The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state basketball playoffs tipped off on Wednesday, Feb. 21, and the eight Savannah teams in the posted a solid 6-2 record in round one.

Woodville-Tompkins and Windsor Forest lost close first-round games, as the No. 4 ranked Wolverines were stunned at home, 46-44, on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Bleckley County. and Benedictine and Calvary Day won their games by a single possession each. No. 3 Savannah High Class 1A-DI), Johnson (3A), Savannah Country Day (3A), Calvary Day (3A), Benedictine (4A) and No. 6 New Hampstead (4A) advanced in their respective brackets, and each had a Sweet 16 game on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Of the six teams in the Sweet 16, four won and are advancing to the Elite 8 round scheduled for Tuesday (Feb. 27) and Wednesday (Feb. 28).

Three of the four Savannah teams will play at home in the Elite 8, as only New Hampstead High School (NHHS) will need to travel. All four quarterfinal games are scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 28. Tip times vary and are included in the matchup lines below. The GHSA Final Four will be played at neutral sites across the state, with the Class 3A (Johnson’s class) semifinals being held at Savannah State University on March 2 at 3pm and 7pm. Johnson would play in the 7pm game if it wins in the quarterfinal round.

Class 4A (Benedictine, New Hampstead) plays on March 2 while Class 1A-DI (Savannah High) plays on March 1.

A boys basketball team from Savannah has not won a GHSA state championship since 2015, when Jenkins and then head coach Bakari Bryant went the distance.

Bryant has his No. 4 ranked Dougherty team in the Class 3A Elite 8, and if they advance to the Final 4 at SSU, SCJ could be the team waiting for them. Johnson versus Dougherty matching up would mean Bryant goes head-to-head against his longtime friend and coaching protégé in a game that would be as anticipated in Savannah as any other in recent memory.

Johnson (18-11) is heating up at the right time after an up-and-down regular season campaign. Bryant’s former assistant at Jenkins is no stranger to the Elite 8 round, now Chuck Campbell is hoping to become familiar with the Final Four.

Campbell’s Atom Smashers knocked off No. 7 Cross Creek, 61-56, in Augusta on Saturday night. Cormari Jones, Josh Quarterman (Region 3-3A Player of the Year) and Favion Kirkwood make up a formidable trio capable of carrying the team to victory.

In Class 4A, Benedictine (16-7) is back in the quarterfinal round thanks in large part to the play of star wing Caleb Jones. Jones is as prolific as they come in the scoring department. In the Sweet 16, the junior poured in 26 points with five rebounds and five assists as part of the 66-52 beating of Westover. As he goes, so go the Cadets, but Jones typically goes really, really good.

Like BC, New Hampstead (23-5) is cruising through the 4A bracket and making it look easy. Jeff Williams’ club entered the big dance as the region 3-4A champ, and the Phoenix have kept on rolling during the first two rounds. New Hampstead knocked off visiting Westside Macon in round one, 84-55, before throttling Cairo on Saturday also at home, 66-46. Toland Daughtry (3-4A Player of the Year) is playing well alongside AJ Williams in the Phoenix backcourt. RaShawn Truell stretches the floor well with spot-up and slashing potential.

Savannah High (21-8) has had a relaxing run to the Elite 8, but the blowouts (like both SHS wins so far in the playoffs) are likely done moving forward. After George Brown’s No. 3 ranked squad beat Dublin (66-44) in the opening round, the Bluejackets backed it up with another drubbing of the opponent at home, this time it came to the tune of 75-61 over an outmatched Heard County club.

SHS might be the city’s best chance at winning a state championship in 2024. And with Makai Joyner and Jermaine Williams scoring and rebounding at a high clip, Brown’s team knows it has the talent to match up with any team in the state.

Now, let’s take a look at the Elite 8 schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 28 below. Each bracket (1A, 3A, 4A) is listed underneath the game lines.

No. 5 Darlington (24-5) at No. 3 Savannah High (21-8)
6:30pm
Tickets Link

No. 6 Hebron Christian (25-3) at Johnson (18-11)
6:30pm

No. 7 Seckinger (23-7) at Benedictine (16-7)
6pm
Tickets Link
No. 6 New Hampstead (23-5) at No. 3 North Oconee (27-3)
6pm

BENEDICTINE FOOTBALL TO PLAY AT BUFORD IN 2024,
ALL SCHEDULES DUE TO GHSA BY MARCH 1
GHSA schools competing in football next season (Fall 2024) have until Friday, March 1 to submit their game schedules to the association, but some details for Savannah area schools have already been confirmed.

Country Day released its season slate a few weeks ago, as did Effingham County. For the first time since 2002, Calvary Day and Savannah Christian will not play each other in football in 2024. It’s (at least partially) a result of reclassification changes by the GHSA last fall. It placed the two longtime private school rivals in different regions for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 athletic years.

Benedictine is once again set to line up against a difficult and prestigious team during the non-region portion of its 2024 schedule. The Cadets play Buford (at Buford) next season in Week 2, according to a Benedictine athletics official who confirmed in a mid-February text exchange with Connect Savannah.

The Cadets (13-1 last season) played at Julius Chambers (NC) in 2023 and against Christopher Columbus (Miami, FL) in a home-and-home agreement fulfilled in 2021 and 2022. BC won back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022 before falling in the Final Four last year.

Buford (11-2) won state championships in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and the Wolves will play in the state’s highest classification (6A) next season while Benedictine will remain in Class 4A. The Wolves have a record of 22-3 over the last two seasons and a home record of 25-2 over the last four years.

The Cadets are led by head coach Danny Britt and are 26-3 over their last two seasons.

This article appears in Connect Savannah I February 2024.