So, how DID we get here?

Other than the obvious 192 teams, 7 titles, multiple locations and all that stuff…Well, for the umpteenth year in a row, nothing was a surprise. But everything was a surprise…

I would start with Miller Grove getting knocked out in 5A by Warner Robins. The way that this year blocked itself out in the brackets, you had teams who played each other in the finals last year ended up in the quarterfinals this year.

Warner Robins got Miller Grove and had to play them at Veterans High School because of the ticket demand and minimum seating requirements. You, probably, could have played that game at the Macon Coliseum and the whole town could have showed up for it.

On the girl’s side, you had Buford taking on St. Pius and Asia Durr- one of the Player of the Year candidates on a national scale. But Camille Anderson matched Durr, almost, point-for-point and Gene Durden will get another opportunity at a state title. But he’ll have to get through Shon Thomaston and Carrollton to do it.

Another story that I think is cool is Crawford County in the AA Boys class. The gym is straight out of “Hoosiers,” But like Gene Hackman measured at Butler University, the hoops are still ten feet off the floor no matter where they play. They had to get through Swainsboro to get to the final phase.

MJ2 has the low-down
((HT: 13WMAZ-TV))


The population of the entire county is a little over 12,000 total. Knoxville and Roberta are the seat and largest cities. A little over 15-percent of the population lives below the poverty line and to have something to root for a group of small towns is absolutely awesome.
You have Wesleyan chasing after their 12th appearance in the Finals.
Can Wheeler’s Doug Lipscomb get a 5th title?
Will McEachern’s Te’a Cooper solidify her spot as one of the top talents in the country?
Can St. Francis and Carrollton get their class sweeps? And can home town kid Shon Thomaston get another title for his Trojans program?
Can Angie Hembree bring a title to Norcross and can Chantay Frost add another school to her resume for a state title in 5A. She takes on a Stephenson program with her Mays Raiders team. Frost won at Columbia with her daughter, Zuri, running point.
Can Brunswick bring a title to south Georgia going against a first-time program in Allatoona…? (Who, by the way, have had a tremendous YEAR in sports… not just in basketball, but thinking back to football season)

So, there are 15 games on the docket over a three day period. As I send it to you, faithful reader, here’s your question:

What storylines and teams are you looking forward to seeing the most in Macon? Is a team, a player, a school, history on the side of a team? Which would you like to see the most happen as we move forward?

So, join Mark, Grace, Rayven, Niki, Savannah, Sam, Gil, Matt, Larry, Shawn, Tommy, and myself from the Macon Coliseum and Macon Centreplex. Starting Thursday at 3 and going on Friday and Saturday as well. And follow us in one of a few ways: on GPB-TV, GPB.org, or the GPB Sports App.
We’re looking forward to giving it all to you…
Play it safe, everyone… I’ll see you in Macon…