Favorite 2nd Round Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each bracket is now down to 16 teams and we're beginning to see some of the top teams in state going head-to-head. At this point, records are out the window and anyone can win as we saw in several first round upsets. We break down the best games to see this weekend and the ones that matter most.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Berkmar vs. Wheeler (7A)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sat 2/24 5:00 PM @ Wheeler</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Berkmar and Wheeler spent the majority of the season in our top 10 but Berkmar was upset by Norcross in the region tournament and as a result, we get this sweet sixteen matchup between two of the best in the state. Losing Eddie Cooke in the middle of the season was a big blow for Berkmar but they've still got the firepower to contend and I'd give their guards the slight edge in this one, experience playing a big factor in games like these. I'm also expecting a great battle between 6'10 bigs, [player_tooltip player_id='1411622' first='Mekhi' last='Ragland'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1559286' first='Josh' last='Hill'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Newton vs. McEachern (7A)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sat 2/24 7:00 PM @ McEachern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's championship or bust this year for McEachern and many expect them to play in Macon but a team like Newton could be dangerous. As usual, [player_tooltip player_id='1122508' first='Ace' last='Bailey'] will be the best player on the floor. Even if Newton gets out in front, there will come a point where Ace decides to take over and Newton will need to have a plan for that. That being said, this Newton team is deep with athletes and shooters that can catch fire. If McEachern were to fall in the sweet sixteen, it would shock the state. We'll see if Newton has what it takes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hiram vs. Tri-Cities (5A)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fri 2/23 7:00 PM @ Tri-Cities</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hiram will head down to the south side on Friday night for a sweet sixteen matchup with Tri-Cities. At the beginning of the year, many considered Hiram a title contender and while they lost more games than expected, they still have one of the most talented rosters in 5A. [player_tooltip player_id='2102286' first='Tre' last='Keith'] is the guy for Tri-Cities. He was arguably the best freshman in the state this year and went for 33 in their first round game. I imagine most people are calling Tri-Cities in this one but I think Hiram has the size, scoring, and experience to pull off the upset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Chapel Hill vs. Kell (5A)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sat 2/24 6:00 PM @ Kell</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kell may be the hottest team in the state right now, riding a 23 game win streak that dates back to November. They look like the clear frontrunner in 5A. Meanwhile, I've been saying all year that Chapel Hill could be a legitimate contender. They've got some streaky shooters and one of the best rim protectors in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='1810844' first='Ramon' last='Soyoye']. I think Chapel Hill's undersized guards would struggle to contain [player_tooltip player_id='1201630' first='CJ' last='Brown'] but Kell can also kill a zone defense with their three-point shooters. Chapel Hill will need to get creative.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pace Academy vs. Holy Innocents (4A)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sat 2/24 3:00 PM @ Holy Innocents</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4A bracket gets very interesting in round two as Holy Innocents is set to host Pace Academy. Holy Innocents is led by one of the country's best, [player_tooltip player_id='1383017' first='Caleb' last='Wilson']. He'll need a huge night if they want to knock off Pace who's excellent on the defensive end and very talented. Both Pace and Holy Innocents are considered top teams in 4A and matchups like this are exactly why the GHSA is moving away from predetermined playoff brackets next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Cobb Christian vs. Columbia (2A)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sat 2/24 3:00 PM @ Columbia</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Columbia and North Cobb Christian will square off on Saturday in what should be a good one. These are two very different teams from opposite sides of town. Columbia has a strong senior core of [player_tooltip player_id='2046330' first='Trevian' last='Callaway'], Quay Wallace, and [player_tooltip player_id='1654136' first='Tahmar' last='Mann']. They're 26-3 this year and anything short of a trip to Macon would be a disappointment. North Cobb Christian, on the other hand, will play several freshmen on Saturday. However, they do have senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1062217' first='Gabe' last='Bolden'] to lead the way who recently went for 46 points against Washington. If he's hot like that on Saturday, North Cobb Christian could pull it off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->