The March to Macon is officially upon us and trying to determine how the AAAA classification will play out is no easy task. We take a deeper look at the opening round and offer up some thoughts after a busy and competitive season.

BEST GAME: No. 4 Worth County (20-7) at No. 1 Jonesboro (24-4). What a match-up right out of the gate. The Rams have racked up wins in talent rich Region 1-AAAA while Jonesboro seems to have righted the ship after a start that worried head coach Daniel Maehlman. Worth County is big and paced by Auburn bound forward Anfernee McLemore and rough-and-tumble forward Brandon Moore. That’s a tough 1-2 punch. If Jonesboro can establish the perimeter attack, the Cardinals will be a tough stop. Playing on the road in a small, loud gym like Jonesboro shouldn’t bother Worth County.

STORY STARTER POTENTIAL: We invited Mary Persons sophomore Cam Holden to our Elite Preview last week after seeing him play against Crawford County. The 6-foot-5 wing is a do-everything type of player that we think is on the brink of blowing up in Georgia’s 2018 class. He’s been very productive this season. Mary Persons will host a good Burke County team in the opening round of the playoffs. 

Keep an eye on Noah Gurley of Fayette County, too. The story is the same with this 6-foot-7 junior wing forward as it is for Holden. Paired against Buford, Gurley will have his hands full in a big match-up on the road and against a No. 1 seed. 

1 VS 4 UPSET: Coming out of the ultra-competitive Region 6-AAAA, St. Pius X (22-5) will have to travel on the road to Cartersville (20-6) for a heck of a first round match-up. This isn’t the first time these twos have locked horns in the state tournament before. Both clubs are well-coached, both clubs have systematic styles of play and both teams have the talent to make a strong push to the Fort Valley games next week. St. Pius X has the experience and battle-tested schedule from Region 6-AAAAA. 

SENIORS TO WATCH: 

Allec Williams, Westover: The Albany powerhouse made a strong surge at the end of the season and won out in the Region 1 tournament. That was not an easy task and Williams was brilliant in his effort. The floor general scored, passed, defended and made plays every step along the way. He’s become quite a popular player with teams in the Peach Belt Conference. 

Jacara Cross, Lithonia: The athletic 6-foot-7 forward is one of the best uncommitted players in Georgia and he’s going to be a handful to defend in their quadrant. Division I coaches looking for help inside, Cross is worth the trip to Dekalb County to see in person. 

NO. 1 SEEDS 

Region 1: Westover
Region 2: Upson Lee 
Region 3: Liberty County
Region 4: Jonesboro
Region 5: Sandy Creek
Region 6: Grady
Region 7: Cartersville
Region 8: Buford

POWER POLL TEAMS: Jonesboro (No. 6), Liberty County (No. 11), Lithonia (No. 19)

STORYLINES 

Eddie Martin has won state championships at Norcross and Greater Atlanta Christian. Now at Buford, he has the Wolves in the state tournament as a No. 1 seed. The king of Gwinnett County should be a familiar face in this setting moving forward. Surprised? No? Exactly. 

Depth. But that’s been the story for the entire state this season. There are 16 teams with 20 wins or more in the AAAA bracket. With that, there are probably 16 teams that are all capable of making to Macon. Expect some battles in this bracket, maybe even a number of overtime games. 

Is this the stage Davion Mitchell proves himself (at least in the Atlanta market) that he’s a legit contender for our Georgia Junior of the Year? He’s having a magical season. Maybe even an All-American type of season. 

There will be a non-Atlanta team that will mess up people’s brackets. Who? That’s hard to say. The Region 1-AAAA teams are tough. 

FINAL FOUR PICKS
Justin Young: Liberty County, Grady, Jonesboro, Sandy Creek
Carter Wilson: Liberty County, Grady, Jonesboro, Lithonia