Region tournament week for Georgia high school girls basketball produced one new No. 1-ranked team, three first-time region champions and four new teams in the rankings, but lacked major upsets that would upend this week’s top 10s or the brackets for the state tournament, which begins Tuesday night.
Thirty-nine of the 80 teams that were ranked last week won their region championships, and 23 more were the runners-up. All but one of the 80 teams advanced to the region semifinals, which in past years determined the four teams from each region that qualified for the state playoffs.
This year for the first time, the GHSA determined its playoff teams from four classifications — 3A, 2A, A Division I and 3A-A private — based on a points system, so a loss before the region semifinals in those classes won’t necessarily end a season.
ACE Charter of Region 2-A Division I was the big beneficiary this season. The Gryphons (20-4), who were ranked No. 8 last week and tied for second place in the region in the regular season, lost to Dodge County in the quarterfinals but still earned the No. 16 seed for the state playoffs. They did, however, fall out of the top 10, replaced by Region 2 tournament champion East Laurens.
North Forsyth is the new No. 1 in Class 6A after defeating Denmark and Lambert comfortably in Region 6 to win its eighth consecutive region championship. Previous No. 1 North Paulding lost to Cherokee in the Region 5-6A championship game and fell to No. 3 behind defending state champion Grayson. Cherokee remained at No. 4.
North Forsyth will enter the state tournament at 27-0, one of only two undefeated teams in the state along with Class 4A No. 1 Creekside (27-0).
Fifth-ranked Warner Robins of Class 4A suffered its first loss of the season when it was beaten by No. 8 Ware County in the Region 1 championship game after defeating the Gators twice by double digits in the regular season.
Hillgrove is the new team in the Class 6A rankings this week after defeating fellow top-10 team Campbell twice in an eight-day span. The Hawks won 54-47 on Feb. 7 in the teams’ regular-season finale to clinch first place in Region 3-6A, then won 54-50 in the tournament championship game. The victories made Hillgrove, a consistent winner since opening in 2006, a region champion for the first time. Hillgrove is No. 9 this week, and Campbell fell two spots to No. 10.
Other first-time region champions are Cherokee Bluff and Washington-Wilkes.
Cherokee Bluff, which opened in 2018, defeated No. 9 Oconee County in the Region 8-3A semifinals and No. 6 Jefferson in the championship game after losing to both teams twice each during the regular season.
Washington-Wilkes opened in 1957 and had never won a region title before the Tigers’ run through this year’s Region 8-A Division II tournament that included victories over Greene County in the semifinals and Lake Oconee Academy in the championship game. Washington-Wilkes is 10-2 since an 0-6 start against higher-classification teams but remains unranked.
The other newly ranked teams are Alexander and Randolph-Clay.
Alexander entered at No. 10 in Class 5A after defeating New Manchester in the Region 5-5A championship game. New Manchester was No. 9 last week but dropped out of the top 10. Randolph-Clay made the biggest splash, jumping in at No. 5 in Class A Division II after winning the Region 1 championship with a victory over No. 6 Seminole County. Randolph-Clay replaced Brooks County, which finished fourth in the Region 2 tournament.
Class 6A
1. North Forsyth (27-0)
2. Grayson (26-1)
3. North Paulding (25-2)
4. Cherokee (23-4)
5. Buford (23-2)
6. Norcross (21-5)
7. Newton (20-5)
8. Carrollton (20-7)
9. Hillgrove (20-7)
10. Campbell (23-4)
Class 5A
1. River Ridge (26-1)
2. Hughes (25-2)
3. Woodward Academy (21-5)
4. Milton (21-6)
5. Bradwell Institute (23-3)
6. Coffee (26-1)
7. Morrow (22-6)
8. Tri-Cities (20-5)
9. Creekview (22-5)
10. Alexander (19-8)
Class 4A
1. Creekside (27-0)
2. Marist (26-2)
3. Kell (21-5)
4. North Oconee (26-1)
5. Warner Robins (24-1)
6. Jones County (26-1)
7. Dalton (24-3)
8. Ware County (23-4)
9. Midtown (23-5)
10. Jackson-Atlanta (16-7)
Class 3A
1. Pickens (25-2)
2. Luella (24-3)
3. Baldwin (21-6)
4. Fayette County (21-5)
5. Monroe (22-5)
6. Jefferson (21/5)
7. Sandy Creek (22-6)
8. White County (21-7)
9. Oconee County (19-7)
10. Cherokee Bluff (20-8)
Class 2A
1. Josey (21-3)
2. Murray County (26-1)
3. Hardaway (21-6)
4. Thomson (23-3)
5. Sonoraville (24-3)
6. Columbia (21-5)
7. Morgan County (18-9)
8. Butler (18-6)
9. Tattnall County (19-5)
10. Sumter County (18-9)
Class A Division I
1. Banks County (21-5)
2. Fannin County (24-2)
3. Model (21-5)
4. East Laurens (19-5)
5. Heard County (23-3)
6. Central-Macon (20-5)
7. Vidalia (21-6)
8. Lamar County (22-5)
9. Elbert County (23-4)
10. Washington County (18-8)
Class A Division II
1. Wilcox County (23-1)
2. Macon County (19-3)
3. Bryan County (23-3)
4. Taylor County (19-3)
5. Randolph-Clay (21-6)
6. Seminole County (23-5)
7. Screven County (20-5)
8. Charlton County (20-6)
9. Metter (18-5)
10. Telfair County (19-5)
Class 3A-A private
1. Hebron Christian (26-1)
2. St. Francis (26-2)
3. Holy Innocents' (20-5)
4. Galloway (17-8)
5. Mount Paran Christian (24-4)
6. Athens Academy (19-8)
7. SW Atlanta Christian (23-2)
8. Calvary Day (16-9)
9. Greater Atlanta Christian (15-12)
10. Trinity Christian (17-9)
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
