^5ANo. 3 McIntosh (8-1) at ^4ANo. 6 Sandy Creek (7-2)

Possibly the most experienced team in the entire state, No. 3 McIntosh, will lean on a pair of SOCON signees. Jordan Lyons (Furman) can pull from anywhere on the court and is averaging 21.4 points per game. Will Washington is likely the best pure point guard in the state that has yet to commit to a school. He averages 16 points and 9.3 assists and is fully healthy after breaking his wrist in the state playoffs. Dishon Lowery (Wofford) posts double-doubles on a nightly basis with 10.6 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks a game. Chase Walter is a Spartanburg Methodist College signee for baseball and patrols the paint inside at 6-foot-6. Coach Anthony McKissic turns his Sandy Creek Patriots loose behind Gardner-Webb signee Christian Turner. The bulldog of a point guard ignites the offense averaging 17.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 5.2 steals per game. Highly touted junior forward Elias Harden loves to shoot the deep ball, but he is better when attacking the rim. At 6-foot-6 he leads Sandy Creek in scoring with 22 points per game and adds 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 steals. AJ Freeman (12.3 points) stretches the court with his three-point shooting while Evan Jester posts a double-double at 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds. Shotblocker Keith Heard II will need to stay out of foul trouble to continue to swat shots (3.4 blocks) at a high rate.

1A: No. 4 SWAC (5-3) at No. 2 St. Francis (7-2)

Two stars go head-to-head with De’Andre Ballard of No. 4 Southwest Atlanta Christian clashing with No. 2 St. Francis’ Kobi Simmons. All the focus will be on stopping these two stars meaning the role players will be the deciding factor. If that is the case, the Knights will have the upper hand. Anthony Showell and Chance Anderson are two nice pieces for Coach Drew Catlett to place around Simmons, who is averaging 27.4 points per game. Showell is a senior guard that is second on the team in scoring at 13.7 points and leads the team with 4.2 assists per game. Anderson is paramount piece for St. Francis’ success. In a 96-94 win over Pebblebrook at Adidas Xplosion, he scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and notched six assists. On the year the 6-foot-6 forward is averaging just under 11 points per game and 7.7 rebounds. Ballard shoulders much of the load for the Warriors, pitching in 22.5 points and 8.9 rebounds a night. Coach Tony Robinson’s team might be a year away from contending for a deep playoff run as his roster sports one senior, seven juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen. Omar Davis (7.8 points, 6.5 rebounds), Johnathan King (7.6 points, 5.3 rebounds), Ronald Elloie (6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Isaiah Cotton (6.9 points) are important juniors that help support Ballard.

^6ANo. 7 Newton (5-2) vs. ^5ANo. 5 Cedar Shoals (11-1)

No. 7 Newton meets No. 5 Cedar Shoals at the Classic City Shootout held at Clarke Central High School. Leading scorer JD Notae, freshman point guard Ashton Hagans and senior leader Jaquan Simms make up one of the best backcourts in the state and one of the most talented long-time Head Coach Rick Rasmussen has ever guided. Sophomore power forward DeAndrae Butler has given the Rams size inside at 6-foot-5 and an active motor that makes him a double-double threat. Coach L’Dreco Thomas has enjoyed a hot start as an encore to a semifinals appearance a year ago. Senior Jerrick Mitchell makes the offense click from his point guard spot but receives help from all over. Snipe Hall has shown he can score in a variety of ways from his guard position while Stavion Stevenson has turned into a stalwart inside and wing Phlan Fleming, a junior along with Hall and Stevenson, might be the best college prospect on the talented Jaguar team.