A Baker’s Dozen (13) Northeast Georgia-area boys teams advanced to the Georgia High School Association state playoffs across its eight classifications.
And nearly all will face tough opening round games either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Chestatee is probably the biggest surprise among area teams, getting into the playoffs as a No. 4 seed from Region 8-4A with just 10 wins after upsetting Madison County in the region tournament. However, the War Eagles are one of nine teams overall in Class 4A to advance with a losing record.
They do face a tough opener on Wednesday against No. 8 Druid Hills on the road. But the War Eagles have snagged four road wins so far on the season and of their 14 losses, six have been by 5-points or fewer, and four by 3-points or less.
Buford in Class 6A also faces a monster first round showdown against Pope. Both teams are 21-game winners. If the Wolves can get past the Greyhounds, it won’t get any easier as they’ll likely see No. 8 Statesboro on the road.
North Forsyth in Class 7A hits the road against Collins Hill and former East Hall coach Joe Dix. Both teams face a tough quadrant that has the top two ranked teams (Pebblebrook and Milton) possibly waiting.
North Hall in Class 3A 1s the 7-3A champion and owns the fourth-most wins (23) in the field. But three other teams in the Trojans’ quadrant are 19-game winners and they could face two ranked teams into the quarterfinals if they can get past Redan on Tuesday.
Also in Class 3A, newcomer East Forsyth has a difficult draw. The Broncos head to No. 6 GAC and could face a ranked team in each round if they advance. White County, however, has a favorable draw. The Warriors face a tough No. 4-ranked Salem in the opening round, but they are 9-1 at home and would not face another ranked team until possibly the semifinals if they can get that far. Both teams play on Wednesday.
In Class 2A, No. 9 Rabun County already has set a new program-record with 22 wins and plays on Tuesday at home and is tied for the fifth-most wins in the classification. However, six of the eight teams in the Wildcats’ quadrant have won 14-or-more games, with three 20-game winners and four 19-game winners overall. And, No. 1 Pace Academy is on their half of the bracket as a possible semifinal showdown.
Check below for the entire schedule of first-round games for Northeast Georgia area boys teams:
1st ROUND BOYS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE, Tuesday, Feb. 22
CLASS 3A
Redan (Region 5, Seed 4) at North Hall (R7, S1), 7 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Therrell (R6, S4) at Rabun County (R8, S1), 7:30 p.m.
Banks County (R8, S3) at Columbia (R6, S2), 7:30 p.m.
CLASS A PUBLIC
Commerce (R8, S3) at Fulton Leadership (R6, S2), 7 p.m.
1st ROUND BOYS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE, Wednesday, Feb. 23
CLASS 7A
North Forsyth (R6, S3) at Collins Hill (R8, S2), 6 p.m.
CLASS 6A
Habersham Central (R8, S3) at Kell (R6, S2), 6 p.m.
Pope (R6, S3) at Buford (R8, S2), 6 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Chestatee (R8, S4) at Druid Hills (R6, S1), 7 p.m.
Mays (R1, S4) at Jefferson (R8, S1), 7:30 p.m.
CLASS 3A
East Forsyth (R7, S3) at GAC (R5, S2), 6 p.m.
Salem (R5, S3) at White County (R7, S2), 6 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Lovett (R6, S3) at Union County (R8, S2), 6 p.m.
CLASS A PUBLIC
Bowden (R6, S3) at Towns County (R8, S2), 6 p.m.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2022/2/1079661/boys-basketball-playoffs-2-22-22