Girls basketball playoffs: Banks Co., Lumpkin Co., Buford headed to Final 4; GHS, Dawson, Towns, CHS fall

Lumpkin County is still alive to defend its Class 3A title. Buford is back in a familiar spot in the state semifinals, this time in Class 7A. But Banks County stole the show making history on Tuesday night in the Georgia High School Association quarterfinals.

Banks County, making its first quarterfinal appearance since 2018, knocked off Central-Macon, 61-56, in the Class 2A playoffs at home. The win pushed the Lady Leopards (27-3) into their first Final 4 in the modern era and their first since 1965.

Kamryn Grier poured in 22 points, and Addison Hoard scored all 16 of hers in the second half for Banks County. But it was the defense in the last 1:29 that was the difference.

Trailing 55-54, the Lady Leopards turned two Central-Macon turnovers into baskets, and Hoard drained a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to send them into history.

“We felt this was our best group since that 2018 team, and we really thought we could get to this point,” Banks County coach Steve Shedd. “The girls didn’t let the moment get too big for them. They really stepped up and made some plays there at the end.

“But it really didn’t hit me until I was driving home. We’re just super excited about getting to (the semifinals).”

Banks County will take on Augusta powerhouse Josey at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Georgia College in Milledgeville for a shot at their first-ever state championship game.

Meanwhile, Lumpkin County continued its rampage through Class 3A. The Lady Indians ran their state playoff win streak to 8 with an impressive 63-48 road win over Cross Creek. It was the third straight postseason the two programs have met, with the road team winning all three. The first two were in the semifinals.

Lumpkin County, the No. 2 seed from Region 7-3A, will take on Calvary Day at 6 p.m. on Friday at Fort Valley State.

Buford, playing in the state’s largest classification for the first time, is showing no signs of being intimidated. The Lady Wolves set the tone early as they rolled past North Paulding, 66-42, for their third playoff win by 20 or more points. The Lady Wolves led 21-9 after the first quarter and 51-29 at the end of the third. Ava Grace Watson had another big night for the Lady Wolves with a game-high 34 points. Lydia Ledford added 12, and Taylor Ramano scored 11. Buford will await the Archer-Norcross winner in Saturday’s 2 p.m. showdown at Georgia State. Those two teams meet on Wednesday in Norcross.

While those three managed to move on, four others saw their playoff runs end on Tuesday.

Gainesville battled defending Class 6A state champion Lovejoy in the first quarter and trailed 10-8 with 2:24 left in the opening period. But Lovejoy outscored Gainesville 33-9 in the last 10 minutes of the first half to grab a commanding 43-17 lead en route to a 79-34 loss in Hampton. The Lady Red Elephants were the surprise team of the playoffs as the only No. 4 seed to make it out of the first round. It was their best playoff run since 2015. Keidra Young led the Lady Red Elephants with 16 points, and Keke Jones had 8. 

Chestatee ran into a similar fate, dropping a 66-47 decision to No. 2 Griffin at the Lynn Cottrell Center in Class 4A. The Lady War Eagles held the lead twice against the Lady Bears -- the first time they had trailed in the postseason --, but a big Griffin run in the third quarter blew open a close game.

Caroline Bull led the way for Chestatee with 19 points. Riley Black was held to 12 by a tenacious Griffin defense.

There won't be another Lumpkin County-Dawson County game this season as Calvary Day knocked out fellow 7-3A rival Dawson County, 59-32, in Savannah. Calvary Day opened the game on an 18-6 run, but the Lady Tigers held Calvary Day to just four points in the second quarter to close the gap, 22-14 by halftime. Calvary Day, however, came out hot in the second half, taking a 41-21 lead to pace the win. Eva Bishop led the Lady Tigers with 10 points.

Towns County also saw its best playoff run since 2014 cut short in a 56-41 loss to Clinch County on the road.