Past champions Hebron Christian, Mount Paran Christian and St. Francis as well as five first-time winners claimed girls basketball state titles in Macon last week and finished No. 1 in the final rankings of the 2022-2023 season.
Hebron Christian (32-0) completed an undefeated season with a 68-36 victory over defending champion Lumpkin County in the Class 3A final. The Lions were the only Georgia team, boys or girls, to go undefeated. The title was the second in three years for Hebron Christian and the 15th for head coach Jan Azar, who won 13 at Wesleyan.
Mount Paran Christian (31-1) became the only team to repeat as state champion when it defeated Banks County 67-44 in the Class 2A final. The Eagles won Class A Private last year before moving up in reclassification. Ciara Alexander and Jessica Fields dominated the game, combining for 49 points and 17 rebounds.
St. Francis (27-6) won the most exciting game of the week when it defeated Galloway 76-74 in overtime in the Class A Division I final. St. Francis, which got 27 points from Sa’Mya Wyatt and 21 from Nya Young, led for just 4:30 of the 36 minutes. The Knights won all three meetings this season against their Region 6 rival.
Teams winning championships for the first time were Brookwood, River Ridge, Kell, Griffin and Clinch County.
Brookwood (31-1) won the Class 7A title with a 43-39 victory over defending champion Norcross. Diana Collins scored 21 points and was 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 1:09 to preserve the victory. Norcross led 19-11 midway through the second quarter, but Brookwood changed the game with a 12-0 run over the next six minutes for a 23-19 lead, and Norcross never led again.
“It was very tough,” Brookwood coach Courtney Mincy said. “It was definitely worth it, because something like this doesn’t come easy. Just having these girls work together and play hard possession after possession and not giving up on each other was the difference in the game.”
River Ridge (27-5) got 25 points from Mataya Gayle and defeated defending champion Lovejoy 68-50 for the Class 6A title. The victory avenged a 71-59 loss to Lovejoy in the quarterfinals last season that essentially determined the state champion. River Ridge was undefeated against Georgia teams this season.
Kell (26-5), in the semifinals or better for the third time in four seasons, broke through for its first title with a 57-36 victory over Warner Robins in Class 5A. Crystal Henderson had 29 points and eight rebounds for Kell.
Griffin (27-4) defeated Baldwin 51-47 to win the Class 4A title. It was the Bears’ third victory in four meetings this season against its Region 2 rival. Aaliyah Duranham scored 20 points for Griffin.
Clinch County (27-4) defeated top-ranked Lake Oconee Academy 45-42 to win the Class A Division II championship. Tyana Dorsey had 19 points and 20 rebounds, and her putback with 2:38 remaining gave Clinch the lead for good. Lake Oconee Academy won Class A Public last season.
Class 7A
1. Brookwood (31-1)
2. Norcross (29-3)
3. Buford (27-4)
4. McEachern (20-9)
5. South Forsyth (26-4)
6. Archer (20-7)
7. North Paulding (26-4)
8. Peachtree Ridge (21-7)
9. Campbell (23-6)
10. Hillgrove (20-8)
Class 6A
1. River Ridge (27-5)
2. Lovejoy (26-6)
3. Brunswick (27-4)
4. Hughes (25-5)
5. Rockdale County (23-8)
6. Woodward Academy (22-8)
7. Marist (26-3)
8. Veterans (24-5)
9. Sequoyah (19-12)
10. North Forsyth (22-7)
Class 5A
1. Kell (26-5)
2. Warner Robins (28-4)
3. Jackson-Atlanta (26-2)
4. Calhoun (25-5)
5. Bradwell Institute (23-5)
6. Union Grove (23-8)
7. Arabia Mountain (26-3)
8. Midtown (22-9)
9. Hiram (22-6)
10. Northside-Columbus (21-7)
Class 4A
1. Griffin (27-4)
2. Baldwin (23-9)
3. Holy Innocents’ (25-5)
4. Hardaway (24-5)
5. Luella (22-7)
6. Chestatee (23-8)
7. Trinity Christian (25-6)
8. Northwest Whitfield (19-11)
9. Westminster (22-8)
10. Westover (19-8)
Class 3A
1. Hebron Christian (32-0)
2. Lumpkin County (26-5)
3. Wesleyan (27-4)
4. Carver-Columbus (20-10)
5. Cross Creek (24-5)
6. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (26-2)
7. White County (19-10)
8. Calvary Day (24-7)
9. Dawson County (16-15)
10. Monroe (21-8)
Class 2A
1. Mount Paran Christian (31-1)
2. Banks County (28-4)
3. Landmark Christian (23-9)
4. Thomson (22-6)
5. Josey (25-5)
6. Central-Macon (28-2)
7. Murray County (22-5)
8. Dodge County (25-3)
9. Butler (20-10)
10. Fannin County (20-9)
Class A Division I
1. St. Francis (27-6)
2. Galloway (27-6)
3. Elbert County (26-5)
4. Woodville-Tompkins (25-6)
5. Lamar County (24-5)
6. Oglethorpe County (20-9)
7. Rabun County (24-4)
8. Mount Pisgah Christian (17-7)
9. Darlington (23-6)
10. Swainsboro (18-7)
Class A Division II
1. Clinch County (27-4)
2. Lake Oconee Academy (28-3)
3. Taylor County (27-2)
4. Mt. Zion-Carroll (25-6)
5. Montgomery County (27-2)
6. Turner County (25-4)
7. Towns County (21-9)
8. Macon County (21-9)
9. Randolph-Clay (20-10)
10. Early County (21-8)
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