The third season - and biggest - arrives for 75 Central Georgia GHSA and GIAA teams, with some notable records and matchups(and some state rankings)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
The state of Georgia’s high school basketball teams start their journeys on the road to Macon on Tuesday in GHSA and GIAA play.
GIAA teams hope to finish up at Mercer’s Hawkins Arena, while the GHSA’s goal destination is the Macon Coliseum.
Veterans, Baldwin, Upson-Lee, Peach County, Mary Persons, Dodge County, Central, Northeast, Lamar County, Dublin, East Laurens, Jasper County, Hawkinsville, GMC, Twiggs County, and Macon County have both the girls and boys teams in the GHSA tournament.
Baldwin, Central, Dodge County, Hawkinsville, and Macon County will host both girls and boys games.
There are some first-round meetings of Central Georgia teams: ACE girls at Dodge County, Twiggs County girls at Taylor County, GMC girls at Macon County, Rutland boys at Dodge County, and Twiggs County boys at Macon County.
Central Georgia Rankings (with No. 1s as well)
Sandy’s Spiel
Class 6A
1. River Ridge
9. Veterans (8 in ScoreAtlanta)
Class 5A
1. Kell
2. Warner Robins (1 in ScoreAtlanta)
Class 4A
1. Holy Innocents’
3. Baldwin (4 in ScoreAtlanta)
Class AAA
1. Hebron Christian
8. Mary Persons (10 in ScoreAtlanta)
Class AA
1. Mt. Paran
2. Central (same in ScoreAtlanta)
7. Dodge County (same in ScoreAtlanta)
Class A/Division I
1. St. Francis
6. Lamar County (same in ScoreAtlanta)
Class A/Division II
1. Lake Oconee
4. Taylor County (2 in ScoreAtlanta)
8. Macon County (7 in ScoreAtlanta)
Class 6A
1. Grovetown
Class 5A
1. Kell
Class 4A
1. McDonough
Class 3A
1. Johnson-Savannah
Class AA
1. Westside-Augusta
4. Putnam County (same in ScoreAtlanta)
Class A/Division I
1. Mt. Vernon
Class A/Division II
1. Greenforest
4. Wilkinson County (same in ScoreAtlanta)
5. Macon County (same in ScoreAtlanta)
Hancock Centrals girls reached the Class A Public finale last year and lost, but didn’t make this year’s postseason.
In the final regular-season Sandy’s Spiel girls rankings, Warner Robins is No. 2 in 5A, Baldwin No. 3 in 4A, Central No. 2 in AA, and Taylor County is No. 5 in A/II.
On the boys side, Putnam County is No. 4 in AA, and Wilkinson County and Macon County are 4-5 in A/II.
On the other hand, seven of 24 girls teams and 11 of 26 boys teams have losing records, with a four-win team in, thanks to a four-team region.
Oddities: Irwin County’s girls are 3-20, and at home against 16-10 East Laurens, thanks to two region tournament wins. Dublin’s boys take a 20-6 record and third-place finish to 7-20 Brooks County, winner of two region tournament games.
Marquee-type games on a Central Georgia home court: Statesboro (19-9) at Warner Robins (24-3) girls, Berrien (19-8) at Northeast (17-8) girls, Lakeside-Evans (18-10) at Veterans (17-10) boys, Westside (20-7) at Bainbridge (25-2) boys, Toombs County (20-8) at Putnam County (21-6) boys.
The GIAA has Class AAA for the regular seasons, and splits the 32 teams into a pair of 12-team playoff classifications, AAAA and AAA. Thus , 24 of 32 teams – 75 percent – participating make the postseason.
And one region can have two state champions.
In Class AA, 14 of 18 teams – 78 percent – make it, and 12 of 21 in Class A – 57 percent – advance.
Overall, 100 teams are in the GIAA state tournament. Seven of the 50 girls teams and 11 of the 50 boys teams have losing records, including a two-win girls team. The average record for the final teams in is 8-22.
Brentwood’s girls, and the boys at Stratford and Central Fellowship are the top seeds in their respective classes.
Brentwood’s girls in AA are defending state champs. Solid Rock won the Class AA boys title in the past two years, but that program
And all roads lead to Macon.
The GIAA finals are March 3 (girls) and March 4 (boys) at Mercer’s Hawkins Arena.
The GHSA championships are March 8-11 at the Macon Centreplex, with the 3-point shooting contests on March 9 and 10 and the dunk contest on March 11, the same day as the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs final.
When in doubt regarding tickets, try GoFan.