March to Macon: AAAAAA State Playoffs Preview
The March to Macon is officially upon us and trying to determine how the AAAAAA 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: Newton vs. Douglas County. Newton played the role as spoiler in last year’s early rounds, upsetting Tift County & Dacula. Ironically, both of these teams fell to Wheeler a year ago. However, it’s a new year. Newton is led by freshman point guard Ashton Hagans as well as junior guard JD Notae & senior guard Jaquan Simms. Will those guards be enough to contain UNC commit Brandon Robinson, who has been known to have big playoff performances? We shall see.
Best Player Match-up: Darius Perry (Wheeler) vs. Alphonso Willis (Grayson). While the above-mentioned match-up between Hagans and Robinson will be extremely fun, I’ll point the attention to this one. Willis is a very good athlete who has not gotten a ton of attention for what he’s accomplished over his career at Grayson. He will take on the challenge of going at it with Darius Perry, who is one of 2017’s best guards. Also pay attention to AJ Jones (McEachern) vs. Octavious Fudge (Lowndes).
Story Starter Potential: Kenton Eskridge, Tucker. The list of players that have carried Tucker to deep runs is a reputable one. Eskridge could be the next one. For some reason, he doesn’t get a ton of love among the guards in the class of 2017. However, he has the talent to lift Tucker to a run. The draw is favorable for the Tigers, and they could be a sleeper team to make a deep run into the playoffs.
1 vs. 4 Upset: Douglas County over Newton. I’m not necessarily saying that this will happen, but this game could turn into a dogfight. Douglas County is coming out of the state’s toughest region, and the Tigers are battle-tested. If Brandon Robinson has it rolling, he could post a big number and carry Douglas County to a win. However, Rick Rasmussen will have his Rams ready to go and has a great backcourt of his own.
Sleeper Team: Lambert. Is it fair to call a team that went undefeated in their region a sleeper team? Well, if there is such a team, it’s Lambert. The Longhorns have a big, experienced frontcourt in Connor Mannion and Ross Morkem, who are used to winning games. Throw in some guard play by Andrew Melms and Tanner Hall, and you have a team that could potentially make a run.
Senior To Watch: TeShaun Hightower, Collins Hill. One of the most underrated players in the 2016 class, Hightower is a matchup nightmare. At a long 6-foot-4, Hightower spends a lot of minutes at point guard for the Eagles, and is a Swiss Army Knife type of player with the ability to do a little of everything.
Region That Will Go The Deepest: Region 3. This has arguably been the state’s best region over the course of the last two years. This year, Westlake is looking strong going into the playoffs, Pebblebrook has two of the state’s elite scorers, Campbell has a team filled with experienced seniors, and Douglas County has guards that play at a high level. Don’t be shocked if you see more than one of these teams go deep into the tournament.
Number One Seeds: Tift County, Newton, Westlake, McEachern, Wheeler, Lambert, Collins Hill, Shiloh
Power Poll Teams: Norcross (#3), Wheeler (#4), Westlake (#5), Tift County (#7), McEachern (#12), Shiloh (#13), Pebblebrook (#14), Lambert (#20)
Storylines: Who is the favorite? Norcross, Wheeler, Westlake, and Tift County are all top ten Power Poll teams and could be contenders to win it all.
Westlake/Norcross potentially meeting in second round. Norcross losing to Collins Hill in the region seven championship had huge implications for the Blue Devils. This could potentially be one of the best second round matchups in recent years.
Repeat of last year’s final four possible. Is it likely? Not so much. But it could happen with Wheeler, Shiloh, Tucker, and Pebblebrook all in separate quarters.
Final Four Picks
Carter Wilson: Wheeler, Westlake, Lambert, Pebblebrook
Justin Young: Wheeler, Norcross, Lambert, McEachern
