Keep East Hall or Gainesville from winning the title.
The Class AAA third-ranked Knights will play No. 1 East Hall in the first semifinal at 5:30 p.m. at the North Hall gym while the Spartans will play No. 4 Gainesville at 8:30.
The loser's bracket games will be played Thursday night at the East Hall gym with Flowery Branch taking on North Hall at 5:30 p.m. and Chestatee playing Lakeview Academy at 8:30.
Not since North Hall pulled off the feat in 1993 has a team other than the Vikings or Elephants won the title. In fact, only twice since 1974 has anyone other than East Hall or Gainesville won the trophy. Johnson won it in 1988.
"Those teams have had the tradition and have always been strong," said Tournament Director Greg Williams, who was the coach of that 1993 team and played on North Hall's 1974 championship under now-Gainesville coach Jerry Davis. "We had a good team that year and were able to win it."
Since North Hall's title win 10 years ago, East Hall has won eight of nine titles. Gainesville snapped a seven-year Vikings streak in 2001.
This year will be no different in being a challenge to knock off either or both East Hall or Gainesville.
The Vikings (7-1) have won six-straight since losing to No. 5 Banneker in the Pepsi Shootout tournament last month. Gainesville (9-2) have won eight straight.
If the Knights or Spartans can pull off the upset, it would be the third different champion in the last three years. The Elephants won the title in 2001 and East Hall won it last year.
What are the odds of that happening? In the 44-year history of the tournament, only five times have different teams won in three consecutive years. It's only happened twice since 1975.
The last time was between 1992-94 when Gainesville, North Hall and East Hall won in succession. Before that, 1988-90 when Johnson, Gainesville and East Hall won.
Overall, Gainesville has won 18 boys titles, which is one better than East Hall with 17. After that North Hall has five, South Hall two and Johnson (formerly South Hall) one.
West Hall, which was formed in 1988, has never won it.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/12/167132