It has been a banner postseason for Northeast Georgia-area girls basketball teams. Eight teams are still left in either the quarterfinal or semifinal rounds of their respective classifications.
For perspective, last year, just four area teams advanced to the Elite 8 round, although three -- Lumpkin County (Class 3A), Rabun County (2A), Commerce (A Public) -- would make the semifinals. Two of those -- Lumpkin County and Rabun County -- advanced to championship games, with the Lady Indians capturing the 3A state title.
All but one of the current eight teams have been here before at some point in their program histories. However, four of the teams left have never advanced to a championship game.
The only team left of the eight that has never made it this far in any postseason run is Chestatee in Class 4A. Every win at this point is new territory for the eighth-ranked Lady War Eagles. They are making their first-ever quarterfinal appearance. The last Hall County girls team to make the Final 4 was North Hall in 2020 in Class 3A.
Lady War Eagles’ coach Sutton Shirley said after last week’s huge win at home over No. 6 Stockbridge (66-56), they were excited, but they also wanted more.
“It feels really, really good to finally get here,” Shirley said about the Elite 8. “But we’re ready to go and try to make some history (next week). This group is a little different because they’ve won at every level they’ve played at. They are a confident group that feels they can win every game.”
Chestatee (23-7) takes on a second-ranked Griffin team on Tuesday at Lynn Cottrell Center that is into the Elite 8 round for the fourth time since 2017. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. You can hear the action live on WDUN AM 550 and 102.9 FM.
“(Griffin) is a similar team to Stockbridge,” Shirley said. “We will have to play solid defense and handle their pressure. We’ve talked about the Final 4, but we’re just preparing for Griffin right now.”
The Class 2A No. 3 Banks County girls have not been to the quarterfinal round since 2018, which was the first time for the program at that time since 1980. The Lady Leopards have not advanced to the Final 4 since 1965.
They will get that chance at 6 p.m. when the Lady Leopards (26-3) play host to second-ranked Central-Macon (28-1) in the quarterfinals.
Banks County coach Steve Shedd said they have already checked several season goals. Making the program’s first Final 4 in the sport's modern era would be massive.
"To get to a (Final 4) in today’s game, that would be a huge, huge accomplishment for us,” he said. “It would mean a lot to the coaches and players and to the community. We have great fan support, and they are a big reason why we’re here.”
Banks County has trounced its first two playoff opponents (Murray County and North Cobb Christian) by an average of 25.5 points. The Lady Chargers will most certainly be their biggest challenge to date. Central-Macon has won 26 straight since its only loss to Griffin, a Class 4A quarterfinalist.
“I hate that a matchup like this happens at this point in the playoffs,” Shedd said. “Both teams have been playing well all season, and really this is probably more like a Final 4 or a finals type of game. But sometimes, that’s the way it ends up, so you just have to get ready to play.
“Both teams play tremendous defense, so I think the challenge for both will be finding ways to score and taking advantage of those opportunities. It will be nice being at home for this one. Our crowd, I think, is usually worth an extra 5 to 10 points, and they may be the difference for us. We can’t wait to get going.”
Class 3A defending state champion Lumpkin County is into the Elite 8 for a third consecutive season and is looking for a third straight trip to the Final 4. They will take on Cross Creek for the third straight postseason, the second straight time on the road in Augusta. The two teams met in the semifinals in each of the last two seasons, with the road team taking both wins.
Can the third-ranked Lady Indians (24-4) win the rubber match? They hammered No. 5 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 66-32 in the second round on the road.
The Gainesville girls have been here before, but it’s been a while. The Lady Red Elephants are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. However, the Lady Red Elephants have not advanced to a Final 4 since winning back-to-back state titles in 2003 and 2004 with Tasha Humphrey.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. You can hear the action live on 94.5 FM The Lake.
The Lakeview Academy girls, playing in the GIAA now, are in the Final 4 for the first time since making the 2017 Class A Private semifinals in the GHSA. They also made the Class A semifinals in 2005. However, they have never advanced to a championship game. They take on Deerfield-Windsor at the University of West Georgia on Wednesday.
After seven straight trips to the Final 4 and accumulating five state titles along the way, the Buford girls have not made it past the quarterfinals since a title run in 2020. However, they are into the Class 7A quarterfinals and face North Paulding at The Buford Arena.
Dawson County is into the Elite 8 for the first time since 2019 and is looking for its first Final 4 since finishing as state runner-up in 2013. The Lady Tigers will travel to Calvary Day down in Savannah.
Towns County is making its first quarterfinal appearance since 2014 and is trying to get into the Final 4 for the first time since 2013. The Lady Indians head to Clinch County for a spot in the semifinals.
GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT, Quarterfinal round, Tuesday, Feb. 28
Class 7A
North Paulding (Region 3, Seed 2) at Buford (R8, S1), 6 p.m
Class 6A
Gainesville (R8, S4) at Lovejoy (R3, S3), 6:30 p.m. (AM 1240 & FM 94.5 The Lake)
Class 4A
Griffin (R2, S2) at Chestatee (R8, S1), 6:30 p.m. (WDUN AM 550 & FM 102.9)
Class 3A
Dawson County (R7, S3) at Calvary Day (R3, S1), 6 p.m.
Lumpkin County (R7, S2) at Cross Creek (R4, S1), 6 p.m.
Class 2A
Central-Macon (R2, S1) at Banks County (R8, S1), 6 p.m.
Class A Division 2
Towns County (R8, S2) at Clinch County (R2, S2), 6 p.m.
GIAA GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT, Wednesday, March 1
Class 3A semifinals
Lakeview Academy (5) vs. Deerfield-Windsor (1) at West Georgia University, 7:30 p.m.
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