The state tournament is here. The seeding is set, and it is now WIN OR GO HOME in Georgia. First to five wins will be the champs in each of the classifications in GHSA Georgia high school basketball. Keep in mind that this will be the final year for the foreseeable future of the 7A class. 6A will be the highest classification in Georgia beginning next season 2024-2025. This will also be the last season the GHSA will have predetermined playoff brackets.
All of the tough morning workouts, all of the tough non-region scheduling, all of the 2-3-4 hour bus rides/flights during the regular season, all of the OOS games, all of the closely contested region games, all of the thrilling region tournament outcomes, all of the non-basketball stuff that really effects basketball stuff, all of the communication-or lack of with college coaches, all of the different things in practice because of film work, ALL of that comes down comes down to this, the state tournament.
Are you ready for the state tournament? Lets go Inside The GHSA State Basketball Tournament.
INSIDE THE GHSA STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
7A: The defending champion Wheeler is in the top left bracket and most likely will draw Berkmar in a big second round matchup. Berkmar defeated Wheeler in the regular season in its first game after a roster change. Berkmar is powered by Mekhi Ragland, Mike White and Corey Gatlin II while Wheeler is led by Josh Hill and Ricky McKenzie. The rest of the top left is wide open, with Campbell (Fe’Royre High and Rhys Cotton) being a surprise 1-seed and Brookwood going to Valdosta will be interesting.
In the bottom right bracket is where McEachern (Ace Bailey and Jaye Nash) resides. A second round McEachern/Newton matchup lies ahead, while on the bottom of this bracket, Buford (Jackson Houston, Kyle Carpenter, Brennan Wansley, Asa Williams and Chase Robinson) is ready to make a run while the always playoff savvy Norcross (Toby Ojukwu and Jared Saulsberry) could be waiting.
In the top right is where Grayson resides. Grayson, powered by Gicarri Harris, Jacob Wilkins, CJ Hyland, Amir Taylor and Anthony Alston, is head and shoulders above everyone in the bracket, however, this bracket could feature some pretty good games, namely a Peachtree Ridge/Mountain View second round tilt. Should Peachtree Ridge (Conner Teasley and Derwin Hodge) and Grayson meet in the quarterfinals it will be a rematch from the regular season in which Grayson outlasted Peachtree Ridge.
The bottom right bracket could deliver some fun. Camden County (Elyiss Williams and Antwann Brown), is laying in the weeds, Walton (Luke Flynn, JP Wells, Caesar Burrows and Kaeden Gilstrap) seems ready, and Milton is known to find a stride come state tournament time. Archer (Kahmare Holmes and Darrien Joseph) has put together a quality season, but going to Camden County in the first round will be a test. Harrison and Pebblebrook are intriguing as well.
6A: The defending champion Alexander is in the top left bracket. A potential state tournament rematch with Etowah could be ahead in the second round. Alexander is led by Braedan Lue, Alex Stoddard, Greg Dunston and Jermaine Freeman. Grovetown (Kevin Curtis, Rob Johnson, Laithen Mitchell and Zay Howard)resides in this bracket and could be peaking at the right time. North Atlanta and Houston County is one of the more interesting games to watch with Josh Griffith (North Atlanta) and Malik Gillespie (Houston County) leading the charge for their teams.
In the bottom left bracket, anything could happen. All four first round games could be interesting. This portion of the bracket is wide open with Shiloh (Tylis Jordan and Jullien Cole) and Woodward Academy (Brandon Peters, Deke Cooper, Jarvis Hayes Jr.) in the mix but others could get hot (Sequoyah, Marist, Pope or Tift).
The top right bracket has interesting variables as well. St. Pius X (Aiden Portee, Tobais Brinkley II and D’Marley Elliott), Jonesboro (Montez Redding) and Langston Hughes (Brentis Schaeffer) all live here and St. Pius X and Jonesboro could set up for another state tournament rematch in the second round. If Langston Hughes can say consistent, they could make a run.
The bottom right bracket is highlighted by Riverwood (Karis Bilal and JR Leonard) at Lee County (Josiah Parker and Braden Moore) in the first round. Lee County has a good draw, all things considered, and both Lanier and Woodstock could surprise with a deep run.
5A: The defending champion Kell is in the bottom right bracket. A potential pair of state tournament rematches could be ahead for Kell (CJ Brown, Cannon Richards, Jalen Colon) in the second round against Chapel Hill and in the quarterfinals against Dutchtown.
The top left bracket points to a big quarterfinal between Eagle’s Landing (John McQueen, Clark Mastin, Bobby Buggs) and Tri-Cities (Tre Keith and Malique Johnson). Bradwell Institute and/or Chattahoochee could have other plans.
The bottom left bracket has some intrigue with Ware County (Jarvis Wright) at Tucker (Josiah Lawson and Jakobe Williams) in the first round, and Jones County at McIntosh. If Tucker and Jones County win, it sets up a state tournament rematch between the two again at Tucker. Clarke Central has a dynamic scorer in Marcus Gillespie but also draw a Maynard Jackson (Yusef Bowyer Jr and Cassius Watkins) team that slipped late in the season in the first round, and Greater Atlanta Christian (Rich Rojas, Mikey Carpenter and Noah Harry) has to like their chances.
In the top right bracket, everything is up for grabs. Mays (Derron Lindsey, Ja’Qorian Wiggles, Germani Wilson, DJ Cox) and Winder Barrow (Jaden Baskin, Brian Arnold, Jordan Samuel), face off in the first round, Decatur(John Carreker, Luke Brooks, Bryce Howson) could be ready to make a run while Warner Robins has to like their chances as well.
4A: The defending state champion Pace Academy (Eric Chatfield, Kyle Greene, LJ Moore, Chandler Bing) is in the bottom right bracket. A second round matchup looms against Holy Innocents (Caleb Wilson, Devin Hutcherson, Will Hopkins, Jordan Mays). The winner is going to the semifinals.
In the top left bracket McDonough (Keenan Gray, Nigel Thomas and Zion Greene) and Baldwin (Tre Lawrence, Isaiah Dennis, Karez Demory) are on a collision course to meet in the quarterfinals which will be an absolute awesome basketball game. Westminster (Kent Perkins, Owen Cohn and Nico Searl) is the only other team that could make some noise and would see McDonough in the second round and overall, McDonough will land in the quarterfinals.
The bottom left bracket is wide open. North Oconee (Justin Payne, Justin Wise, Bryd Carter) and New Hampstead (Jeffery Williams, Rashawn Truell and Kentavious Woodberry) should be projected to meet in the quarterfinals however, do not be surprised if a youthful Southwest Dekalb (Thomas Glanton III, Jackson Ushery and Aaron Burks) makes some noise.
The top right bracket is where you will find Fayette County (Keith Gillespie and Christian McAllister). Woodland-Stockbridge (Mason Lewis, Ty Redmond) and Seckinger (KJ Banks and Braxton Miller) will be an interesting first round game. Look for Fayette County to come out of this bracket after a first round tussle with Westover.
3A: The defending champion Sandy Creek is in the top left bracket. Three of four teams from Region 5 made the Final Four last season (Sandy Creek, Cedar Grove, and Douglass-Atlanta), it setup an all-region state final (Sandy Creek defeated Cedar Grove). It could happen again this season as this is one of the tougher regions in the state. Cedar Grove and Douglass-Atlanta are on the same side of the bracket, opposite Sandy Creek, and could meet in the semifinals. Sandy Creek, led by Micah Smith, Amari Brown, PJ Green and Jared White, is in the top left bracket along with Monroe-Albany.
The bottom left bracket is wide open with a number of teams, including Hart County, Carver-Columbus (Tony Montgomery at the point guard spot), Richmond Academy, or Savannah Country Day (Rudy Anderson and Robert Spaulding IV), looking to peak and make a run.
The top right bracket features an interesting first round game with Cedar Grove, led by Manny Green, at Hebron Christian, led by Blake Wilson and Mataj Glover. Cross Creek, led by Jaden Priester and Kylen Clark, sits on the bottom of that bracket and could get tested by Johnson-Savannah in the second round.
The bottom right bracket features a pair of 3 vs 2 seeds in Monroe Area at Douglass-Atlanta (Noah Treadwell, Josh Mickell, RJ Winegarner, Jacob Mickell) and Long County (Zion Thomas, Keshawn Smith and Khalil Anderson) at Upson Lee which will be games worth keeping an eye on. Dougherty (Kaleke Singletary-Jinks, Jaion Burns and Jawuan Jinks Jr) gets a pesky Salem team that slipped late in the season. Douglass-Atlanta still should win the bracket, but this bracket is more wide open than what meets the eye.
2A: Does anybody really want to play someone from Region 4? Region 4 may be the strongest region in the classification. The two-time defending champion is Westside-Augusta (Lavonta Ivery, Demarco Middleton, Jarious Adkinson and Javan Webb) is in the top right bracket.
In the top left bracket is Butler (Roosevelt Brown, Kwamane Bridges, Jayden Bell and Marcus Scurry Jr) and things could get interesting in this bracket with a possible second round matchup against Spencer (Gary Gaither, Izael Brownlee and Keyshaun Sampton) . Callaway made a surprise run and snatched the 1-seed on the bottom of the bracket and South Atlanta (Saka Hurst, Duor Duor, Isaac Benton and Bol Deng) made a run as well to snatch the 2-seed meaning this portion of the bracket could go a lot of different ways.
The bottom left bracket features a Thomson (Daquon Young, Jahkiaus Jones and Markevion Jones) team that has tools. Athens Academy (Kymel Williams and Justin Goudelock) and The Walker School (Mustapha Diop) could meet in the second round and the winner most likely will get Thomson in the quarterfinals.
The bottom right bracket is where Columbia (Trevian Callaway, Quay Wallace and Jamarcus Hatcher) resides and the path to the semifinals is laid out for Columbia provided they don’t trip themselves up.
1A-D1: There will be a new champion in this classification as the champion from last season, King’s Ridge, is not in the tournament. 18 of the 32 teams have losing records. In the top left bracket, only Jasper County (Dereon Pennamon and Randy Williams) and Paideia (CJ Harper, Frank Jackson, David Oglesby-Smith and Sharif Kemp) have winning records and will meet in the second round. The winner should make the semifinals.
The bottom left bracket has four teams with winning records in Savannah (Maki Joyner Jermaine Edwards and Jermontae Brown), St. Francis Greg Howard, Reynolds Escher and Javon Holt), Darlington (Grant Hutton, Trustin Mercer, and Brent Bell) and Athens Christian (Hampton Ford and Harper Ford). The interesting first round game is between St. Francis and Darlington. The winner of that game will most likely get Athens Christian. Savannah should be waiting in the quarterfinals to face one of those three teams.
In the top right bracket, a couple of interesting first round games are Mt. Pisgah/Trion and Bleckley County/Woodville-Tompkins. Add in Temple, and this bracket could have any of these five teams advance to the semifinals.
The bottom right bracket features an Oglethorpe County (Javaun Pittard) team on the rise and gets an Elbert County team they defeated by 28 points during the regular season. Mt. Vernon (KJ Garris, Xavier Shegog, Sha’Yah Goba and Dennis Scott III) will be waiting for them in the second round. The Bryan County/East Laurens game could be interesting, but look for East Laurens (Rashaun Washington) to meet Mt. Vernon in the quarterfinals and Mt. Vernon to get to the semifinals.
1A-D2: The defending champion Wilkinson County is in the bottom left bracket and is a 4-seed. The bottom left bracket is loaded with Portal (Joseph Thomas, Marion Tremble, Elijah Coleman and Amir Jackson) , Christian Heritage (Jax Abernathy), Warren County (Torossie Leslie, Cosa Pender and Raquavian Jones). Christian Heritage and Warren County should meet in the second round, and the winner most likely see Portal in the quarterfinals.
The top left bracket features a dangerous Calhoun County (Jasiyah Suber, Dallas George, Zechariah Canidate) team who could meet a Lanier County (James Clarkston, MJ McGriff) team that put together a quality season. Towns County lands in this bracket as a 4-seed after slipping up in the region tournament and will get a first round test with Twiggs County and potentially a second round tussle with Manchester. This bracket is interesting.
The top right bracket is where Greenforest (Elijah Lewis, Caleb Kawela, Mike Robinson and Daniel Daramola)resides and could face an improving Greene County (Laryous Burt, Kamari Smith, and RJ Monford) team in the second round. Turner County/McIntosh County Academy and Treutlen/Randolph-Clay games could be interesting. Greenforest will be waiting for either in the quarterfinals. Look for Greenforest to come out of this bracket.
The bottom right bracket is where the dangerous Mitchell County (David Campbell, Landen Quimbley is. A fun matchups in this bracket feature Jenkins County/Clinch County with the winner most likely to see Mitchell County in the second round. Lincoln County and Hancock Central could be a good first round tussle game with the winner moist likely to see Macon County (Frankie Raines Jr and Dontavious Collier) in the second round. Macon County and Mitchell County are on a collision course to meet in an exciting quarterfinal game. Look for either of these teams to get out of this bracket and into the semifinals.
CLASSIFICATION CONTENDERS: These are teams-whether ranked in the Hillsman Heavy Top 10 GA or not, that are contenders for the state championship in their respective classes at the start of the state tournament. We also list a sleeper, and a champion.
7A: Grayson, McEachern, Wheeler, Walton, Newton. SLEEPER: Camden County. CHAMPION: Grayson
6A: Alexander, Lee County, Langston Hughes, Shiloh, St. Pius X., Woodward Academy SLEEPER: Etowah CHAMPION: Alexander
5A: Kell, Eagle’s Landing, Dutchtown, Tri-Cities, Tucker, Chapel Hill, SLEEPER: Decatur CHAMPION: Kell
4A: Pace Academy, Baldwin, McDonough, Holy Innocents, Fayette County. SLEEPER: New Hampstead CHAMPION: Pace Academy
3A: Sandy Creek, Cedar Grove, Douglass-Atlanta, Cross Creek, Monroe-Albany, Dougherty, Hebron Christian. SLEEPER: Long County CHAMPION: Sandy Creek
2A: Westside-Augusta, Thomson, Butler, Columbia, The Walker School. SLEEPER: Spencer CHAMPION: Westside-Augusta
1A D1: Mt. Vernon, Paideia, Savannah, Darlington, St. Francis. SLEEPER: East Laurens CHAMPION: Mt. Vernon
1A D2: Greenforest, Portal, Christian Heritage, Calhoun County, Mitchell County, Macon County SLEEPER: Towns County CHAMPION: Greenforest
STUBBED THEIR TOE: These are teams that missed the state tournament that were seeded fourth or higher in their region tournament and only needed one win in their region tournament to make the state tournament.
Banks County (loss to East Jackson), Cherokee Bluff (loss to Walnut Grove), Commerce (loss to Tallulah Falls), Dade County (loss to Chattooga), Drew (loss to Harris County), Druid Hills (loss to Southwest Dekalb), Dunwoody (loss to North Atlanta), Effingham County (loss to Brunswick), Franklin County (loss to Stephens County), Forsyth Central (loss to South Forsyth), Jefferson (loss to Heritage-Conyers), Landmark Christian (loss to Callaway), LaFayette (loss to Ridgeland), LaGrange (loss to Whitewater), Lakeside-Evans (loss to Evans), Lassiter (loss to Blessed Trinity), Liberty County (loss to Calvary Day), Madison County (loss to North Hall), Morrow (loss Rockdale County), Mt. Bethel (loss to Mt. Pisgah), New Manchester (loss to Douglas County), North Forsyth (loss to Lanier), Northwest Whitfield (loss to Cedartown), Putnam County (loss to Laney), Richmond Hill (loss to Colquitt County), Ringgold (loss to Lakeview-Oglethorpe), Seminole County (loss to Randolph-Clay), Shaw (loss to Hardaway), Terrell County (loss to Early County), Thomas County Central (loss to Tift), Wesleyan (loss to Dawson County), Worth County (loss to Cook).
We are all set. See everyone in the gym throughout the GHSA State Basketball Championships.
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