The state basketball tournament goes to five neutral venues this weekend with 32 semifinals games across eight classes.
Here are a few things to know.
Girls teams to beat: The only No. 1-ranked girls teams no longer in the tournament is Class 3A’s Pickens, beaten this week by Jenkins. Still going are North Forsyth (6A), River Ridge (5A), Creekside (4A), Josey (2A), Banks County (A Division I), Wilcox County (A Division II) and Hebron Christian (3A-A private). North Forsyth, Creekside, Banks County and Wilcox County have never won state titles.
Boys teams to beat: Putnam County, beaten this week by East Laurens, is the only No. 1 boys team eliminated. Still going are Grayson (Class 6A), Woodward Academy (5A), Pace Academy (4A), Cedar Grove (3A), Carver-Columbus (2A), Savannah (A Division II) and Holy Innocents’ (3A-A private). Holy Innocents’ has never won a state title.
Best girls game: No. 1 Creekside plays No. 2 Marist of Class 4A in a 1 p.m. game at Fort Valley State. Creekside is undefeated and chasing its first state title. Creekside point guard CeCe Dennis is coming off a 33-point quarterfinals performance. Marist was the 2024 Class 5A champion. Marist point guard Katie Harpring is HoopGurlz’s No. 2 junior prospect nationally.
Unranked: Four teams won three rounds as unranked teams. They are Jenkins’s girls, Washington-Wilkes’ girls, Monroe’s boys and Toombs County’s boys.
Best boys game: No. 1 Grayson plays No. 2 Wheeler of Class 6A will play a 3 p.m. game at Georgia State. Grayson beat Wheeler 77-68 on Dec. 7. That’s the only in-state loss for either team. Grayson’s Jacob Wilkins and Wheeler’s Tylis Jordan are top-50 national senior prospects, and Grayson’s Caleb Holt is the consensus No. 3 junior prospect.
First-time girls teams: Cherokee Bluff, Jenkins, East Laurens and Washington-Wilkes are in their first semifinals. Cherokee Bluff plays Jenkins in the Class 3A semfinals at Fort Valley. Jenkins and Washington-Wilkes, both in existence for more than 50 years, had never won state-playoff games until this season.
First-time boys teams: North Cobb Christian, Tattnall County, B.E.S.T. Academy, McIntosh County Academy and Mount Paran Christian are in the semifinals for the first time. North Cobb Christian had been 0-10 in quarterfinals until beating St. Francis on Wednesday. Union County is in the semifinals for the first time since 1972.
Twice as good: Five schools have their girls and boys teams in the semifinals. They are Grayson, Hughes, North Oconee, East Laurens and Holy Innocents’. Holy Innocents’ is the 11th team in history to have boys and girls McDonald’s All-Americans in the same season. They are Caleb Wilson and Hailee Swain. They are the GHSA’s only McDonald’s All-Americans.
Side story: Pace Academy’s Sharman White was a boys coach in the 2024 McDonald’s All-American game, and he chose Tucker’s James Hartry as his assistant for that game. Their teams are meeting a Class 4A semifinal game at Fort Valley State. The coaches go further back. Hartry’s wife, Alva, was White’s ninth-grade typing teacher at Decatur High in the 1990s.
What’s next: The finals are March 5-8 at the Macon Coliseum.
Class 6A
Saturday at Georgia State
Girls
No. 2 Grayson (29-1) vs. No. 4 Cherokee (26-4)
No. 1 North Forsyth (30-0) vs. No. 7 Newton (23-5)
Boys
No. 1 Grayson (28-2) vs. No. 2 Wheeler (27-3)
No. 4 Newton (21-9) vs. No. 9 Pebblebrook (22-8)
Class 5A
Friday at Georgia State
Girls
No. 2 Hughes (28-2) vs. No. 5 Bradwell Institute (26-3)
No. 1 River Ridge (29-1) vs. No. 4 Milton (24-6)
Boys
No. 1 Woodward Academy vs. No. 9 Hughes (24-8)
No. 3 Tri-Cities (24-6) vs. No. 10 Lee County (25-5)
Class 4A
Saturday at Fort Valley State
Girls
No. 1 Creekside (30-0) vs. No. 2 Marist (29-2)
No. 4 North Oconee vs. No. 10 Maynard Jackson (19-7)
Boys
No. 1 Pace Academy (26-4) vs. No. 6 Tucker (25-6)
No. 2 North Oconee (28-2) vs. No. 9 McDonough (25-5)
Class 3A
Friday at Fort Valley State
Girls
No. 9 Cherokee Bluff (23-8) vs. Jenkins (20-8)
No. 3 Baldwin (24-6) vs. No. 4 Fayette County (25-5)
Boys
No. 2 Sandy Creek (27-3) vs. No. 10 Windsor Forest (25-5)
No. 1 Cedar Grove (27-3) vs. Monroe (21-9)
Class 2A
Friday at Georgia Southwestern
Girls
No. 2 Murray County (29-1) vs. No. 7 Morgan County (21-9)
No. 1 Josey (24-3) vs. No. 3 Hardaway (24-6)
Boys
No. 1 Carver-Columbus (27-2) No. 4 Butler (19-8)
No. 7 Union County (25-5) vs. No. 10 Tattnall County (25-4)
Class A Division I
Saturday at Georgia College
Girls
No. 2 Fannin County (27-2) vs. No. 4 East Laurens (22-5)
No. 1 Banks County (24-5) vs. No. 3 Model (24-5)
Boys
No. 2 Southwest-Macon (26-2) vs. Toombs County (18-11)
No. 3 B.E.S.T. Academy (23-7) vs. No. 8 East Laurens (20-7)
Class A Division II
Friday at Georgia College
Girls
No. 1 Wilcox County (26-1) vs. No. 7 Screven County (23-5)
No. 2 Macon County (22-3) vs. Washington-Wilkes (13-8)
Boys
No. 1 Savannah (25-4) vs. No. 10 Warren County (21-9)
No. 2 McIntosh County Academy (25-5) vs. No. 5 Greene County (22-7)
Class 3A-A private
Friday at North Georgia
Girls
No. 1 Hebron Christian (28-1) vs. No. 4 Galloway (20-8)
No. 2 St. Francis (28-2) vs. No. 3 Holy Innocents’ (23-5)
Boys
No. 3 North Cobb Christian (27-3) vs. No. 2 Greenforest Christian (23-5)
No. 1 Holy Innocents’ (25-4) vs. No. 9 Mount Paran Christian (20-13)
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