Class AAAAAA semifinal results from Buford City Arena

Lanier rallied from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit and then went 12-of-14 from the free-throw line in overtime to stun second-ranked South Cobb.

It was the third consecutive overtime victory for the fourth-ranked Longhorns (26-5), who had beaten Stephenson 60-58 and Hughes 58-55 in the previous two rounds. Lanier will be playing in the state finals for the first time.

“Normally before the game, I tell the kids, ‘Guys, we’ve got to be ready for 32 minutes,’” Lanier coach Branden Mayweather said. “But based on the last two games, I said it might be 36 minutes, it might be 40 minutes or whatever. But these kids won’t quit. They never quit.”

Lanier trailed 45-30 after a layup by South Cobb’s Robert Dix at the buzzer ending the third quarter but outscored the Eagles 17-2 over the first six minutes of the final period to tie the game 47-47 on a putback by Sion James with 2:06 remaining in regulation.

It was James, the Region 8 player of the year, who made the difference in the comeback. Held to a relatively quiet nine points through the first three quarters, James scored 11 more in the fourth, including seven in the final three minutes.

Lanier took its first lead at 51-49 on two free throws by Iajah Phillips with seven seconds remaining, but South Cobb forced overtime when Dix scored again at the buzzer, this time on a putback of a blocked shot.

Lanier didn’t make a field goal in overtime but didn’t need to with the 12 free throws. The Longhorns scored the first seven points of the extra period and led 58-51 with one minute remaining.

James finished with a game-high 26 points. Andrew McConnell had 19 points, including five 3-pointers, the last of which got Lanier within five points at 47-42 with 4:05 remaining in regulation.

Overall, Lanier outscored South Cobb 33-12 over the final 12 minutes.

Dix led South Cobb (28-3) with 19 points.

Chattahoochee 78, Tri-Cities 72

A.J. White scored 29 points and went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to help Chattahoochee dethrone defending state champion Tri-Cities in an all-Fulton County semifinal.

The victory put eighth-ranked Chattahoochee (24-7) in the championship game for the first time in program history. It also avenged the Cougars’ 75-64 loss to Tri-Cities in the second round of the playoffs last season.

“When you get this deep in the playoffs, it’s going to be a battle every time,” Chattahoochee coach Chris Short said. “This was a rematch game from last year, and we felt like it would be a good motivator for us. Tri-Cities just plays so hard, it’s such a rich history there, and coach [Omari] Forts does such a good job. I’m proud of our kids for coming out and showing some resiliency.”

It was a back-and-forth game in which neither team ever led by more than eight points. For Tri-Cities, that came early in the third quarter when the Bulldogs appeared to seize control with an 8-0 run to open the second half that gave them a 47-39 lead. However, Chattahoochee’s David McDaniel had six points as the Cougars outscored Tri-Cities 19-6 over the final five minutes of the quarter to turn the eight-point deficit into a 58-53 lead.

Tri-Cities got within two points early in the fourth quarter but could never pull even. White scored 10 points in the period.

McDaniel finished with 18 points, including eight in the first quarter to get the Cougars going. Cameron Sheffield scored 11.

Third-ranked Tri-Cities (26-6) got 21 points from Demetrius Rives, 19 from Simeon Cottle and 14 from Peyton Daniels.

Girls

Glynn Academy 59, Hughes 38

Zoesha Smith had 37 points and 15 rebounds to lead fifth-ranked Glynn Academy to a victory over an outsized Hughes team and a berth in the championship game for the first time since 1952.

Smith and La’Trinity Best both stand at about 6 feet, and Hughes had no answer for them. The two combined for 47 points, including the Red Terrors’ first 11 as they built an 11-5 lead.

“Those kids are our 1-2 punch,” Glynn Academy coach Sharnesha Smith said. “It’s just the way that they listen, the way that they’re aggressive, the way that they handle the basketball. They can play inside and out, which is great. When you’ve got kids like that, the sky’s the limit.”

Smith picked up her second foul less than five minutes into the first quarter and went to the bench with her team leading 9-3. Best got her second foul two minutes later, but Glynn Academy was able to maintain a five-point lead at the end of the quarter.

Smith returned at the start of the second, and she and Best managed to avoid further foul trouble.

Hughes was within four points at halftime and cut the deficit to 26-23 on a 3-pointer by Tamia Stargell early in the third quarter, but Smith took over from there. She outscored Hughes by herself in the second half, 19-18, and the Red Terrors (26-4) steadily pulled away.

Talia Hamilton, the only other Glynn Academy player to score, also finished with 12 points.

Raven Thompson did her best to keep sixth-ranked Hughes (24-6) in the game, especially early. She scored the Panthers’ first six points and 12 of her team’s 20 first-half points. Thompson finished with a team-high 16.

Stargell, the Region 5 player of the year, added 13 points.

Forest Park 54, Valdosta 38

Forest Park ended its recent semifinal frustrations with a victory over second-ranked Valdosta in a sloppy game filled with more turnovers and fouls than made baskets.

No. 3 Forest Park (26-6) was playing in its seventh semifinal in 11 seasons but advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2011. The Panthers are one victory away from their first state title since 1970.

Sania Feagin scored a game-high 14 points, including the first four of the game as the Panthers moved out to a 13-11 first-quarter lead that continued to grow throughout the final three quarters.

Jasmine Jacob gave Forest Park its first double-digit lead when her 3-pointer with a little more than three minutes remaining in the first half made it a 27-17 game. The lead stayed mainly in the range of six to 10 points until the last three and a half minutes of the game, when Forest Park closed things out with a 10-0 run.

Despite struggling from the field, Valdosta (28-3) was still within six points after a jumper by Ja’Mya Johnson closed the gap to 44-38 with 3:28 remaining. But Forest Park got hot from the free-throw line, making eight of its last 10 attempts, and put the game away.

Forest Park got 10 points from Joi Reid and 25 big points off the bench from the trio of Janaya Jones (eight), Jordynn Webster (seven) and Jasmine Stevens (seven).

Jayla Cody led Valdosta with 11 points, Mikeria Carter scored 10 and Jones added eight. The Wildcats were trying to reach the championship game for the first time since the school’s 1961 team won a state title.