GHSA State Playoffs: Groups of Death

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bottom Right Quadrant – Class 5A</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>R8 #3 Eastside (12-14) at R5 #2 Chapel Hill (20-8)<br>R7 #4 Dalton (13-14) at R6 #1 Kell (23-3)<br>R3 #3 Harris County (5-21) at R2 #2 Dutchtown (17-9)<br>R4 #4 ML King (18-10) at R1 #1 Statesboro (20-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Kell, No. 4 Dutchtown and No. 5 Chapel Hill headline the field. Dutchtown and Chapel Hill have two of the best rim protectors in the classification between [player_tooltip player_id='1300745' first='Matthew' last='Hinton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1810844' first='Ramon' last='Soyoye']. Both teams have superior size and versatility. [player_tooltip player_id='1300737' first='Joah' last='Chappelle'] is the Region 2 Player of the Year, a 6-foot-8 swingman while 6-foot-6 [player_tooltip player_id='1917179' first='Ky'Den' last='Mays'] holds multiple offers himself and is a mismatch for Chapel Hill. Kell is the defending state champ, an explosive offense led by [player_tooltip player_id='1201630' first='CJ' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1223237' first='Cannon' last='Richards']. The Longhorns score exceptionally well from the perimeter with [player_tooltip player_id='1215446' first='Jaylen' last='Colon'], Chris McLavish and [player_tooltip player_id='1742164' first='Connor' last='Staphylaris']. Statesboro has a tough opening matchup with ML King, guided by Region 4 Coach of the Year Nicholas Harris. The quartet of [player_tooltip player_id='2323169' first='Kennedy' last='Ruzvidzo'], Devin Bowers, Shon'Dell Heath and Quamon Ellison can really score the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bottom Left Quadrant – Class 7A</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>R1 #3 Lowndes (10-13) at R4 #2 Newton (19-6)</strong><strong><br>R2 #4 Westlake (12-12) at R3 #1 McEachern (22-5)<br>R6 #3 West Forsyth (18-9) at R7 #2 Norcross (15-13)<br>R5 #4 Osborne (9-18) at R8 #1 Buford (24-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue blood programs are littered across the quad. No. 2 McEachern, No. 4 Newton and No. 5 Buford are all stuck together. Norcross is an extremely scary unranked two-seed that is playing their best basketball. Injuries have derailed Osborne, but for a four-seed they have loads of talent with [player_tooltip player_id='2171694' first='Omari' last='Chaudhry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1810737' first='Hakeem' last='Weems']. Even three-seed West Forsyth has a star in Marshall-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1329297' first='Will' last='Moore']. Westlake has 6-foot-8 [player_tooltip player_id='1811218' first='Juan' last='Gaston'] in the paint. The question will be, can anyone stop [player_tooltip player_id='1122508' first='Ace' last='Bailey']? Newton and Buford both have immense depth with loads of athletes. Norcross plays tough defense headed by [player_tooltip player_id='1477719' first='Toby' last='Ojukwu'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bottom Right Quadrant – Class 3A</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>R8 #3 Monroe Area (21-7) at R5 #2 Douglass (15-10)</strong><strong><br>R7 #4 Dawson County (15-13) at R6 #1 Adairsville (18-9)<br>R3 #3 Long County (21-6) at R2 #2 Upson-Lee (17-10)<br>R4 #4 Salem (16-12) at R1 #1 Dougherty (20-7)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Douglass and No. 4 Dougherty are the only currently ranked teams in the group, but Monroe Area, Adairsville, Long County and Salem have all spent time in the Top 10. Adairsville has played all season without star player [player_tooltip player_id='1466313' first='Tre' last='Winters'], but others have stepped up, namely Tayshaun Jackson, Xavious Nalls and Zach Postell. Monroe Area has the best point guard in the group and one of the best playmakers in all of Georgia in [player_tooltip player_id='1062212' first='Vonte' last='Newell']. Tripp Griffith will have to play huge inside against a big, athletic Douglass team. [player_tooltip player_id='2216555' first='Noah' last='Treadwell'] is a D-I prospect in the backcourt. [player_tooltip player_id='2284246' first='Javonte' last='Floyd'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2216281' first='RJ' last='Winegarner'] are issues with their size and versatility. Dawson County shoots the ball extremely well with [player_tooltip player_id='2322195' first='Trey' last='Harvey'] leading the way. Speaking of shooting, Long County can sometimes live and die by the three-ball. [player_tooltip player_id='2333094' first='Roderick' last='Randall'], Keshawn Smith and Kaleel Anderson are the big three in the backcourt. Upson-Lee comes out of the weakest region in the state, but have crucial home court advantage at the Castle and a great head coach in Darrell Lockhart. [player_tooltip player_id='2673527' first='Carmelo' last='Williams'] is the Region 2 Player of the Year. Salem has a pair of wins over Cross Creek and are battle-tested coming out of a competitive Region 4. Karmarlos Jackson has turned the program around with [player_tooltip player_id='1797539' first='Jakorri' last='Arnold'] in the forefront. Dougherty is a veteran group that is unsurprisingly peaking at the right time again under Coach Bakari Bryant. [player_tooltip player_id='2046335' first='Jai'on' last='Burns'] is a dangerous scorer. [player_tooltip player_id='2046357' first='Jawuan' last='Jinks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2337612' first='Kaleke' last='Singletary-Jinks'] round out the backcourt with [player_tooltip player_id='2046341' first='Markelle' last='Jones'] anchoring the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->