HoopSeen GHSA Elite 8 Recap
Elite 8 matchups are always a special moment for Georgia high school programs across the state as gyms are packed, stakes are high, & players are playing in the last game of the season on their individual campuses as Final 4 & State Titles are played on neutral sites. Our team was out and about at multiple games across the state & here's what we saw:
PACE ACADEMY IN A FAMILIAR POSITION:
Pace Academy earned their way back to the Final 4 Wednesday night with a 53-45 win against a tough SW Dekalb team. Leading the way down the stretch was Jaydon Avery who had multiple clutch baskets to put the game away. Avery is Ivy League-bound after announcing his commitment to the Penn football program last month. He finished with 14p 8a in the win.
2027 Gavin Fountain led Pace in scoring with 15p 5r in the win. Over the season, Fountain has shown consistent improvement and has put himself in a position to be a leader on this squad that is 2 games away from a State Championship. Fountain should be a hot name in the 2027 class on the travel scene this spring.
Multiple Atlanta Public Schools Reach Final 4:
Therrell, KIPP, & Douglass all reach the Final 4 in their respective classifications in a great night for Atlanta Public School basketball. Therrell took down Hart County to reach a Final 4 behind Coach Sorrell who has done a great job with this group as they got hot down the stretch of the Regular Season and has carried it through the playoffs.
Kipp Atlanta battled South Atlanta in a cross-town matchup that was Standing Room-only at South Atlanta High School. 2027 Akil Robinson of KIPP Atlanta looks like the next Division 1 Guard prospect out of the city and led the Warriors to a 64-52 victory to lead them to a Final 4 matchup this Friday.
Douglass took down South Georgia's Dougherty 70-49 behind a 30-ball by 2026 Cameron Niles. 2027 Malachi Edgell put together an all-around performance & finished with 8p 9r 4a 5s.
Double Overtime Thriller at Holy Innocents:
The opposing Christian Heritage squad out of Northwest Georgia in Dalton gave Holy Innocents all they could handle in a 93-89 THRILLER that took two overtimes to decide it. 3 guys for HIES finished with 20+; Devin Hutcherson - 29p 13r, Khalid Worthy - 25p 10r, Jaden McCullough - 21p 7r 8a.
While all 3 of those Holy Innocents guys put on great performances to lead their team to a W, Christian Heritage's Nigel Broome used the primetime game on a stage in Atlanta to put on a show. Nigel finished with 33p after not scoring at all in Q1 and received an offer from in-town Clark Atlanta University shortly after the game. The 2027 Broome looks forward to travel season now where he'll be lacing it up with the Georgia Canes & surely will be one of the more talked about Guard prospects this spring.
St. Pius X uses Home-Court Advantage to get past North Oconee:
St. Pius X Catholic High School is known for having one of the best home-court advantages in High School basketball and when they won the coin flip to host North Oconee in the Elite 8, many knew it'd be a tough place for the 2x defending State Champion Titans to walk into and get a win.
Clemson-commit & one of the most popular names this high school season, Harris Reynolds put on another performance for the rowdy St. Pius X crowd finishing with 38p in the victory that featured multiple show-stopping dunks.
Sharpshooter Westin Keppen stepped up in the biggest game of the year so far and finished with 14p in the victory. Starting off the game, Keppen was 3 for 3 from deep and made North Oconee defenders consistently pay for giving him space.
Cobb County SWEEPS Gwinnett Schools in the AAAAAA Quarterfinals:
In an Elite 8 lineup for AAAAAA that featured exclusively Cobb v Gwinnett matchups, the Cobb County schools in those matchups went 4-0 as they each took down their Gwinnett opponent.
Wheeler 70, North Gwinnett 48
McEachern 93, Peachtree Ridge 69
- 2027 Chase Lumpkin had 33p in another performance showing why he has emerged as one of the top names nationally.
Hillgrove 63, Grayson 61
- 2027 Asa Montgomery was impressive tonight for Hillgrove as he looked like the best player on the floor in the victory as finished with a game-high 24p. Physical Forward who attacks the rim and showed off some elite athleticism throughout the game
Pebblebrook 65, Meadowcreek 55
An All-Cobb County Final 4 awaits us at Georgia State awaits us this weekend as we'll see Hillgrove take on Pebblebrook & Wheeler take on McEachern for a chance to play for a state championship in Macon the following weekend.
Southwest Macon takes down Model in OT:
In Middle Georgia, SW Macon pulled out a close OT win against Model, 62-60 to advance to the Class A Div 1 Final 4.
The 6'3" Senior Unsigned Guard Chase Dupree has a great frame and has attracted the interest of multiple Junior College coaches across the region. Tonight, he finished with 19p in the win and led the way for SW Macon in a big home victory.
Caron "CJ" Howard was also vital in the win and finished with 13p. The floor general showed his ability to play through contact, his ability to make great reads and decisions on the ball, and a shot that makes him a threat if given any space.
