Saturday's Central Georgia GHSA semifinals: Hancock Central stays steady to advance, FPD falls in heartbreak, rough going for Warner Robins, Taylor County
Semifinals
🏀 🏀 🏀Girls🏀 🏀 🏀
Class 5A
At Fort Valley State
Saturday
Forest Park 60, New Manchester 38
Woodward 67, Warner Robins 35
Championship: Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
Class 4A
At Fort Valley State
Friday
Luella 62, Baldwin 53
Marist 38, Pickens 35
Championship: Wednesday, 5 p.m.
Class AA
Friday
Elbert County 56, Josey 40
Rabun County 50, Northeast 39
Championship: Thursday, 1 p.m.
Class A Public
At Valdosta State
Saturday
Hancock Central 50, Commerce 37
Lake Oconee 58, Taylor County 30
Championship: Wednesday, 1 p.m.
🏀 🏀 🏀 Boys 🏀 🏀 🏀
Class AA
At Georgia College
Friday
Westside-Augusta 77, Northeast 55
Butler 66, Woodville-Tompkins 45
Championship: Thursday, 3 p.m.
Class A Private
Saturday
Buford City Arena
King’s Ridge 59, FPD 57, OT
(Friday): Greenforest 68, Heritage 40
Championship: Saturday, 1 p.m.
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
FPD had an early, and brief, lead, and spent the rest of the game climbing and scratching against a patient, good-shooting King’s Ridge team.
The Vikings forced overtime, took a lead, kept it tied, and seemed destined for a second overtime when Darius Patterson’s in-traffic short shot missed and was rebounded by King’s Ridge.
But a whistle and a foul with 1.5 seconds left put the Tigers’ Jack Martin on the line, and he drained both to give FPD a heartbreaking 59-57 loss in a GHSA Class A Private semifinal game at Buford’s City Arena.
FPD took its second lead of the game early in overtime, for about a minute.
D'Aren Igho-Osagie came off the bench for the first time since the third quarter and hit two free throws and got a huge putback.
It was tied at 57 when FPD called its final timeout with 31.5 seconds left. Patterson drove in the final seconds and his shot was a little strong, King’s Ridge’s Jack Thomas grabbing the rebound.
And he was fouled, with 1.5 seconds left. After going scoreless for three quarters and with one bucket after four, he was 3 for 4 at the line in overtime.
Senior Jay King went out blazing, with 38 points, a full two-thirds of the Vikings’ points. Nobody else had more than six points.
The Tigers had predictable balance, with 18 from Isaac Martin, and 11 from Micah Hoover and from Liam Thomas.
The Vikings fell into a 10-point hole. But they got things together, sparked by King and an improved transition game.
FPD tied it at 22 in the second quarter, and trailed only 25-22 at halftime.
King’s Ridge scored the first six points of the third quarter, and FPD answered, but the deficit was 44-38 after three quarters.
FPD had fouls to give, making it easier for King’s Ridge to run out the final minutes before going to the line.
That didn’t happen until the 1:09 mark of the fourth quarter, King’s Ridge up 50-44. But they missed the front end, and King nailed a three.
King hit two of three at the line with 18.7 seconds left to make it 51-49, and King’s Ridge answered with one of two with 17.4 seconds left.
King was then fouled on a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left – King’s Ridge argued the foul was on the floor – and down three.
He made two, and King’s Ridge called time. He made the third to tie it and the Tigers’ heave missed, forcing overtime.
Class A Public Girls
Hancock Central 50, Commerce 37
The ride for a semifinal was a long one for Hancock Central, from Sparta all the way down to Valdosta.
The ride home was nice, and the next trip will be a much better one.
The Bulldogs got an early lead and maintained it to dump Commerce 50-37 Saturday in a GHSA Class A Public girls semifinal at Valdosta State, the first team to .
Hancock Central is in the state final for the first time in program history, according to the Georgia High School Basketball Project website.
It was a single-digit game for 31-plus minutes, Hancock Central leading 21-18 at halftime and the 30-22 after a sluggish-for-both-side third quarter. The Bulldogs finished the quarter fairly strong, sparked by a 3 from Tiamber Williams.
The margin was around a touchdown inside the final minute before a surge from the Bulldogs – starting with an intentional foul by Commerce with 54 seconds left – turned it into a double-digit margin.
Class 5A Girls
Woodward 67, Warner Robins 35
Top-ranked Woodward got off to a good start, but Warner Robins battle back to trail only 26-21 at halftime.
The second half, though, belonged to Woodward, which gained control and pulled away in the third quarter.
Class A Public Girls
Lake Oconee 58, Taylor County 30
Ranked first and third, Lake Oconee stormed out to a 21-6 led after a quarter, and slowed Taylor County’s second-quarter rally to cruise the rest of the way.
🏀 🏀 🏀 Full championship schedule 🏀 🏀 🏀
Wednesday
1 p.m., A Public Girls
3 p.m., A Public Boys
5 p.m., 4A Girls
7 p.m., 4A Boys
Thursday
1 p.m., 2A Girls
3 p.m., 2A Boys
5 p.m., Coed 3-point contest
5:30 p.m., 5A Girls
7:30 p.m., 5A Boys
Friday
1 p.m., 3A Girls
3 p.m., 3A Boys
5 p.m., Girls 3-Point contest
5:30 p.m., 6A Girls
7:30 p.m., 6A Boys
Saturday
11 a.m., A Private Girls
1 p.m., A Private Boys
3 p.m., AAASP Final
5 p.m., Boys Slam Dunk Final
5:30 p.m., 7A Girls
7:30 p.m., 7A Boys