Four of the current powerhouses of Georgia basketball remain in the semifinals of the Peach State’s highest classification, making for four terrific matchups on Saturday at Buford City Arena.
Milton vs. Wheeler, 4:00pm
In a match-up with some good duality of seniors vs. underclassmen, these two teams have found success in the postseason in different ways. Milton has been led by their underclassmen guards. Sophomore Bruce Thornton has led the way all year for the Eagles and has taken ownership of Milton’s postseason success and been the player he is when they needed most. Joining him in the backcourt is freshman Kanaan Carlyle, who provided a gutsy performance in the quarterfinals on a hurt ankle. Giving the Eagles their senior leadership is Evan Hurst, who has been a solid producer in the postseason as well. On the opposing side, Wheeler has leaned heavily on one of the hottest players in the Peach, Denver signee Sam Hines. His postseason output has been the significant reason that Wheeler has reached this point and won tough games against two good Gwinnett County teams, Shiloh and Berkmar. Senior Prince Davies has also been very good and junior big man Jahiem Hudson has anchored the paint well.
Grayson vs. McEachern, 8:00pm
In the game of the year in Georgia’s highest classification, this one will have a lot of eyes on it. Grayson has shined this postseason, running through a gauntlet of Discovery, Pebblebrook, and Norcross and doing so in style, winning each game by double figures. Their senior trio has been immaculate all year and the postseason has not been any different. Caleb Murphy has been their go-to bucket getter, while Deivon Smith has run the show, and Toneari Lane (Pictured) has provided toughness and shot making. The defending state champion McEachern are led by five star point guard and Auburn signee Sharife Cooper, who has done what he has done his whole career, and provided a huge scoring load for the Indians, averaging 30 points per game in the state tournament. Junior wings Cam McDowell and Randy Brady have been very good complementary pieces and have played a significant role in McEachern’s run to this point as well.
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