Central Georgia boys teams, except Baldwin and Wilkinson County, try to be road warriors in GHSA quarterfinal round
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
A look at Wednesday's Central Georgia boys quarterfinal matchups.
Class 5A
R1 1 Warner Robins (25-3) at R5 1 Lithonia (23-6), Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Teams on a roll battle east of Atlanta. The host Bulldogs have won 6 straight, the Demons 11 in a row. Lithonia is 6-3 at home and Warner Robins 8-0 away from home (and 7-3 at neutral courts).
Simple numbers: Warner Robins averages 22 more points a game, and Lithonia gives up 9.3 fewer points a game. So tempo will be huge, and Warner Robins has so much balance with Jacolbey Owens, Champ Dawson, Jaydon Norman, among others, in addition to Nelson Phillips.
But a key is if Lithonia can hold its own, because the Demons haven’t been in tight game since losing 80-65 to Newton on Jan. 15, two days after “nipping” Bainbridge 59-48.
Class 4A
R5 2 Cartersville (21-6) at R3 1 Baldwin (23-6), Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Baldwin has the momentum of a real survive-and-advance win last week, leading for only 17 seconds. The Braves, though, have suffered half of their losses at home (to Washington County, Burke County, and Central).
Cartersville didn’t end the season too hot, and is 6-3 in the last 9 games, winning one playoff game by 40 and the next in overtime on the road. But Milledgeville is a little farther than Blessed Trinity in Roswell.
The Hurricanes and Braves are 6-7 in one final regular-season poll, and Baldwin is No. 4 and Cartersville 10 in another, the Hurricanes unranked in a third.
The visitors have a slight endge in rebounding, assists, and blocks, an indication of balance. Three Hurricanes get between 11 and 16.6 points a game, led by TJ Orton’s 16.6, Isaac Gridley topping the team with 6.6 rebounds.
For Baldwin, three players – Brenden Robertson Donte Justice, and Rodney Walker - average between 10 and 14.1 points game.
Baldwin has taken a nice step each season under Buck Harris, but there still may be nerves to deal with. Cartersville, though, has to deal with a long drive and long day.
R2 1 Upson-Lee (28-0) at R6 1 LaFayette (25-2), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
This game could have filled the vast majority of college or city facilities in the state, considering the stellar records. But LaFayette got no love from the three state polls at the end of the regular season.
And the stage is huge for the Ramblers, who had never hosted two playoff games in a season before. Nerves? “Not right now,” guard Alex Kelehear told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “I’m sure that will set in before the next game.”
Dee Southern had 19 and Kelehear 16 in the 53-51 win last round over Jefferson. They get 13.3 fewer points a game than the Knights, and the teams are even in points allowed.
Upson-Lee got a boost mentally from a close game last week against a sizable Salem team, and are due for an upper-level playoff performance in search of their 61st straight wn.
Class AAA
R4 1 Central (22-5) at R8 1 Morgan County (28-1), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
The Chargers have won 10 straight and the Bulldogs 8 in a row. The loss came to Class 7A Newton 65-61 on Jan. 20.
The teams are even in scoring defense, but the Bulldogs average more points game.
And this is old news for Morgan County, eyeing its fifth straight trip to the title game. The Bulldogs won their first two games 61-29 and 64-49, and took last year’s quarterfinal against Lovett 70-49.
Central has become a solid postseason program – led by Tymir Robinson, Kylan Hill, Kanuri Williams, and Dexter Ward, all seniors - and brings an experienced team to a place that will be packed and plays a team unlikely to be overconfident after struggling to get control until the second half against Towers in the last round.
R4 2 Westside (20-10) at R8 2 Hart County (17-12), Wednesday, 6 p.m.
The visitors are the favorite against a team that scores only 4 more points than it gives up,
Westside brings a team on a role and with a new and solid identity after losing Khavon Moore to a leg injury last month. The Seminoles are 10-2 since then, losing to region champ Central by 5 and 3 points.
They have balance, led by Greg Holloway, who is averaging a double-double. But they’ll need more players to step up against a team whose last four losses have been by 3 in double OT (against Morgan County), by 4 to Monroe Area, 18 to Morgan County and by 1 to Walhalla, S.C.
Hart County is 10-6 at home and Westside is 7-3 on the road, and has played 9 neutral-court games, including against some top-flight competition. The Seminoles have to take the home crowd out of it and keep it out.
Class A Public
7/Macon County (20-5) at 2/Central-Talbotton (22-3), Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Familiarity won’t be a problem for the Region 4 pals, who finished 1-2 in the regular season, leader Macon County taking a 53-46 road win on Jan. 16.
Clayton Jenkins Jr. leads Macon County with 17.5 points a game and Trey Brown with 7 rebounds. ZyTavian Hill tops Central with 19.3 points and 6.5 rebounds.
The Bulldogs are a little more uptempo, averaging 10.1 more points a game, while the Hawks surrender 8 fewer points.
Amped? Central’s lone loss at home this season was to Macon County.
6/Manchester (21-6) at 3/Wilkinson County (22-6), Wednesday, 6 p.m.
The homestanding defending champs are on a 12-game winning streak, the Warriors surviving four close games, including an OT win over Macon County on the road.
Wilkinson County topped GMC on the Bulldogs’ court in region tournament play, and thumped Drew Charter by 19 in its first playoff game.
Manchester, led by former Taylor County head coach Anzy Hardman, had to forfeit 5 wins in January, and the Blue Devils were 20-0 at the time.
So The Palace will be in electric form for a game between two top-5 Class A public teams.