Four of the six top-ranked girls basketball teams that reached the state finals completed the championship journey to secure their No. 1 spots in the final rankings of the 2017-18 season.
Class AA Laney (32-0) was the only undefeated team in any classification and capped off its perfect season with a 63-40 victory over Region 4 rival Josey. It was the second consecutive championship and third in four years for Laney, which extended its winning streak to 62 games. All five of Josey’s losses this season came against Laney.
Class AAAAA Buford (28-3) beat Flowery Branch in the championship game to win its second consecutive title and sixth since 2009. The Wolves (28-3) met their Region 8 rival four times during the season and won all four, including 60-49 in the championship game.
Top-ranked Westlake (30-1) of Class AAAAAAA and Lovejoy (32-1) of Class AAAAAA were among five first-time champions. Westlake beat Newton 60-45 and Lovejoy beat Harrison 57-41 in games that were close until the closing minutes.
Greater Atlanta Christian (AAA) and Holy Innocents’ (Class A private), ranked No. 1 coming into the tournament, lost in the championship games. GAC lost to Johnson-Savannah (23-6), which was the state runner-up last season and claimed its first title with a 62-50 win. Holy Innocents’ met Wesleyan (27-4) in the final for the fourth consecutive year and lost for the third time. Wesleyan’s 61-44 win gave the Wolves their second consecutive and 13th overall title, all since 2002. Holy Innocents’ had beaten Wesleyan in all three meetings this season leading up to the championship game.
Class AAAA Carver-Columbus and Class A public Telfair County, No. 1 teams going into the tournament, were eliminated in the semifinals.
The other first-time champions were Spalding (AAAA) and Greenville (A public). Spalding had been No. 3 before its 58-46 victory over No. 2 Henry County on Saturday. Greenville (28-2) was No. 2 coming into the final but beat Marion County 73-52 in the final.
Only seven new teams moved into the final rankings after a tournament that went mostly according to form. North Cobb replaced Lowndes in Class AAAAAAA after Lowndes was knocked out by Campbell in the first round in one of the bigger upsets.
Coffee and Stephenson replaced Tucker and Heritage-Conyers in AAAAAA; Dutchtown replaced Bainbridge in AAAAA; Americus-Sumter, the only unranked team to reach the semifinals in any classification, replaced Baldwin in AAAA; Douglass replaced Washington County in AA; and Turner County replaced Woodville-Tompkins in Class A public.
Class AAAAAAA
1. Westlake (30-1)
2. Newton (28-4)
3. McEachern (22-6)
4. North Forsyth (28-3)
5. Norcross (26-4)
6. Collins Hill (26-3)
7. Cherokee (26-3)
8. Hillgrove (19-8)
9. South Gwinnett (23-4)
10. North Cobb (20-8)
Class AAAAAA
1. Lovejoy (32-1)
2. Harrison (26-5)
3. Winder-Barrow (24-5)
4. Northview (24-7)
5. Douglas County (24-7)
6. Lanier (22-7)
7. Valdosta (22-8)
8. Coffee (18-10)
9. Creekview (19-9)
10. Stephenson (18-12)
Class AAAAA
1. Buford (28-3)
2. Flowery Branch (26-6)
3. Harris County (28-3)
4. Villa Rica (26-2)
5. Eagle's Landing (23-7)
6. Carrollton (24-7)
7. Fayette County (22-7)
8. Dutchtown (23-6)
9. Ware County (26-3)
10. Arabia Mountain (21-3)
Class AAAA
1. Spalding (28-3)
2. Henry County (29-2)
3. Carver-Columbus (29-2)
4. Americus-Sumter (24-8)
5. Marist (23-3)
6. Madison County (22-7)
7. Jefferson (23-7)
8. Luella (22-6)
9. Northwest Whitfield (25-4)
10. Burke County (18-7)
Class AAA
1. Johnson-Savannah (23-6)
2. Greater Atlanta Christian (25-5)
3. Franklin County (30-1)
4. Tattnall County (25-6)
5. Beach (27-3)
6. Lovett (25-5)
7. Haralson County (27-3)
8. Central-Macon (25-4)
9. Peach County (22-8)
10. East Hall (17-13)
Class AA
1. Laney (32-0)
2. Josey (28-5)
3. Model (25-4)
4. Fitzgerald (17-6)
5. Banks County (25-6)
6. Dodge County (25-5)
7. Putnam County (20-5)
8. Rabun County (24-7)
9. Swainsboro (23-5)
10. Douglass (18-7)
Class A (Private)
1. Wesleyan (27-4)
2. Holy Innocents' (29-2)
3. St. Francis (26-5)
4. Stratford Academy (26-3)
5. Prince Avenue Christian (25-3)
6. Calvary Day (27-3)
7. Christian Heritage (22-7)
8. Paideia (21-10)
9. Our Lady of Mercy (20-4)
10. Athens Academy (24-5)
Class A (Public)
1. Greenville (28-2)
2. Marion County (25-6)
3. Telfair County (27-3)
4. Terrell County (25-5)
5. Pelham (27-3)
6. Wilcox County (23-6)
7. Wheeler County (20-5)
8. Bowdon (23-6)
9. Macon County (21-6)
10. Turner County (19-9)
