The state's longest-running holiday tournament is set to begin on Wednesday at West Hall High School.
The three-day tournament begins at the West Hall, with Day 2 at Lakeview Academy and Day 3 at Johnson High School.
The fourth-seeded Cherokee Bluff girls will battle No. 5 Lakeview at 9 a.m. to tip off the 64th edition of the Lanierland Tournament. You can hear all the action live on 94.5 FM The Lake and streaming on accesswdun.com.
(CLICK ON THE PHOTO ABOVE TO VIEW LANIERLAND BRACKETS)
Much like last season's tournament opener with Cherokee Bluff and Flowery Branch, this year's could be the best girls' game of the day. Bluff may have the best guard combos in the area, with seniors Kaitlin Cook and Emma Reynolds, sophomore Claire Carlson and freshman Bristol Kersh. All four bring an outside threat and play-making ability to the court. Conversely, the Lady Lions have a solid combo of guards and post players, making them challenging to guard. Led by guard Dynesty Putman and post players Ashlyn Henderson and Taliah Gaither, the Lady Lions are also off to a hot start.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded Gainesville girls seek their second-straight Lanierland title and open against No. 9 seed Johnson. The Lady Red Elephants are in rebuild mode, starting the season 1-4. Still, though, with the return of Mattie White and Julia Payne, Big Red is still a favorite to win the tournament. As for the Lady Knights, they've already won more games this year than they did all season in 2022. Led by Destiny Ramirez, Marijane See, and Harbor Landers, Johnson could give Gainesville a fierce push late in the game.
After losing in the title game last season, No. 2 seed North Hall is in good shape to make the semifinals. Led by guards Athena Vachtsevanos and Martha Vachtsevanos and post player Genesis Satterfield, the Lady Trojans are playing well heading into the tournament. They'll face a rebuilding East Hall girls team led by guard Amari Burce. The Lady Vikings have only one win but have shown some promise in the first half of the season.
The Chestatee girls, who come in as the No. 3 seed, have been tabbed as a tournament favorite. After last season's finish, the Lady War Eagles come into the tournament with a chip on their shoulders and one of the best hybrid players in the tournament in Riley Black. Black is averaging 22.4 ppg and 11.3 rpg. They'll get the No. 6 seed Flowery Branch.
Flowery Branch has struggled in the first half of the season and is reloading. However, they have some key pieces in forwards Amiya Scott and Deniya Randolph, as well as guard Jayla Gudz.
The boys' side of the bracket could be the best it has been in some time.
No. 4 seed West Hall will battle No. 5 seed Flowery Branch to open the bracket. Both squads are under new head coaches and have had their ups and downs during the first half of the season. The Falcons are led by Jeremiah Ware, averaging nearly 20 points per game, and the Spartans have gotten solid play from guard Xavier Felix and postman Teryk Tilley. This one should be a tight battle.
Red-hot No. 3 seed Cherokee Bluff will face off against a surging No. 6 seed Lakeview at 1:30 p.m. This one has barnburner written all over it. Both teams come into the tournament on fire and have solid rosters. The Bears, led by Boston Kersh, Logan Holmes, Tyler Underwood, and Cooper Glover, head into the tournament on a five-game winning streak. The Lions have also finished the first half of the season strong, winning four of the last five games. Led by Mekhi Barber, Justyce Sadler, Brock Graham and Tayden Ware, the Lions are off to a strong start under new head coach Benjie Wood. You don't want to miss this one.
Rivals Chestatee, a seventh seed, and No. 2 seed North Hall fight each other for a spot in the semifinals. The Trojans knocked off Chestatee, 80-67, earlier this season, so the War Eagles will look to avenge that loss. Chestatee is led by one of the best guard-forward duos in the county. Joshua Bull averages 15 points per game and has big man Colton Wilbanks inside. Wilbanks is averaging close to 30 ppg and pulling nearly 13 rpg. They'll tip off at 4:30 p.m.
The nightcap is the most storied rivalry of the tournament as East Hall and Gainesville are set to battle for the coveted semifinal spot. Both squads are the winningest programs in tournament history. East Hall has 25 titles, and Gainesville has 24. The Red Elephants have won the last 6-of-7 titles but head into the tournament with many questions. With only one starter from last season, Ellis Pitts, Big Red heads into the tournament 0-9. Meanwhile, the Vikings are much improved from last season, heading in with a 6-2 record, and have a solid quartet of young talent leading the way. Sophomores Jamarcus Harrison and Chasen Jones, freshman Brayden Langston, and senior Chris Alford have jelled together in the first half of the season.
Nevertheless, when these two teams play each other, you want to be there.
FIRST ROUND LANIERLAND TOURNAMENT, Wednesday, Dec. 27.
BOYS BRACKET (at West Hall)
(4) West Hall vs. (5) Flowery Branch, 10:30 a.m.
(3) Cherokee Bluff vs. (6) Lakeview, 1:30 p.m.
(2) North Hall vs. (7) Chestatee, 4:30 p.m.
(1) Gainesville vs. (8) East Hall, 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS BRACKET (at West Hall)
(4) Cherokee Bluff vs. (5) Lakeview, 9 a.m.
(3) Chestatee vs. (6) Flowery Branch, 12 p.m.
(2) North Hall vs. (7) East Hall, 3 p.m.
(1) Gainesville vs. (9) Johnson, 6 p.m.
