Final girls basketball rankings: 1 defending champ, 5 first-time winners end season at No. 1

– Norcross of Class 7A defeated Harrison 41-37 for its fourth state championship. The Blue Devils previously won three titles between 2010 and 2013. Harrison finished as a state runner-up for the third time in six seasons.

The Blue Devils (26-5) trailed 23-19 after three quarters, but Jania Akins made a layup and two 3-pointers to open the fourth as part of an 11-0 run that turned a six-point deficit into a five-point lead. Harrison never got closer than two points down the stretch.

Region 7 Player of the Year Zaria Hurston had 15 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils, who shot 24.2% through three quarters before going 5-for-9 from the field in the fourth. Akins finished with 14 points.

“It was a tough game,” Norcross coach Ashley Luke Clanton said. “We shot abysmally, and the only way you stay in a game like that is to play some defense. The Harrison team is tough, which you expected in a state championship-level game. I thought they did a really nice job of making things tough on us, and we thought our kids hung tough.”

Norcross, ranked No. 4 coming into the tournament, knocked out previous No. 1 Brookwood 77-60 in the quarterfinals.

– Lovejoy of Class 6A won its second state championship in five seasons with a 54-38 victory over Sequoyah. The Wildcats (28-3) enjoyed a 53-35 advantage on the boards. Layla Hood, Bryana Hardy and La’nya Foster combined for 33 points and 38 rebounds, led by Hood’s 14 points and 16 rebounds.

Lovejoy came into the tournament at No. 2 but eliminated top-ranked River Ridge 71-59 in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats have reached at least the semifinals in five of the past six seasons.

– Top-ranked Woodward Academy (29-2) rolled to the Class 5A title with a 72-44 victory over Forest Park. It was Woodward’s fourth victory this season and seventh in two years against its Region 3 rival. Sydney Bowles had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Sara Lewis scored 17 points.

– Marist (28-3), ranked No. 5 entering the tournament, won the most dramatic game of the week when it defeated then-No. 1 Luella 56-54 in double overtime in the Class 4A final. Avery Fantucci made a 3-pointer from just inside half court at the buzzer to send the game to overtime, then scored the winning points on a breakaway layup at the end of the second overtime. She finished with 19 points.

– Top-ranked Lumpkin County of Class 3A completed a 30-1 season and earned its first title with a 51-47 victory over Greater Atlanta Christian. Lumpkin County trailed 40-32 at the end of the third quarter but opened the fourth with a 14-0 run.

“We just said, ‘If you want a championship, go get it. You’ve got eight minutes to be a champion, go get it,’” Indians coach David Dowse said he told his team heading into the final period.

− Elbert County won the Class 2A title with a 52-44 victory over Rabun County, earning a split of the four games this season between the Region 8 rivals. Elbert County (28-4) was No. 3 and Rabun County was No. 2 entering the tournament. Aaniyah Allen scored 17 points and Niya Moon scored 14 for the Blue Devils.

– Mount Paran Christian (25-4) won the Class A Private championship with a 54-49 victory over defending champion Hebron Christian. It was the first state title for the school but the fourth for head coach Stephanie Dunn, who led St. Pius to three championships between 2004 and 2007. Kara Dunn, the coach’s daughter, was the highest-scoring player in any of the finals with 30 points.

The Eagles, who were ranked No. 2, played a top-10 opponent in all five tournament games, including a 53-50 semifinal victory over then-No. 1 Holy Innocents’ in the semifinals.

– No. 1 Lake Oconee Academy (26-1) coasted to a 45-29 victory against Hancock Central in the Class A Public final. Sophomore point guard Georgia Bosart finished with 17 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a blocked shot. The Titans had no seniors on their roster.

Class 7A

1. Norcross (26-5)

2. Harrison (27-4)

3. Campbell (20-11)

4. Brookwood (23-5)

5. Grayson (22-6)

6. North Forsyth (24-4)

7. Archer (22-7)

8. Cherokee (23-6)

9. Peachtree Ridge (21-7)

10. Woodstock (19-10)

Class 6A

1. Lovejoy (28-3)

2. River Ridge (28-2)

3. Sequoyah (24-8)

4. Kell (27-3)

5. Rockdale County (21-8)

6. Rome (22-5)

7. Brunswick (27-2)

8. Hughes (23-7)

9. Carrollton (24-5)

10. Buford (23-5)

Class 5A

1. Woodward Academy (29-2)

2. Forest Park (22-7)

3. Warner Robins (25-6)

4. Jackson-Atlanta (18-4)

5. Loganville (21-8)

6. New Manchester (19-10)

7. Greenbrier (26-4)

8. Griffin (22-7)

9. Northside-Columbus (21-8)

10. Stockbridge (21-7)

Class 4A

1. Marist (28-3)

2. Luella (27-4)

3. Baldwin (26-3)

4. Pickens (26-4)

5. Jefferson (25-4)

6. Carver-Columbus (25-4)

7. Northwest Whitfield (21-10)

8. Chestatee (21-9)

9. Dougherty (17-8)

10. Heritage-Ringgold (20-9)

Class 3A

1. Lumpkin County (30-1)

2. Greater Atlanta Christian (25-7)

3. Cross Creek (25-2)

4. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (28-2)

5. Westminster (17-11)

6. Pierce County (24-6)

7. Sumter County (23-7)

8. Central-Macon (23-6)

9. Murray County (21-7)

10. East Forsyth (20-9)

Class 2A

1. Elbert County (28-4)

2. Rabun County (24-6)

3. Northeast-Macon (23-7)

4. Josey (24-6)

5. Fannin County (26-3)

6. Callaway (21-5)

7. Laney (17-8)

8. Swainsboro (20-3)

9. Dodge County (23-4)

10. Chattooga (17-13)

Class A (Private)

1. Mount Paran Christian (25-4)

2. Holy Innocents’ (27-3)

3. Hebron Christian (26-6)

4. St. Francis (25-4)

5. Galloway (18-10)

6. Wesleyan (13-10)

7. Trinity Christian (24-6)

8. Deerfield-Windsor (20-5)

9. Savannah Country Day (22-5)

10. Landmark Christian (21-9)

Class A Public

1. Lake Oconee Academy (26-1)

2. Hancock Central (18-4)

3. Montgomery County (25-3)

4. Taylor County (23-5)

5. Screven County (21-4)

6. Dublin (22-9)

7. Seminole County (18-12)

8. Commerce (14-15)

9. Pelham (19-3)

10. Schley County (18-5)