2019-20 GHSA Basketball Semifinals

CLASS A-PUBLIC CLASS A-PRIVATE BY CRAIG SAGER II BY SETH ELLERBEE

Top seed Central-Talbotton is 26-1 and its only loss was avenged when the Hawks defeated Greenville 60-34 and 58-29 following it. The Hawks have dominated both of its playoff contests following a first-round bye— toppling Dooly County 69-33 and Georgia Military 56-23 on Tuesday. Bernyla Sparks (17), Shakemia Marshall (12), Ty’Shemia Bunkley (11) and Noddia Horton (10) all notched double-figures in the quarterfinal win. The Hawks will take on No. 4 seed Calhoun County, which carries an 18-game winning streak into the matchup. On the other side of the bracket No. 10 seed Turner County will take on No. 3 seeded Wheeler County. Turner County, which last won a state crown in 2016, advanced to this year’s semis following an impressive 65-54 road victory over No. 2 Clinch County in the quarters. Wheeler County sits a pair of victories away from winning the program’s first-ever state title and is 29-1 with its only defeat coming to Calvary Day (53-48) back on Dec. 7. The Bulldogs have won 21-straight games since, including a 62-47 win over Calvary Day in the region tournament. GIRLS

St. Francis is back in the semifinals again and hoping to punch through after losing to Wesleyan 66-52 in last season’s semifinal round. The Knights are coming off a 72-66 victory over Mount Paran in the quarterfinals. Senior Savannah Samuel averages 21 ppg, Amirah Abdur Rahim is scoring 14 ppg and junior Mia Moore averages 13 ppg. Wesleyan, which won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, is in the semifinals after a 51-38 victory over Stratford Academy. In the quarterfinals, Avyonce Carter notched 20 points and 10 rebounds and was matched by junior Alyssa Phillip. On the other side of the bracket, defending champion Holy Innocents’ comes off an 81-39 victory over Eagle’s Landing Christian. The Golden Bears were led by junior center Jillian Hollingshed, who scored 17 points with nine rebounds. Undefeated Hebron Christian stands in the way of the Golden Bears in the semis. Junior guard Nicole Azar led with 20 points, four assists and three steals against Greenforest in the quarters. Junior Malia Fished scored 16 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks blocked shots while Carly Heidger scored 16 points to go with 11 rebounds. GIRLS BY GRAHAM DAVID

No. 1 seed Treutlen followed a first-round bye with an 88-69 win over Warren County before Wednesday’s 78-77 win over Lincoln County. The victory improved Treutlen’s record to 29-0 and has them a win away from returning to the finals where they fell short to Calhoun County 69-67 a year ago. Treutlen faces Terrell County, which is coming off an impressive 73-55 win over Dooly County. Terrell County led by as much as 31-10 before heading into the half with a 45-34 lead. Senior Jamarkeis Allen made four three-pointers during Terrell County’s explosive second quarter and finished with a team-high 19 points. Hancock Central gets set to battle Wilcox County after defeating defending champion Calhoun County 68-53 in the quarterfinals. Wilcox County enters the matchup with a perfect 27-0 record after topping Wilkinson County 96-94 in overtime on Wednesday. Wilcox County led 57-47 heading into the fourth quarter, but allowed Wilkinson County to score a 39-29 fourth-quarter advantage to force overtime. Either Wilkinson County or Calhoun County has won every Class A-Public state title since it was introduced in 2013—opening up an opportunity for the remaining field. BOYS

Defending state champion St. Francis enters the semifinals riding a 14-game winning streak including a 62-56 victory over Holy Innocents’ in the quarterfinals. Four-star point guard Dwon Odon, a Xavier-signee, leads the Knights and is averaging 20 points per game. Junior Jusaun Holt averages 13 points per game and senior Chase Ellis averages 11. Mount Pisgah outlasted Walker 71-62 in overtime to earn its semifinal berth after it lost in the second round last season. Across the bracket, Greenforest returns to the semifinals after a 68-50 victory over Pinecrest Academy in the quarterfinals. Against Pinecrest, Chase Cromier led with 22 points, senior Lamar Oden scored 13 and Jalen Forrest scored 13. Senior Christian Fussell is averaging 15 points per game and scored 11 points against Pinecrest. After losing to Wesleyan 47-46 in the first round last season, Trinity Christian is in the semifinals after a 59-52 victory over North Cobb Christian in the quarters. Junior guard Isaac Brito led the Lions in the quarterfinals with 14 points, with 10 points in the first half. Against North Cobb Christian, Raul Arias scored 16 Brady Burnett scored 15 and Sharmari Reed added 13 points. BOYS