No 1 Seeds

Dougherty, White County

Upson-Lee, Monroe Area

Sandy Creek, Johnson-Savannah

Adairsville, Cross Creek

First Round Game(s) to Watch 

Hart County at Gilmer: This game will feature a pair of outstanding forwards. A bouncy, physical senior wing in Tahj Johnson for Hart County and a 7-foot sophomore in Jackson McVey for Gilmer. If you want to see some of the 3A stars, this is a great first round game to watch. 

Carver-Atlanta at Adairsville: Carver-Atlanta went 0-25 and made it to the state playoffs. I would love nothing more than to see them create all sorts of chaos by making it to Macon. 

The Most Interesting Quadrant

Based on the potential for a Johnson-Savannah and Sandy Creek matchup, the top right of the bracket is one that generates plenty of intrigue. 

The first round matchups are as follows: 

#3 Crisp County at #2 Jackson

#4 Hephzibah at #1 Johnson-Savannah

#3 Wesleyan at #2 Stephens County

#4 Ringgold at #1 Sandy Creek

Final Four Picks

Before the season, I predicted Cross Creek, Sandy Creek, Beach and Johnson-Savannah.

Beach: Beach has one of the best players in this tournament in Shamarrie Hugie. Simply having the best talent isn’t enough to win, and there are some other stars in this part of the bracket specifically, but Beach made the 3A final four last season before getting bounced by Cross Creek—don’t worry Bulldogs, Cross Creek does that to everyone—so they know what it takes to be successful at this point in the season. 

Cedar Grove: It would be an upset for anyone other than Monroe Area to make it to the final four because the Purple Hurricanes have been outstanding this season, but this is the time of year when upsets are king. If anyone is going to advance other than Monroe Area, it’s likely to be Cedar Grove because of their toughness and talent. Manny Green has been one of the best underclassmen in the state, and the Saints have been battle tested this season. They’ve taken their lumps at times, but they’ve also shown to be able to beat some great teams, which they’d have to do if matched up with Monroe Area in the second round. 

Johnson-Savannah: Oh boy, the potential for a Johnson-Savannah matchup against Sandy Creek in the elite eight? Yeah, sign me up for that. While Sandy Creek is a viable option to win it all, Johnson-Savannah has been outstanding this season. The March to Macon always sees teams from outside of the general Atlanta area thrive, and Johnson-Savannah is one of the teams from out in the state most likely to advance. Also, if you don’t pick in favor of a team called the Atomsmashers, what the hell are you even doing? 

Cross Creek: We’re picking Cross Creek to win 3A until proven otherwise. They’ve overcome giants in the past, and they’re good enough to do it again. 

The 2022-23 3A Champions are…

The Cross Creek Razorbacks. 

Look at the last two 3A championships. Cross Creek was face-to-face with multiple high-major prospects, including Jabari freakin’ Smith, and they still won. That’s the No. 3 pick they overcame. Until proven otherwise, we’re rockin’ with Cross Creek. No detailed analysis needed. They’ve gotten it done this time of year, and we’re giving them their respect.