Storylines from the Elite 8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're down to 4 teams in each bracket and home-court advantage is no longer a factor as we head to college arenas for the Final 4 games. The journey to get here has looked different for every team, this year providing a healthy mix of emerging Cinderellas and triumphant blue-bloods. We break down the Elite 8 games and discuss who's built for Macon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1145563' first='Karris' last='Bilal'] and JR Leonard lead Riverwood into the Final 4</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been an up and down year for Riverwood but with their season on the line, the Raiders have rose to the occasion. Vanderbilt commit [player_tooltip player_id='1145563' first='Karris' last='Bilal'] put up 48 points in their first round game then JR Leonard went for 51 in the Sweet 16, the two combined for 49 in Riverwood's Elite 8 win over Woodstock. We've known that Riverwood has the talent and they're now taking care of business like they should. The Raiders are now two wins away from calling themselves state champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2297297' first='Maynard' last='Jackson'] knocks off Tucker, 77-69</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tucker entered Wednesday night as the favorite but [player_tooltip player_id='2297297' first='Maynard' last='Jackson'] had other plans. [player_tooltip player_id='1967644' first='Cassius' last='Watkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1654188' first='Yusef' last='Bowyer'] were in control for most of the game and they combined for 33. Despite losing [player_tooltip player_id='1223239' first='Mekhi' last='Turner'] early in the year, [player_tooltip player_id='2297297' first='Maynard' last='Jackson'] has put together quite a season and they'd make for a great story if they go the distance. They'll play Eagle's Landing on Friday at 3:00 PM.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Oconee cruising through 4A</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Oconee went 25-3 in the regular season so it's no surprise that they've been so dominant in the playoffs. It is worthy of headlines, however, as North Oconee isn't known to be a basketball powerhouse. The Titans have won their first three playoff games by 20 points or more and have made the Final 4 for the first time in school history. [player_tooltip player_id='1300680' first='Byrd' last='Carter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1861277' first='Justin' last='Payne'] are the epitome of a steady backcourt and they're surrounded by guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2046364' first='Justin' last='Wise'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1765473' first='Khamari' last='Brooks'] that also excel in their roles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Dougherty takes down Douglass</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After losing to Douglass in last year's Elite 8, Dougherty was out for revenge this year and pulled out a 71-64 win. This Dougherty team has proven to be dangerous. The Jinks brothers make for a strong 1-2 punch in the backcourt while seniors, Jaion Burns and [player_tooltip player_id='2046341' first='Markelle' last='Jones'], add to the attack. Dougherty now moves on to play Johnson-Savannah in a classic Albany vs. Savannah showdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Warren County continues to take down contenders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Warren County has been dismantling 1A-D1 brackets this year, first knocking off [player_tooltip player_id='1055485' first='Jax' last='Abernathy'] and Christian Heritage in the Sweet 16, then taking out Portal who many expected to be playing in Macon. The game with Portal was an absolute nail-biter, ending with a [player_tooltip player_id='2633670' first='Cosa' last='Pender'] layup at the buzzer to give Warren County the win. This team full of gutsy, undersized guards is on a mission to shock the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->