Now that all the appeals have been heard and the brackets are settled, here’s a look at the first round of the state playoffs, starting this weekend:
PRIVATE BOYS
-- The bracket can be found here.
-- More than 1/3 (9 out of 24) of the teams in the playoffs come from Region 6, led by No. 1 seed Christian Heritage. How strong was the region this season? No. 23 Whitefield Academy finished 8-14, but made the top 24, based largely on its strength of schedule in Region 6.
-- Two more schools made the tournament with losing records: Fellowship Christian and King’s Ridge both finished 11-13, tied for the No. 21 seed.
-- The top eight seeds from the Georgia High School Association/MaxPreps Power Ratings get byes through the first round. They are: 1. Christian Heritage; 2. Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy; 3. Prince Avenue Christian; 4. St. Francis; 5. North Cobb Christian; 6. Aquinas; 7. Greenforest; 8. Holy Innocents.
-- The surprise team in the tournament is also one of the favorites to win it all. Christian Heritage had made the state playoffs just twice in the program’s 32-year existence – 2016, when the Lions finished 19-7 and advanced to the second round, and last season when they were bounced in the first round after a 15-11 regular season. This year the Dalton-based school is 26-2 and won its first region championship with a 71-47 victory over North Cobb Christian, which had beaten the Lions by nearly 20 points (71-52) on January 20. Christian Heritage is led by 6-7 forward Christian Koneman, the Region 6 Player of the Year.
-- Last season’s champion, Greenforest, is the No. 7 seed.
-- Best first round game: No. 23 Whitefield Academy at No. 10 Stratford Academy. Whitefield has the worst record (8-14) of any team in the playoffs, regardless of classification or gender. The game will be a litmus test for the strength of Region 6, which has nine teams in the field of 24. Wolfpack head coach Courtney Brooks led Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy to prominence in the early 2000's. His young team features no seniors, one junior, five sophomores and four freshmen. Stratford is one of just two teams in the private tournament from Region 7. The Eagles are in the state tournament for the third season in a row.
PUBLIC BOYS
-- The bracket may be found here.
-- The top eight seeds receiving a bye are: 1. Calhoun County; 2. Central-Talbotton; 3. Wilkinson County; 4. Lanier County; 5. Montgomery County; 6. Manchester; 7. Macon County; 8. Woodville-Thompkins.
-- Two teams are in the state playoffs for the first time ever: No. 19 Fulton Leadership Academy in South Fulton and No. 20 Drew Charter School Senior Academy in Atlanta. Fulton Leadership Academy is led by senior guard Yizar Rainwater II.
-- Last year’s champions, Wilkinson County, is the No. 3 seed.
-- Best first round game: No. 18 Dooly County at No. 15 Hancock Central. Dooly County is led by one of the state's top scorers, Jar'Quavius Brown. The senior is averaging 21 points per game.
PRIVATE GIRLS
-- The bracket may be found here.
-- The top eight seeds receiving first-round byes are: 1. Holy Innocents; 2. St. Francis; 3. Calvary Day; 4. Stratford Academy; 5. Prince Avenue; 6. Wesleyan; 7. Our Lady of Mercy; 8. Christian Heritage.
-- Regions 5 and 6 dominate the playoff field with half of the top eight seeds (two for each) and 14 in the entire field of 24 seeds. Region 5 leads with eight teams including top seed Holy Innocents.
-- Best first round game: No. 22 Mt. Paran at No. 11 ELCA. This is an opportunity to see one of the state's most exciting young players, ELCA freshman Weronika Hipp. A native of Poland, she played on that country's U16 European FIBA team. She is averaging 24 points per game.
PUBLIC GIRLS
-- The brackets may be found here.
-- The top eight seeds with first-round byes are: 1. Telfair County; 2. Terrell County; 3. Marion County; 4. Greenville; 5. Wheeler County; 6. Pelham; 7. Wilcox County; 8. Bowdon.
-- Best first round game: No. 20 Manchester at No. 13 Turner County. Two years after helping to lead Turner to the state title, senior Zakiyah Office will try to return her team to the championship. Office, whose father Shedric is the team's head coach, is averaging 21 points per game for the Rebels.
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