Who YA Got?!?!

As the high school hoops season comes to a conclusion, 16 teams are one step closer to achieving a goal that they've been working towards since their seasons ended last season. For teams like Pace, Wheeler, Holy Innocents this is familiar territory, as they're looking to hang another state title banner in their rafters. St. Pius has a chance to accomplish a feat never accomplished in program history; go undefeated AND win a state title. Meanwhile, Rabun County is seeking its FIRST state title in their history. Take a look at what the staff thinks of the title game matchups taking place this week.

• Darlington vs Holy Innocents: Holy Innocents enters the matchups following a dominant defensive performance against The Walker School. The talented trio of Devon Hutcherson, Jaden McCullough, and Khalid Worthy combined for 50 points so Darlington will have its hands full. Cam Selig poured in 26 points in Darlington's Final 4 win, so Holy Innocents will pay special attention to him.

• Clinch County vs Portal: Clinch County waited almost 40 years to make it to Macon and now they're one victory away from their ultimate goal. Kamarion Johnson will need a repeat of his 22-point effort for Clinch to have a chance at a title.

• Southwest (Macon) vs Rabun County: Chase Dupree, Alexander Butts, and CJ Howard combined to score 52 of the Patriots 62 points in their Final 4 victory over Vidalia. Not to be outdone, Hayes Free recorded a double-double, 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Huey Blalock recorded a triple-double, recorded 29 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds in Rabun County's victory over Fitzgerald. It'll be interesting to see which team can keep the opposition's offense in check.

• Morgan County vs Butler: Morgan County got 51 combined points from Zeki Locus, Garrett Ward, Trey Carter, and Jacoby Simmons in their Final 4 win over Therrell. They'll need similar contributions if they are to win their first state title since 2019. Butler is looking to repeat as state champs. Lajerry Wright was an unexpected contributor in Butler's win over KIPP, pouring in 17 points.

• Harlem vs Cross Creek: The Harlem Bulldogs got 50 combined points from AJ Williams, Ty Shine, and Jayden Futrell in their Final 4 win over Douglass. The trio provided offensive control and timely, late-game shot making to punch their ticket to Macon. Frashad Tisby scored 22 points, eclipsing the 1,000-career point mark in the process, in a big win over East Hall. The Razorbacks will need all hands on deck if they want to secure a state title.

• Pace Academy vs St. Pius X: As stated in the intro, St. Pius X has a chance to secure the school's first ever state title and go undefeated on the season in the process. Clemson signee Harris Reynolds has been putting on a scoring clinic, going over the 30-point mark in each of his last three games. Pace uses the "next man up" mentality, as it can be anyone's night when the ball is tipped.

• Woodward Academy vs Alexander: This game will have NCAA Division 1 talent represented on both sides. Alexander brings depth and intense defense that can wear down the opposition, but they also have a wealth of individual offensive talent. Woodward is equally talented, offensively, from both the post and perimeter. The trio of Myles and Jarvis Hayes, and Bentley Lusakueno pose a formidable threat.

• Pebblebrook vs Wheeler: Wheeler HS is another talent-rich team looking to add to their state title collection as they look to repeat as state champs. UCONN-signee Colben Landrew dominated the second half of Wheeler's win over McEachern, but he isn't the only Wildcat Pebblebrook will have to contain. Meanwhile, Pebblebrook put on a defensive clinic in their win over Hillgrove HS. Jaylen Humphrey and Anthony Moon made life difficult for Hillgrove, offensively. They'll need to repeat that defensive effort if they want to have a shot to knock off the Wildcats.