It was a banner playoff performance for local high school basketball with seven boys teams advancing to the second round of the GHSA playoffs Wednesday. Highly ranked teams Savannah High, Johnson and Effingham County rolled to victories as expected.
But it was performances from some lower seeds that turned heads around the state. Windsor Forest and Beach went on the road and knocked off a pair of No. 1 seeds, and Richmond Hill upset second-seeded Jones County.
Windsor Forest, a No. 4 seed out of Region 3-AAAAA, entered the playoffs with a 10-17 record. But coach Joel Lecoeuvre had his team in top form as the Knights led from start to finish in a 69-60 win over Northside-Warner Robins.
“They were pressing a lot and we were able to beat the trap and get some three-on-one breaks in transition for some easy baskets,” Lecoeuvre said Thursday. “We don’t have the best record, but we have had the lead in the fourth quarter in 20 games this year. We blew nine fourth-quarter leads and have lost a lot of close ones. I just told the kids to stay focused and keep the faith and good things would happen.”
The Knights won behind the play of senior Tremayne Trawick, who scored 14 points. Xavier Kelly, a 6-foot-5 freshman, came up big. Kelly scored 14 points with 10 rebounds while holding Northside’s 6-9 standout Justin Kennedy to nine points.
Windsor Forest travels to Fairburn to take on Creekside at 6 p.m. Saturday. Creekside, a No. 3 seed, beat Bainbridge in overtime to advance to the second round.
The Beach boys had a round-trip bus ride of more than 10 hours Wednesday, but the Bulldogs made sure the ride home from Callaway High in Hogansville was a happy one by beating the Cavaliers 80-72 in overtime. Senior guard Rashad Cummings took control of the game late, scoring eight of his 32 points in the extra period.
“Rashad came up big,” Beach coach Keith Simmons said Thursday. “He’s been our go-to guy all year and he’s the kind of player that’s tough to pin a position on. When (senior forward Juadeem) Banks fouled out, we put Cummings in the post. It was like when Magic (Johnson) replaced Kareem Abdul-Jabaar for the Lakers back in the day. Rashad got down in the block and went to work.”
Simmons said he wasn’t surprised by the road win.
“We played very well in the second half of the season,” Simmons said. “And we played in one of the toughest regions in the state with Savannah High and Johnson. Those teams have been ranked in the top five all year. Facing that type of pressure night in and night out prepared us for the playoff atmosphere. We know how to react in tough situations. We may have been a No. 4 seed on paper, but I don’t think we’re a traditional fourth seed.”
Banks and Shawn Brooks have been key contributors, and Simmons is hoping for another stellar performance when the Bulldogs travel to Sandersville on Saturday to take on Washington County (20-5), which beat Central-Macon 55-44 to advance.
“They’ve got a pretty good left-handed guard who was the region player of the year,” Simmons said. “We’re trying to figure them out, but beating a No. 1 seed does give us a lot of confidence.”
Watch the Wildcats
Richmond Hill has a red-hot shooter in guard Jeremiah Hill and the Wildcats rode the hot hand to a dramatic 63-61 win over Jones County on Wednesday night. Hill, a senior, poured in 37 points in the victory and junior Nick Fitzgerald added 14 points, including the go-ahead basket on a goaltending call. The Wildcats (12-16) beat Windsor Forest for third place in the Region 3-AAAAA tournament on Hill’s buzzer-beater. Next up is a Saturday matchup with Northside-Columbus (21-4), the No. 1 seed from Region 1. The Wildcats will have to slow down high-scoring guard R.J. Sessions to have a chance to win.
Jenkins ‘capable’
The Jenkins boys are gaining confidence with each passing game under second-year coach Bakari Bryant. The Warriors are 16-2 since Jan. 1. Jenkins took host Effingham County to the wire in a 60-59 loss in the Region 3-AAAA finals. Jenkins (21-8) regrouped quickly to beat visiting Evans in the first round. Sophomore guard Brenden Carter had a breakout game for the Warriors, scoring 26 points.
“I’ve been asking Brenden all season when he was going to have a big game like that,” Bryant said with a laugh. “And I can tell you there are a lot more to come.”
Jenkins travels to Fayatteville to play Whitewater Saturday at 6 p.m.
“They play a lot of pressure defense — creating turnovers to get their offense going,” Bryant said. “They have a 6-foot-8 guy and a decent 3-point shooter, but they don’t have great ballhandlers. They turn the ball over a lot. I think we have a great chance to beat them if we play like we are capable.”
State playoff schedule
TODAY
Girls
Class AAA
Pike County at Beach, 5:30 p.m.
Class AAAA
South Effingham at Jonesboro, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Girls
Class A Private Schools
Savannah Country Day at Calvary Day, 4:30 p.m.
Class AAAAA
McIntosh at Effingham County, 6:30 p.m.
Boys
Class A Private Schools
Savannah Christian vs. Greenforest Christian at Cedar Grove Middle School in Decatur, 4 p.m.
Landmark Christian at Calvary Day, 6 p.m.
Class AAA
Dodge County at Savannah High, 6 p.m.
Beach at Washington Co., 6 p.m.
Johnson at Carver-Columbus, 7 p.m.
Class AAAAA
Windsor Forest at Creekside,
6 p.m.
Jenkins at Whitewater, 6 p.m.
Richmond Hill at Northside-Columbus, 6 p.m.
Starrs Mill at Effingham County, 8 p.m.