him away?
Bradwell Institute vs Rome- Bradwell Institute finished the season 21-6, winning seven of its last nine games in the regular season. They had three players who made all-region: Chris Perry, Jaylin Sweat, and Zion Thomas. Perry led the team in scoring and averaged 14.4 PPG and 5.3 rebounds. Jaylin Sweat is the most efficient scorer on the team averaging 12.1 PPG on 63 percent shooting from the field. Senior W Jordan Stevens leads the team in rebounds with 8.1 per game and steals with 1.7 per game.
Rome finished 18-8 winning three of its last four games before losing to Alexander in the region championship game. The Wolves are led by two-sport star JJ Winston who made first-team all-region. Jamiel Williams is also a terror on the gridiron and on the hardwood. Williams is signed to play for Kennesaw State next season in football. He was also named first-team all-region. He’s another great two-way player for the Wolves and has been a great 1-2 punch alongside Winston this year for the Wolves.
Another really good matchup between two really good teams in 5A looking to play spoiler this postseason for a wide-open 5A bracket.
Girls
Morrow 65, Arabia Mountain 44 - Arabia Mountain finished the season 18-10 and came into the postseason losing three of its last five games. The Lady Rams were led by Sha’nya Heath and Charmaine Owens on the offensive side of the ball. Heath averaged 20.3 PPG and Owens averaged 11.8 PPG. The Lady Rams were a ranked team for most of the year according to the Score Atlanta poll but faltered at the end with a losing streak.
Morrow finished the regular season 22-6, winning seven of its last nine games this year. Those two Mustangs losses were both to No. 1 Hughes. You can understand why because Hughes is the standard right now in 5A girls hoops. However, Morrow has really good paint presence this year and girls that can rebound the basketball at a high level. AJ Rials is averaging seven rebounds a game and Poetrie Dace is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game. They are both really good at securing defensive rebounds and keeping second-chance opportunities alive for their guards. The Lady Mustangs are led by senior point guard J’bionna Robinson who is averaging 13.7 PPG. Indigo Brown is the second-leading scorer averaging 11.3 PPG. They both complement each other well in the backcourt. Indigo Brown, Robinson, and Muzic Dace were named all-region selections after great seasons for Morrow.
The Morrow Mustangs now await a second round matchup with River Ridge, which is coming off an 81-35 first-round victory over Gainesville. An area where Morrow will have an advantage is on the glass, and this could be an area they seize control of during the game. It will be something to certainly watch in this one.
New Manchester 64, Evans 48 - Evans finished the regular season with a 24-3 record and clinched the No. 3 seed in the playoffs after suffering a loss to top-ranked Brunswick. Despite the loss, Evans was another impressive team in 5A. They have Region 1-5A Coach of the Year in KJ Kenny and also Region Player of the Year Chabria Tate. Tate was the leading scorer for Evans averaging 25 points per game and she is only a sophomore. She ended the season red-hot and scored 40 points against Effingham County and 38 against Brunswick. Once she gets going, good luck slowing her down. She is also a menace on the defensive end and led the team with 4.8 steals per game. The Lady Knights had three players make the all-region team this year. Kimariya Hinton and Janiyah Quiller were first-team All-Region selections. Charity Joyner was a second-team All-Region selection. Hinton led the team in rebounds, averaging 11.6 per game. Evans only had two in-state losses this season before suffering last night’s first-round loss to New Manchester.
New Manchester finished the regular season losing two of its last three games against Alexander, which has been a thorn in the Lady Jaguars’ side this season. New Manchester’s do-it-all player and one to watch is Kyara Lawrence. She is the second-leading scorer on the team averaging 15.2 PPG and leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.4 per game. She also is shooting 50 percent from the field this season. The senior is putting together one of the best seasons of her career, setting career highs in nearly every category. Devin Furgess leads the Lady Jaguars in scoring, averaging 16 points per game. Furgess has scored 20 points or more in four of her last six outings. She also recently hit a season-high with eight assists in a win over South Paulding. New Manchester is a battle-tested bunch that should be ready for a run after going through a really good Evans team. Up next is a second-round matchup against Coffee, which is coming off an 80-18 first-round victory over Winder-Barrow.
Around the Class Boys- Another intriguing matchup to watch this week will be Brunswick vs South Paulding. Two really good teams who will decide who goes to the Sweet 16. Gainesville clinched Region 7-5A No. 1 seed and will face Sprayberry in the first round of the playoffs. Two sub. 500 teams made the postseason after doing enough in their region tournaments. Jackson County 9-19 and Shiloh will each face the No. 1 seed. Tri-Cities, Woodward Academy, Dutchtown, and Milton are all contenders for a state title this season, but that is why you play the games. You never know who can have a run at the state championship.
Around the Class Girls- The biggest question in 5A is if anybody can knock off Hughes. Hughes is the presumptive favorite heading into the tournament and has multiple D1 players on their roster. Some challengers are Evans and New Manchester who will face each other in the first round. Some others include Brunswick, Milton, Tri-Cities, and River Ridge. River Ridge is probably the most complete team in the tournament as they have four scorers who are averaging double-figures. The 5A girls basketball tournament will be a fun one to watch.
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