A playoff primer as the GHSA basketball postseason begins
Twenty-five northwest Georgia basketball teams will compete in the first round of the GHSA playoffs Tuesday and Wednesday and each has a unique story.
One that stands out involving several programs is the presence of an all-time leading scorer, athletes who have shown longevity and talent.
One of those is Calhoun senior Dylan Faulkner. The 6-foot-9 senior enters Wednesday’s game against Eastside as a holder of three program career records. The future Lipscomb University player, who averages 23.3 points, 15.7 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, is atop each of those categories.
Faulkner, who had 31 points and 31 rebounds in a game vs. Rome this year, is a two-time Region 7-AAAAA Player of the Year.
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe senior Brent Bowman, a four-year starter, is the Region 6-AAA Player of the Year and became the program’s all-time leading scorer at over 1,600 points, breaking Bobby Davis’ nearly three-decade-old record. The Warriors open play at home against Douglass of Atlanta at 7:30 Tuesday.
Brinkley Kate Reed is Coahulla Creek’s career points leader, having procured 1,345 points. The senior guard is headed to Truett McConnell next year. The Lady Colts also host Douglass of Atlanta Tuesday.
High-scoring MaKiya Parrish is sitting at a program-best 1,670 points for Chattooga as they prepare to host Athens Christian Tuesday. She’s helped lead the program to its fifth consecutive playoff appearance.
Here are a few other notable facts concerning some of the teams playing this week:
› The 25-1 LFO girls enter Tuesday’s home game against Cedar Grove coming off one of the most successful backto-back regular seasons in program history. The Lady Warriors went undefeated in Region 6-AAA both years and are a twotime Best of Preps Tournament winner — the first northwest Georgia team to win the title.
LFO, however, will be without one of its stars as senior Christina Collins recently underwent surgery for a knee injury.
› The Murray County girls (20-4) are coming off their first region tournament championship since 1967. Coach Chris Tipton’s team hosts Union County in Class AA Tuesday.
› Dalton’s Grace Ridley, only a junior, has already eclipsed the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound marks. The Lady Catamounts (20-8), making consecutive postseasons for the first time since 2006-07, visit Loganville in Class AAAAA Tuesday.
› The Sonoraville boys, just 6-19 a year ago, won their first region championship Friday in the program’s first season in Class AAAA. The Phoenix (20-7) host Gwinnett County new school Seckinger Wednesday.
› A pair of perennial playoff teams, the LaFayette and Northwest Whitfield boys, each earned postseason bids — the Ramblers in Class AAA and the Bruins in Class AAAA — despite graduating 90% of their scoring from teams that won a combined 50 games a year ago.
› If you like defense, the Sonoraville girls are your team. The Lady Phoenix, who travel to East Forsyth in Class AAAA Tuesday, allow only 31.8 points per game and force 26 turnovers per contest.
› If you’re offensiveminded, check out the North Murray boys. The Mountaineers (22-3), who host Banks County in 7-AA Tuesday, averaged 80 points per game this season, including 116 in a win over Gordon Central in January.
› The Ringgold boys have their sights set on another state tournament upset at Sandy Creek in Class AAA Wednesday. The Tigers won an opening-round game a year ago, their first such victory since 1981.
› Christian Heritage’s boys began the season with a programbest 21 consecutive wins before losing to topranked Greenforest twice. The Lions, should they win four games in the Class A (Division II) playoffs, would likely see the Eagles again in the finals.