It was another stellar night for most Northeast Georgia area girls basketball teams in the second round of the Georgia High School state playoffs.
Eight of the 11 area teams punched their ticket to the quarterfinals and will continue the March to Macon next week.
Banks County, Buford, Chestatee, Lumpkin County, Dawson County, Lakeview Academy and Towns County all won home. At the same time, Gainesville rallied back on the road to advance.
Meanwhile, East Forsyth, Habersham Central, North Forsyth and Rabun County were eliminated on Friday.
In Class 7A, Ava Grace Watson scored 31 points, and Taylor Romano had 18 to lead Buford past Cherokee 72-52 at the Buford Arena on Friday.
In Class 6A, Gainesville rallied back to beat Woodstock 63-61 on the road. Julia Payne led the Lady Red Elephants with 16 points, and Keidra Young finished with 13. In Coal Mountain, North Forsyth couldn't get past Sequoyah in a 59-46 loss, and Kyia Barrett led Habersham Central with 11 points in the 51-27 loss at Langston Hughes.
In Class 4A, Chestatee's Riley Black scored 34 points to lead the Lady War Eagles to a 66-56 win over Stockbridge and a first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals next week. In Locust Grove, Ga., East Forsyth fell to Luella 89-29.
In Class 3A, No. 2 seed Lumpkin County found its offense. Averie Jones scored 24 points, including 18 from the 3-point line and pulled 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Indians in the blowout 66-32 win at top-seeded Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. Both Kate Jackson and Mary Mullinax turned in double-double performances. Jackson had 15 points and 13 boards, while Mullinax had 14 and 13 rebounds. Lexi Pierce added 11 points.
Meanwhile, Dawson County jumped out to a 10-1 lead early in the first quarter, but Adairsville stormed back to cut it to 26-22 late in the first half. Dawson County, however, pulled away in the third quarter, holding Adairsville to no field goals until the 3:50 mark of the game. Dawson County built a 49-24 advantage to roll to the win. Abby Slaton and Kendra Coker led the Lady Tigers with 15 points each.
In Class 2A, Banks County rolled over North Cobb Christian 53-35 at home to advance to the Elite 8. It was the Lady Leopards' 19th win in a row. Kamryn Grier and Carley Segars led Banks County with 12 points each, and Addison Hoard and Ryleigh Murphy had 9 each.
In Class A Division 1, Rabun County fell in a heartbreaker, 51-50, to Oglethorpe on the road. Mili Watts led the Lady Wildcats with 16 points, Ellie Southards had 14, and Lucy Hood chipped in 12.
In Class A Division 2, Towns County advanced to its first quarterfinals since 2014 with a 66-57 win at home over Chattahoochee County. Brelan Sieveking led the Lady Indians with 18 points. Laura Mauldin added 12 points in the win.
In the Georgia Independent Athletic Association playoffs, Lakeview Academy advanced to the semifinals with a 50-41 win over John Millege Academy. Dynasty Putman led the Lady Lions with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Taliah Gaither had 16 points and 9 rebounds.
GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT SCORES 2nd round, Friday, Feb. 24
Class 7A
Buford 72, Cherokee 52
Class 6A
Gainesville 63, Woodstock 61
Hughes 51, Habersham Central 27
Sequoyah 59, North Forsyth 46
Class 4A
Luella 89, East Forsyth 29
Chestatee 66, Stockbridge 56
Class 3A
Dawson County 58, Adairsville 37
Lumpkin County 66, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 32
Class 2A
Banks County 53, New Creation Christian 35
Class A Division 1
Oglethorpe County 51, Rabun County 50
Class A Division 2
Towns County 66, Chattahoochee County 57
GIAA Class 3A
Lakeview Academy 50, John Milledge Academy 41
BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE 2nd round, Saturday, Feb. 25
Class 2A
Union County (R8, S2) at Columbia (R5, S1), 7 p.m.
Class A Division 1
King's Ridge (R6, S4) at Rabun County (R8, S2), 4 p.m.
GIAA Class 3A
Lakeview Academy (9) vs. St. Andrew's (1), 7:30 p.m.
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