First-round tournament jitters give way to second-round tests

ALBANY — Gearing up for the first round of the GHSA basketball tournament can be a dicey proposition, as Westover’s boys found out Saturday in a 63-58 victory over Perry.

Coming off an intense region tournament in which Westover beat two teams in the Score Atlanta Class 4A rankings, the Patriots had eight days off between its region title win over Americus-Sumter and its first-round state tournament game. Westover appeared a bit rusty at times, and Perry hit some shots from outside to give the Patriots an unexpected scare.

Ninth-ranked Westover survived to play another day. The lesson of how time can be cut short during tournament season, however, was also conveyed.

“In practice we seemed to be locked in, but (Saturday) we came out and seemed kind of lackadaisical, saying ‘We’re going to beat this team’ and not playing hard, physical defense like we normally play,” Westover head coach Dallis Smith said after the Perry win. “So hopefully they learned from this. I got on them pretty good after the game because we can’t do this. It’s not us.

“From here on out, every time we step on the floor, we have to give everything we have and leave it on the floor. If not, we’ll be home watching ‘Flintstones.’ “

Westover (22-6) hosts Burke County, the second-place team from Region 3-4A, at 6 p.m. on Thursday in a second-round game. Burke County (13-8) topped Henry County 71-67 in the opening round.

The visiting Bears have three seniors averaging more than 10 points per game: Zayveon Williams (16.5), Deontae Carter (15.2) and Simeon Coleman (12.4).

Westover, which also has three players averaging more than 10 points per game in Kris Gardner (17.2), Jordan Brown (15.1) and Cam Weston (13.1), carries a bit of a height advantage among its main scorers. Gardner, Brown and Weston come in at 6-foot-1, 6-0 and 6-3, respectively, while Williams, Carter and Coleman are 5-9, 6-3 and 5-10.

Monroe doubling up

Both of Monroe’s basketball teams are still in their respective tournaments, but both teams face daunting tasks in the second round.

The Monroe girls host sixth-ranked Johnson of Savannah, the Class 3A state runner-up last year, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Both teams had easy first-round victories. The Tornadoes (14-12) rolled to a 67-28 win over Liberty County, while Johnson (19-6) took down Rutland 60-33.

Monroe’s boys enjoyed a home-court advantage in its opening-round win, 79-69 over Liberty County. But now the Tornadoes head to Savannah to take on Johnson, the second-ranked team in Class 3A.

The Tornadoes (13-15) find themselves in a loaded Class 3A bracket quadrant. The winner of Thursday’s 6 p.m. game faces either ninth-ranked defending Class 3A champion Pace Academy or fourth-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian in the quarterfinals.

Johnson (25-2), which beat Kendrick 88-68 in the first round, has four players averaging in double-figures, led by junior Shamar Jones at 19.5 points per game.

Class 1A action

Teams with first-round byes start Class 1A tournament action this week.

On the girls’ side, second-seeded Terrell County and sixth-seeded Pelham both take the floor at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Terrell County (23-4) hosts 15th-seeded Taylor County (15-10), while Pelham (26-2) hosts 11th-seeded ECI (16-6).

Also at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 17th-seeded Calhoun County (18-10) heads to top-seeded Telfair County.

Calhoun County’s boys (26-2), the No. 1 seed in the Class 1A-Public bracket, hosts No. 16 seed Trion (14-11) at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Tenth-seeded Terrell County (20-9) heads to seventh-seeded Macon County (19-5), while 11th-seeded Pelham (23-5) heads to sixth-seeded Manchester (20-6), with both of those games also slated for 6 p.m. starts Thursday.