5 teams earn

Past champions Hebron Christian, Mount Paran Christian and St. Francis as well as five first-time winners claimed girls basketball state titles in Macon last week and finished No. 1 in the final rankings of the 20222023 season.

Hebron Christian (32-0) completed an undefeated season with a 68-36 victory over defending champion Lumpkin County in the Class 3A final. The Lions were the only Georgia team, boys or girls, to go undefeated. The title was the second in three years for Hebron Christian and the 15th for coach Jan Azar, who won 13 at Wesleyan.

Mount Paran Christian (31-1) became the only girls team to repeat as state champion when it defeated Banks County 67-44 in the Class 2A final. The Eagles won Class A Private last year before moving up in reclassification.

St. Francis (27-6) won the most exciting game of the week when it defeated Galloway 76-74 in overtime in the Class A Division I final. The Knights won all three meetings this season against their Region 6 rival.

Teams winning championships for the first time were Brookwood, River Ridge, Kell, Griffin and Clinch County.

Brookwood (31-1) won the Class 7A title with a 43-39 victory over defending champion Norcross. Diana Collins scored 21 points and was 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 1:09 to preserve the victory.

“It was very tough,” Brookwood coach Courtney Mincy said. “It was definitely worth it, because something like this doesn’t come easy. Just having these girls work together and play hard possession after possession and not giving up on each other was the difference in the game.”

River Ridge (27-5) got 25 points from Mataya Gayle and beat defending champion Lovejoy 68-50 for the Class 6A title. The victory avenged a 71-59 loss to Lovejoy in the quarterfinals last season that essentially determined the state champion. River Ridge was undefeated against Georgia teams this season.

Kell (26-5), in the semifinals or better for the third time in four seasons, broke through for its first title with a 57-36 victory over Warner

Robins in Class 5A.

Griffin (27-4) defeated Baldwin 51-47 to win the Class 4A title. It was the Bears’ third victory in four meetings this season against its Region 2 rival.

Clinch County (27-4) defeated top-ranked Lake Oconee Academy 45-42 to win the Class A Division II championship. Lake Oconee Academy won Class A Public last season.