1st Round Recap: Upsets

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The State Playoffs began on Tuesday night, providing some great 1st round matchups around the state. The action didn't disappoint with multiple 4-seeds getting wins on the road. Here, I'll be recapping the upsets that shook up brackets in the 1st round. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Woodland (55) vs #3 SW Dekalb (45)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SW Dekalb entered the tournament ranked #3 in 4A but their championship hopes were put to rest by a gutsy Woodland squad. Kyree Brown led Woodland with 20 points while [player_tooltip player_id='1300734' first='Mason' last='Lewis'] added 17 of his own. Lewis is the heartbeat of this team and is the kind of talent that can win you a few games in the playoffs. He's a strong, physical wing that can get to the rim and find his spots in the mid-range. Woodland will take North Oconee in the 2nd round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Berkmar (58) vs #6 Buford (53)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one surprised a lot of people, including myself. Berkmar's season has been riddled with adversity, losing Roc Lee and [player_tooltip player_id='1049229' first='Orion' last='Champion'] mid-season. On top of that, they're very young. 2025 prospects, [player_tooltip player_id='1411622' first='Mekhi' last='Ragland'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1559293' first='Eddie' last='Cooke'], typically lead the charge and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1801902' first='Isaiah' last='Langley'] plays a big role as well. After a big win over 1-seed Buford, Berkmar will see Cherokee in the 2nd which should make for an interesting game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>River Ridge (53) vs #8 Langston Hughes (50)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After falling to Langston Hughes in the Elite 8 last year, River Ridge came for revenge and left with a 53-50 win. Langston Hughes is usually good for a deep playoff run and I was feeling good about them, especially with the recent return of [player_tooltip player_id='1223238' first='John' last='McQueen']. River Ridge had different plans however. They have experience that is often overlooked. Most of their team consists of 2023 and 2024 guys, many of which were apart of last year's Elite 8 squad. The corner of the 6A bracket becomes very interesting now with River Ridge, Blessed Trinity, Riverwood, and Lee County battling it out for a spot in the Final 4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Walton (63) vs Lambert (49)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We see another 1-seed fall as Walton goes on the road and gets it done. [player_tooltip player_id='1131830' first='Luke' last='Flynn'] led the way with 20 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. He's exactly the kind of player you want on your team this time of year. He's an experienced guard that can hit big shots and control the pace of the game. [player_tooltip player_id='1688187' first='Caesar' last='Burrows'] is a more than capable sidekick that can score points when defenses are keying on Flynn. Hampden-Sydney commit [player_tooltip player_id='1201500' first='Harrison' last='Morris'] also gives them good length inside and he played an important role in Wednesday's win with 5 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Harlem (57) vs #6 Beach (56)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harlem vs Beach made for one of the most entertaining 1st round games and came down to the very end. [player_tooltip player_id='2120812' first='Lemar' last='Edmond'] hit the game-winning layup as time expired to put Harlem up 1 and send them to the 2nd round. He had an excellent night, leading all scorers with 25 points. Beach was a popular pick to go deep in the tournament and they had a great 1-2 punch inside between senior forwards Shamrrie Hugie and [player_tooltip player_id='1444765' first='James' last='Leach']. Harlem will face a tough Dougherty team in the 2nd round but could be poised for a nice run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->