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Highlights from Berkmar's 71-53 sweet 16 win over Hillgrove
Highlights from Berkmar's 71-53 sweet 16 win over Hillgrove

Georgia high school boys basketball playoffs: Breaking down the quarterfinal matchups in all classifications

There are several state championship-quality matchups this week, but teams still need three more wins to take the trophy in Macon.

By Darren Nichols | Photo and video by Jamie Spaar

It's down to the elite eight in Georgia high school boys basketball.

Here's a classification-by-classification breakdown of what's on tap this week across the state.

Class A Private

Galloway breezed past Deerfield-Windsor in the sweet 16 by 23 points. Anthony Arrington played a huge role in the win with 21 points and nine rebounds. Greenforest extended its win streak to 21 games after taking down Tallulah Falls by 46 points. Greenforest has been unstoppable for the majority of the season, but Galloway has played some phenomenal basketball behind the play of Anthony and Amir Arrington.

To watch: North Cobb Christian has looked good thus far with double-digit wins in both games, including a 37-point victory last week. King’s Ridge has won 12 of its last 13 games and will look to take down Cavalry Day, which is on a seven-game win streak. First Presbyterian Day will look to extend its win streak to 20 games against a talented St. Francis squad.

Class A Public

This is one of the best elite eight matchups this season, and maybe of the past couple of seasons. This is a matchup you would expect to see in the championship game. Both squads have dominated every opponent they’ve faced. The postseason hasn’t been any different, as Social Circle has 107-25 and 114-36 victories, while Calhoun County has 97-65 and 101-58 victories. It is highly likely that the Class A Public champion will come from this matchup.

To watch: Dublin will look to increase its win streak to 25 games with a win over Warren County, but Lorenzo Johnson and Warren County’s 14-game win streak will try to say otherwise. Manchester will face Towns County seeking its 28th win, which would be the most in a season since 2006. Drew Charter has a 28-1 record, with its only loss being against Grayson three months ago, and will face Wilkinson County.

Class 2A

Early County might not be the team you'd expect to be featured, but it has become the Cinderella story of the postseason. Early County started its season by losing six of its first seven games and then never strung together a long streak of wins. Now the Bobcats have two wins in the playoffs and find themselves in the elite eight. Westside, on the other hand, has had one of its best seasons to date. The Patriots have three scorers in Jalex Ewing, Khalon Hudson and Amauri Tillman who are all averaging over 15 points per game. Westside has to be favored, but don’t sleep on Early County.

To watch: Vidalia is one of the favorites in 2A with a 27-1 record, and it will face Northeast. Butler will take on Washington County after defeating reigning champs Pace Academy in the sweet 16.

Class 3A

Sumter County has won 25 out of its last 26 games. The Panthers will try to maintain their hot streak and reach the final four for the second time in three years. Windsor Forest has won nine of its last 10 games. The Knights have played a tough schedule, including teams in 7A and out-of-state competition. Windsor Forest will try to use that experience to its advantage to halt Sumter’s hot streak.

To watch: The reigning 3A champs in Cross Creek will take on Groves, which has Jerald Colonel, who averages a double-double and six blocks a game. The winner of that matchup will face Johnson (Savannah) or Thomson. Thomson is having one of its best seasons in recent memory at 22-3.

Class 4A

McDonough earned an opportunity to go back to the final four but has to get through Druid Hills. McDonough has made easy work thus far of its playoff opponents, winning the two games by a combined 66 points. Druid Hills has had a remarkable turnaround, as this is the most wins the Red Devils have had in a season since 2006. Druid Hills has been playing some phenomenal basketball and has a great chance to go to the final four this season.

To watch: Jefferson (25-3) vs. Westover (23-3) is another great matchup that will definitely have a championship atmosphere to it. Marist is coming off a performance of the ages, taking down the reigning champs in Baldwin by 20 points. Marist will face Monroe in the elite eight, and Monroe has won 19 of its last 20 games. Spencer has been one of the best 4A teams all season and has as good a chance as any to become state champs. If Spencer can get past Dougherty, it will play the winner of Jefferson and Westover.

Class 5A

Chapel Hill and Tri-Cities are both looking to get back to the final four after their magical runs last season. Chapel Hill doubled down on last year’s success and has its most wins since the 2006 season, and the Panthers are looking as dangerous as ever. Tri-Cities has also continued its success from last season and is on a nine-game win streak.

To watch: Eagle's Landing will take on Hiram and will not be satisfied with anything less than a state title after winning it all last season. Jonesboro and Loganville both shook off rough starts to their seasons and find themselves with chances to inch closer to a state title. Woodland and Calhoun will match up, with the winner being one of the big surprises of the final four across all classifications.

Class 6A

Grovetown will face off against reigning champ Wheeler. Grovetown is having an exceptional season, especially considering that three years ago the team won only three games. Although Wheeler is the reigning champ and has made it known that it is one of the top teams in the state, Grovetown has faced its fair share of tough competition and come out on top consistently.

To watch: Carrollton will take on Buford, and while the Wolves have the record advantage, Carrollton has had a three-game span in which it defeated Alexander, Centennial and Evans. Kell beat Habersham Central and Tucker to get here and will now face Sequoyah, which has won its last eight games.

Class 7A

Pebblebrook has been the No. 1-ranked team in the SBLive Georgia Top 25 for weeks and is nationally ranked in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25. The Falcons are undefeated against in-state opponents and on a 20-game win streak. Pebblebrook will have its hands full with the reigning 7A state champs. Milton had a few more losses earlier in the season than it probably wanted but has been red hot since. One of those losses was to Pebblebrook in a game where the Falcons had their way with Milton. This should be one of the best games of the season with a championship game atmosphere.

To watch: Class 7A has exciting matchups across the board. North Gwinnett and Norcross will link up in a battle of opponents that lived in the top 10 of our rankings all season. North Gwinnett’s RJ Godfrey and Norcross’ London Johnson will be two of the state's biggest stars going head to head. Grayson will match up against Berkmar, with both teams playing some great basketball, and the winner will face the winner of Newton and Archer. 

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