Playoff Preview: Favorite 1st Round Matchups
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The brackets have been made official and the first round of games begins Tuesday night. Here, we take a lot at some of the best 1st round matchups. Walton vs. Lambert (7A) Wed 2/22 7:30pm @ Lambert Lambert capped off…
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Continue ReadingThe brackets have been made official and the first round of games begins Tuesday night. Here, we take a lot at some of the best 1st round matchups.
Walton vs. Lambert (7A)
Wed 2/22 7:30pm @ Lambert
Lambert capped off a great regular season with a region championship and a 1-seed but drew a tough Walton team in the first round. Lambert is led by senior guards Niko Wilson Niko Wilson 5'10" | PG Lambert | 2023 State GA and James Tyre James Tyre 5'10" | PG Lambert | 2023 State GA , who I imagine won’t go down without a fight. They’re joined by talented underclassmen, Cam Bland and Will Dopfer. Walton will be led by one of the top point guards in the state, Luke Flynn Luke Flynn 6'2" | PG Walton | 2024 State GA . He’s capable of a big scoring night and could certainly lift Walton over the 1-seed Lambert for a first round upset. Caesar Burrows Caesar Burrows 6'4" | CG Walton | 2025 State GA compliments him nicely in the backcourt and Harrison Morris Harrison Morris 6'8" | PF Walton | 2023 State GA will be a handful for Lambert inside. This one could go either way in my opinion.
Habersham Central vs. Pope (6A)
Wed 2/22 7:00pm @ Pope
Pope recently earned the 2-seed and will host Habersham Central in the first round. Pope has exceeded expectations this year, largely because of breakout star Zach Bleshoy Zach Bleshoy 6'4" | CG Pope | 2025 State GA . Berry commit Ryan Luttrell Ryan Luttrell 6'4" | SG Pope | 2023 State GA gives them another viable scoring option on the perimeter and junior guard Deven Royal has been playing well lately too. They’ll have their hands full with Habersham Central, one of the toughest 3-seeds. It’s typically a well-rounded attack for the Raiders, Brannon Gaines Brannon Gaines 5'11" | PG Habersham Central | 2024 State GA , Bryce Pittman Bryce Pittman 6'3" | SF Habersham Central | 2023 State GA , Brighton Paul, & Josiah McCurry Josiah McCurry 6'8" | C Habersham Central | 2025 State GA all playing vital roles.
North Forsyth vs. Blessed Trinity (6A)
Wed 2/22 7:00pm @ Blessed Trinity
This matchup immediately jumped off the page to me when brackets first released. The intrigue here comes in the matchup between two of Georgia’s best big men, Brigham Rogers Brigham Rogers 6'7" | PF Depaul Prep | 2023 State GA and Cole Kirouac Cole Kirouac 6'11" | C Brewster Academy | 2024 State #202 Nation NLG . Rogers is a 6’9, do-it-all forward that recently signed with Belmont and he’ll lead the way for Blessed Trinity. Kirouac on the other hand, is more of a paint presence with good feet and a nice arsenal of post moves. North Forsyth’s 6’10 big man currently holds offers from UGA, Missouri, and Georgia State. This should be a great test for each of them.
Hart County vs. Gilmer (3A)
Wed 2/22 6:00pm @ Gilmer
In 3A, we get a first round matchup between two great teams in Hart County and Gilmer. Both teams feature some star power at the top, very different players though. Hart County is led by Tahj Johnson Tahj Johnson 6'7" | SF Hart County | 2023 State GA , a 6’7 athletic forward that plays above the rim and fills up the stat sheet. Sophomore 7-footer Jackson McVey Jackson McVey 7'1" | C Gilmer | 2025 State #192 Nation GA leads Gilmer and he’s put up some crazy numbers this year. Role players will likely be all the difference in this game. One matchup to keep an eye on is that between Gilmer’s freshman point guard, Keegen Bryant Keegen Bryant 5'10" | PG Gilmer | 2026 State GA , and Hart County’s sophomore Keelan Stowers.
Athens Academy vs. Model (2A)
Wed 2/22 7:00pm @ Model
Again here, we see two tough teams square off in the first round. Athens Academy is a very dangerous 4-seed, a big reason being junior guard Kymel Williams Kymel Williams 6'1" | PG Athens Academy | 2024 State GA . Williams is a volume-scorer that’s capable of lifting Athens Academy to a W on his own. Model’s Jakenes Heard Jakenes Heard 6'5" | PF Model | 2023 State GA is a long, athletic guard that could be very effective guarding Williams. His brother, Jeremiah Heard, is one of the most physically dominant bigs in the state at 6’9, 280 lbs. He’ll need to dominate the interior for Model to advance.