High School Basketball: Eagles, Lady Raiders at Home In First Round

By Mike Blum

The Milton boys and Alpharetta girls begin the state high school basketball playoffs at home this weekend, while the Alpharetta, Cambridge and King’s Ridge boys face first round games on the road.

The Region 5-AAAAAAA champion Milton Eagles open state play at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at home against Brookwod in a match-up of teams that both went 14-13. The Eagles finished second in the regular season before knocking off Lambert in the tournament finals. Brookwood lost in two overtimes in the Region 7 consolation game after placing third in the regular season.

Milton is making its fourth straight state tournament appearance, reaching the semifinals last year, but has only one regular off that team on this season’s roster. Duke commit Alex O’Connell is the Eagles’ only returning regular, with Milton starting two sophomores and a freshman in last week’s region championship game.

Brookwood is led by a trio of seniors who average more than 48 points a game between them, led by guard Trae Higginbotham, whose 23.8 average is comparable to that of O’Connell. Freshman guard Christian Wright scored 25 points in the region finals and sophomore Donoven Hairston added 20, with fellow sophomore guard Jordan Yates scoring 25 points in the last regular season game between Milton and Lambert.

While Milton has a record of success in state tournament play over the past decade, the Broncos are in the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and last won a state tournament game in 2004. If the Eagles win Saturday, they will host either Lowndes or Hillgrove, both 18-7, in the second round Feb. 23. Collins Hill, No. 10 in the state, is the only ranked team in Milton’s quarter of the draw.

The Alpharetta girls have a tough opening round game, taking on Mays at 6 p.m. Friday. Mays was a state runner-up in 2015 and quarter finalist last year. Mays (17-9) was second in Region 5-AAAAAA but lost by one point in the tournament semifinals before winning the consolation game by 30. Five of Mays’ losses came against out of state opponents.

Alpharetta (18-10) tied for second in 7-AAAAAA and reached the tournament finals before losing to top- ranked Northview. The Lady Raiders are back in the state tournament for the first time since 2013, when they reached the quarterfinals.

Alpharetta has only two seniors on its roster, with Gogo Maduka teaming up with younger sister Juju to form a strong inside duo. The team’s entire backcourt consists of sophomores and freshmen, with point guard Croix Bethune among the team’s main offensive weapons along with fellow sophomores Jalyn Tillerson and Kendall Phillips.

The winner of Friday’s game advances to the second round Feb. 22, likely at No. 10 Northside-Warner Robins.

The Alpharetta boys open on the road at Tri-Cities, which went 16-13 in a tough region, placing third during the regular season before taking second in the tournament. The game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. The Raiders went 23-2 during the regular season and finished first in Region 7-AAAAAA, but lost its last regular season game against the region’s last place team before almost losing to 8 th -seeded Centennial in the tournament quarterfinals. Alpharetta lost to fifth-seeded Dunwoody in the semifinals before taking the third place game.

Alpharetta (25-3) is making its sixth straight playoff appearance, reaching the semifinals in 2012 and the semifinals in 2015. The Raiders feature a balanced scoring attack, but lack a strong inside game and have been inconsistent in recent weeks despite the presence of five seniors and four juniors in the regular lineup.

Starting point guard Brandon Barron is the lone sophomore among the team’s 10 primary players, and is part of talented group of players that has not played up to its talent level in recent weeks. Seniors Carlos Carriere and Ellis Merriweather are among the key players on a team that will look to make some noise at state after a disappointing showing in the region tournament.

The Raiders will look to get things turned around against a Tri-Cities team that lost seven games in a row at mid-season before winning three straight in the region tournament to reach the finals. The Bulldogs are in the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years, but finished with losing records the last three times they qualified for state.

Saturday’s winner advances to the second round Feb. 23, either at No. 7 Lakeside-Evans or home against Valdosta.

The Cambridge boys will be playing their first ever state tournament game, and have drawn the top-ranked team in AAAAAA in the first round. The Bears (19-9) play at 5 p.m. Saturday at No. 1 South Paulding (26-1), which split two games this season against Class A power North Cobb Christian.

The Spartans reached the quarterfinals last year and field a veteran squad with nine seniors, led by Georgia State commit Kane Williams. South Paulding pulled out several narrow victories this season, winning both their region tournament games by less than 10 points.

The Bears (19-9) enjoyed the best season in the school’s brief history, but lost in the semifinals and consolation game to the two top teams in 7-AAAAAA, going 0-3 on the season against both Alpharetta and Pope.

Guards Jackson Boyea and Kamar Robertson and post Kyler Ingram lead the Bears against a tall and talented South Paulding squad, which includes the 6-4 Williams and a pair of 6-7 seniors.

The King’s Ridge boys (13-13) qualified 19 th for the 24-team Class A private school field, and will play Saturday at No. 14 Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (19-6). The two teams played early this season, with ELCA winning 47-32.

The St. Francis boys, the No. 5 seed among the state private schools, have a first round bye and will play at home Feb. 22 or 23 against the winner of the Landmark Christian-Tallulah Falls game. The Knights (23-5) lost 69-57 to No. 3 North Cobb Christian in the finals of the Region 6-A tournament. North Cobb Christian defeated King’s Ridge 55-39 in the first round.

The St. Francis girls are seeded No. 1 and heavily favored to capture a fourth state title in five years. The Lady Knights also have a first round bye and will host the Paideia- Heritage Christian winner Feb. 22 or 23. St. Francis (24-4) won its three region tournament games last week by an average of almost 55 points.

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