Top 10 games to watch in Georgia high school girls basketball: Top teams take the court for first round of playoffs

By Michael Hebert | Photo by

Top teams such as Brookwood, Grayson, Woodward Academy, Mount Paran and St. Francis have dominated throughout the regular season and now get ready to embark on potential title runs. 

Note: GHSA has not yet released game times for several first-round matchups.

10.(Class 7A) Cherokee (21-5) vs. Duluth (12-9), Tuesday 

Cherokee kept a 12-game winning streak going by winning the Class 7A Region 5 championship with a 71-54 win over Woodstock. The Warriors have turned it on in the latter half of the season and are a team to watch in Class 7A. The Warriors will look to stay hot against Duluth on Tuesday. 

9. (Class 6A) North Forsyth (23-3) vs. North Gwinnett (14-11), 7 p.m. Tuesday

Keep an eye out for North Forsyth, on a 12-game winning streak and the only team in the state to beat River Ridge this season. In fact, North Forsyth hasn’t lost any in-state games this season. The Raiders are playing some of their best basketball at the best possible time and are a threat to win state. 

8. (Class A Private) Mount Paran (20-4) vs. Wesleyan (13-9), Tuesday

Mount Paran is one of several teams that has enough talent to win state in Class A Private. And like St. Francis and the others, Mount Paran has run through the competition. Any team can be beaten, however, so the Eagles will have to be careful to not look past anyone and start looking ahead, because the Eagles have to deal with a solid Wesleyan team on Tuesday. 

7.(Class A Private) St. Francis (21-3) vs. Athens Academy (15-10), Tuesday

St. Francis, like some of its counterparts in Class A Private, made quick work of the Region 6 tournament in beating Fellowship Christian. Athens Academy got in the playoffs after a turnaround throughout the season, but will have to pull off a big upset to advance against St. Francis. 

6.(Class 3A) Lumpkin County vs. Redan (17-9), 7 p.m. Wednesday

Lumpkin County’s only loss this season came in the third game of the season to Buford, a Class 6A school. The Indians have dominated Class 3A, and Class 3A Region 7, as Lumpkin County beat East Forsyth 66-51 to claim the region title. Lumpkin County hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down this season, and now they’ll have to bring that to playoffs, starting with a first-round matchup with a pesky Redan team. 

5. (Class 6A) Buford (22-4) vs. Osborne (15-9), Tuesday 

Buford came up a bit short in the Class 6A Region 8 tournament, losing to Dacula 55-52 on Feb. 18. The loss snapped a 14-game winning streak for the Wolves, who were making noise in Class 6A. Buford still is a key team to watch going forward this postseason and will look to back to its winning ways in a first-round matchup with Osborne. 

4. (Class 6A) Kell (24-2) vs. Winder-Barrow (21-6), Tuesday

Kell is another one of those top teams that have seemingly dominated all year, yet the Longhorns have started to get tested late in the season. Kell had to squeak by Sprayberry 60-53 in overtime to win the Class 6A Region 6 championship and keep the winning streak, now up to 12 games, intact. The Longhorns will be facing a good Winder-Barrow team that has won two out of its last three games. 

3. (Class 7A) Brookwood (21-4) vs. East Coweta (15-9), Tuesday

Brookwood has been one of the best teams in Georgia this season. Although the Rams gave Brookwood trouble throughout the season, Brookwood got the win when it mattered, a 55-52 victory over Grayson for the Class 7A Region 4 championship. Brookwood looks to ride that momentum into a first-round matchup with a solid East Coweta team. 

2.(Class 6A) River Ridge (26-1) vs. Dalton (21-7), Tuesday

River Ridge has been almost unbeatable this season. The Knights are on a 19-game winning streak, with their only loss this season being a 63-58 loss to North Forsyth on Dec. 11. With such domination in the regular season, it's easy to think the Knights will keep rolling in Class 6A, yet Dalton has had a great season, reaching 20-plus wins. 

1. (Class 7A) Grayson (20-5) vs. McEachern (17-9), Tuesday

In what could be one of the best games of the first round and potentially all week, Grayson has a big test in the first round against the Indians. The Rams fell to Brookwood in the Class 7A Region 4 championship while McEachern lost to East Coweta in the Class 7A Region 4 tournament 54-48. Both of these teams have played like a top team at points throughout the season, making for what should be a great game.