GHSA Basketball Championship Preview & Schedule

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STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Today, we preview the 2019 GHSA Basketball State championships and list the schedule for all 17 finals matchups. Also, Craig Sager II looks back at the 1979 Southwest Macon Patriots' historic season that will be honored with a 40th Anniversary celebration this Saturday in Macon. Check out ScoreATL.com for more coverage.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

GHSA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

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HONORING SOUTHWEST MACON'S 1979 TEAM

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GHSA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

By Alex Ewalt

The 2019 GHSA/Dr. Ralph Swearngin Basketball State Championships return all 17 finals to the Macon Centreplex, and each classification is chock full of storylines worth following. Here’s what the four days of championship basketball have to offer.

WESLEYAN-HOLY INNOCENTS’ BATTLE CONTINUES

On Wednesday, March 6, four games featuring Class A-Private and Class A-Public kick off championship week, and the first matchup is a heavyweight fight. The Holy Innocents’ and Wesleyan girls, the two preeminent programs in Class A-Private, will meet for an amazing fifth state championship game in a row, with Wesleyan having taken three of the four. The St. Francis boys are looking to cement their powerhouse status with a third title (back-to-back in 2014-15), meeting aspiring first-time champion ELCA. For Class A-Public, Wilkinson County was denied by Calhoun County a chance to win its 11th title; Calhoun County, which meets Treutlen, is the only team other than Wilkinson County to win an A-Public title since the division was started in 2013. The Calhoun County’s girls team makes it to Macon as well, meeting Marion County in A-Public.

Day 2 begins with Class AA championship games featuring two Atlanta Public Schools programs meeting South Georgia squads. The Douglass girls are in their first state title game in program history against Early County, and Therrell also seeks its first ring against Vidalia, a Class AA finalist last season. In Class AAA, Hart County also has a shot at a state sweep. The girls team came back to best Beach in Savannah for a shot at defending champion Johnson-Savannah, and the Hart County boys will try to upend favorite—and Region 8 rival—Morgan County, one of the most exciting teams in the state.

The third day in Macon brings yet two more schools with a chance at both the boys and girls trophies. Carver-Columbus brings both of its programs over from Muscogee County to take on opponents in Spalding and Americus-Sumter. The Lady Tigers go for their first state title against defending champion Spalding, which won its first championship last season and won its semifinal game in dominating fashion. The Carver boys won their first and only state championship in 1971; the old Americus High was state champ a decade before that, but Americus-Sumter seeks its first title. At 3 p.m., the Gwinnett Heat take on the Houston County Sharks in the wheelchair championship.

In Class AAAAA, Buford’s two teams sport identical records as well as legendary head coaches walking the sidelines. The two programs have combined for seven state titles; the boys look for their second banner after breaking through for the first time two seasons ago. Both Wolves’ teams face stiff competition in the form of the Villa Rica girls and Fayette County boys; Villa Rica has been a juggernaut this year with a 32-0 record, and Fayette County is hungry for its first title.

MEADOWCREEK-MCEACHERN CLOSES IT DOWN

The week concludes with the Class AAAAAA and AAAAAAA title games on Saturday. In Class AAAAAA, the Lovejoy girls have been electric on their march to defend their 2018 title, the program’s first, and will clash with Lanier, a young school (opened in 2010) with a first-year head coach in its first state final. Tucker eyes its first ‘ship since 2007, which was the program’s second-ever championship, and South Fulton’s Tri-Cities has dreams of becoming a first-time state winner.

On the girls side of the largest classification, Collins Hill will try to win its sixth all-time title but first since the program won five from 2001-07, when Maya Moore dominated the court (2003-07). The Meadowcreek boys were one of the best stories of the 2017-18 basketball season, as Curtis Gilleylen led the Mustangs to the school’s first basketball title. But No. 1 and undefeated McEachern is looking to complete its quest for the program’s first title against the second-ranked Mustangs. The Indians are stacked, with players like junior 5-star guard Sharife Cooper leading the way.

2019 GHSA BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Wed., March 6

2:00 pm - A Private Girls (Holy Innocents' vs. Wesleyan)

4:00 pm - A Private Boys (St. Francis vs. ELCA)

6:00 pm - A Public Girls (Marion Co. vs. Calhoun Co.)

8:00 pm - A Public Boys (Calhoun Co. vs. Treutlen)

Thurs., March 7

2:00 pm - 2A Girls (Early Co. vs. Douglass-Atl.)

4:00 pm - 2A Boys (Therrell vs. Vidalia)

6:00 pm - 3A Girls (Hart Co. vs. Johnson-Sav.)

8:00 pm - 3A Boys (Morgan Co. vs. Hart Co.)

Fri., March 8

11:00 am - 4A Girls (Spalding vs. Carver-Col.)

1:00 pm - 4A Boys (Americus-Sum. vs. Carver-Col.)

3:00 pm - AAASP Wheelchair (Gwinnett vs. Houston County)

6:00 pm - 5A Girls (Buford vs. Villa Rica)

8:00 pm - 5A Boys (Buford vs. Fayette Co.)

Sat., March 9

1:00 pm - 6A Girls (Lanier vs. Lovejoy)

3:00 pm - 6A Boys (Tri-Cities vs. Tucker)

5:00 pm - 7A Girls (Westlake vs. Collins Hill)

7:00 pm - 7A Boys (McEachern vs. Meadowcreek)

GHSA to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Southwest Macon's legendary 1979 team

By Craig Sager II

There was something very special about to take place in the Heart of Georgia. Don “Duck” Richardson had transformed the Southwest Macon basketball program into a powerhouse since stepping in as head coach. He led the program to its first state title during the 1972-73 season and saw the Patriots collect their second championship following the 1974-75 campaign. The program had grown into a winning machine and it was also producing college-ready prospects at an exceptional rate.

Coach Richardson had a passion for excellence and his demand for discipline and hard work was extremely high. His methods were known to be intense, but they were also known for the results they were producing on the court. Fundamentals and team play were indicative of the Patriots’ brand of basketball and their relentless training in the offseason made it second nature by the time the season rolled around. The program went on to reach the state semifinals in 1976, and then fell short in the finals to conclude the 1977 season. It wasn’t until the 1978 season, that the signs of something even greater than expected had begun to show. Led by a trio of outstanding juniors, the Patriots went on to finish the 1978 season with a 26-2 overall record and captured the Class AAAA title.

The hype, expectations and the excitement surrounding the 1979 season were at an all-time high.

Terry Fair, Michael Hunt and Jeff Malone were the trio of returning seniors that the 1979 team would be built around. Fair was a 6-foot-8 McDonald’s All-American that was a man amongst boys in the paint. He’d go on to reach with 1983 Final Four with the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. Hunt was a fierce defender that also served as student body president during the 1979 school year, and he picked up coaching after earning a scholarship to play at Furman. As for Malone, his deadly jump shot was feared throughout the Patriots’ 1979 season, as well as Mississippi State where he went on to set the all-time scoring record, and later in the NBA where he averaged 19 ppg game during a 13-year playing career.

Seeing what was at stake, coach Richardson and the team went all-in preparing to take on a schedule that would keep the Patriots in the spotlight all season long. Georgia High School Basketball had never been considered in the top tier nationally, but that did not stop the Patriots from setting their sights on achieving the mythic goal of a national title.

Southwest opened its season against Tennessee High School and was a narrow 58-54 winner after going ahead 34-21 at the half. Murphy High School was pummeled 78-38 in the Patriots’ next outing and then the team got set to play its cross-town rival Northeast Macon at the Macon Coliseum. Northeast gave Southwest its only two losses during the 1978 season and the atmosphere at these games was unequalled. Southwest took the game 78-73, but would have to defeat the Raiders three more times before the season was finished.

After picking up several instate victories, Southwest got set to take on Oak Hill Academy and St. John’s Prep in the Tom Porter Classic. Fair posted 26 points and 20 rebounds as the Patriots toppled Oak Hill 80-59 and they’d go on to defeat St. John’s 55-48 to return home with even more clout.

Southwest’s performances against Atlanta’s top schools added to this ever-growing spotlight. The Patriots also met with Baylor Prep (TN) for a showdown at the old Omni in downtown Atlanta. Southwest led Baylor 43-35 at the half and then dominated the next two quarters to leave with a 94-57 win. At this point, the team was not just entering the national polls, they were aggressively climbing them.

A crowd of 9,000 packed the Coliseum to see Southwest hand Northeast a 71-57 defeat and improve to 19-0 on the year. By the time the Region Tournament arrived, it was clear that Southwest was in reach of its goal of a national title. The pressure was immense, but a 63-54 win over Northeast gave the Patriots a top seed heading into the state tournament.

Southwest defeated Columbus (82-46), Thompkins (104-57) and Heritage (75-58) to reach the finals and set up a state championship showdown with Northeast. The Patriots entered the game with a 27-0 record and were the No. 1 team in the nation. Northeast was 24-4 with three of the losses coming to the Patriots and the other coming to St. John’s. The Coliseum was packed with more than 10,000 fans to witness the historic showdown. Northeast pulled ahead 48-38 early in the second half and led Southwest 53-51 with six minutes left. But in true Patriots’ fashion, Southwest answered with an overwhelming run and closed out a 69-60 victory, perfect season and 1979’s No. 1 National Ranking.

The GHSA is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Southwest Macon’s 1979 season during half-time of this year’s Boys Class AAAAAAA Finals to honor the Patriots remarkable achievement.

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