GHSA Basketball Playoffs: The Cinderella Team
March Madness. Upon hearing this phrase, thoughts go to the NCAA tournament, where 68 teams battle for ultimate supremacy. Nothing makes March Madness more unique than when low-ranked teams go on a “Cinderella run,” advancing deep into the playoffs despite all odds. However, these shocking runs aren’t exclusive to college basketball; they are also prominent in high school basketball, especially in Georgia. Here are some of the “Cinderella” teams from this year’s GHSA basketball playoffs:
Chapel Hill (18-11) – As a 4-seed in their region, the Panthers would have an extremely difficult path through the 5A playoffs, even if they were to win their first round game. However, they proved all the doubters wrong, defeating 1-seed Calhoun, 2-seed Lithonia, and undefeated Veterans before losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion Eagle’s Landing.
Westover (13-6) – In a tough Region 1-4A, the Patriots ended the year ranked third in region. That did not stop them from advancing deep in the playoffs, as they beat 2-seed Westside, 1-seed Spencer (who many considered to be the best team in 4A), and another 1-seed in Cedar Shoals before losing to Fayette County in the semifinals.
Lee County (17-11) – This seems like an odd choice, especially considering that the Trojans were a 1-seed. However, factor in that their second and third round opponents had better records than them and now the choice appears more logical. Lee County defeated 3-seed Brunswick in the second round on a buzzer-beater and followed that by defeating a title contender in 1-seed Chattahoochee at the buzzer too. Ultimately, they lost to a strong Kell team by 5 in the 6A semifinals.
Columbia (21-7) – Unfortunately for the Eagles, they competed in a dominant region which included Pace Academy and Lovett. As a result, they finished third, but still managed to beat 2-seed Chattooga and 1-seeds Callaway and Washington County to reach the semifinals. There, they avenged a region tournament loss to Lovett but eventually got blown out by nationally-ranked Pace Academy in the finals.
Collins Hill (17-10) – Unlike the other teams before this, Collins Hill failed to reach the semifinals. It did, however, win the hearts of many fans across the state as it defeated 3-seed Etowah and 4-seed Discovery to reach the quarterfinals, where it lost to McEachern. While this may not seem like Cinderella material, it should be noted that the Eagles lost four consecutive games during the regular season and were destroyed by North Gwinnett 71-49 in the region championship.
Newnan (19-9) – Lastly, here is another 4-seed that turned heads. The Cougars stunned 1-seed Walton on a buzzer-beater in the first round before taking down an extremely underrated 3-seed in Parkview, who had beaten the likes of Newton and Luella. Newnan fell flat in the quarterfinals against the eventual state champion Milton by a score of 70-34.
Written by: Dhruv Mohan
