Sequoyah boys basketball gets its chance for respect in Georgia

Sequoyah (Canton) has an undefeated boys basketball team that is playing at home in the second round of the state playoffs this week, yet few give the Chiefs a great chance of winning another game.

The next opponent in the Class AAAA playoffs is Miller Grove (Lithonia) (28-1), the No. 16 team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys basketball national rankings.

This early state-playoff showdown was made possible because Miller Grove (28-1) was upset in the Region 6-AAAAA playoffs by Southwest DeKalb and qualified as the No. 2 team out of Region 6-AAAA.

It's a genuine David-and-Goliath matchup, with the unbeaten and higher-seeded team playing the role of David.

MaxPreps Georgia boys basketball playoff brackets

Miller Grove is a two-time defending state champion. Sequoyah made the state playoffs for the first time in history last year and went out in the first round.

Miller Grove's front line – 6-9 Tony Parker, 6-8 Henry Brooks and 6-8 Brandon Morris – is considered the state's best. Sequoyah's tallest player is 6-4.

Sequoyah's starters have played together since middle school, so chemistry is a key element. Point guard Sean Tate is averaging nearly 25 points per game, and 6-4 Cullen Roberts is a four-year starter.

"We're just a bunch of kids who play the game the right way and try to get better,'' Sequoyah coach Jeremy Adams, a former player at the school he coaches. "They've set their sights. They think they can win a state championship. I'm not the one to tell them they can't.''

ALTERCATION, EJECTION END BOYS GAME EARLY
In a game between Calvary Day of Savannah and Calhoun County, an altercation between players with a minute left led to one team shooting eight technical fouls and another team walking out with a minute to play. Calvary Day's Alex Reid sank eight free throws on technicals, and Calvary Day won 89-65. Calhoun County coach Marcus Shaw was thrown out of the game, and his players followed him to the dressing room, according to the Savannah Morning News. State tournament historian Becky Taylor of Nashville, Ga., couldn't remember a precedent. "I think this is a first in state tournament history, both in a major fight and a walkout,'' Taylor said. "Two Class D teams in the late 1930s, early 1940s just failed to appear, but that was probably owing to finances. There have been coaches ejected from tournament play … [but] I can't find any mention of a major fight or of one team leaving.''

CINDERELLA BOYS: MILL CREEK BEATS THIRD STATE-RANKED TEAM IN 10 DAYS
The Mill Creek (Hoschton) boys team is perhaps the Cinderella of the state tournament. Mill Creek, which opened in 2004, got its first state playoff victory Saturday in a 65-61 upset of Walton, a team ranked in the Top 10 of every state poll. Mill Creek (16-12) finished fifth in the regular season of Region 7-AAAAA but defeated two state-ranked opponents – Collins Hill and North Gwinnett – to get the region's No. 3 seed for the playoffs. It's a team without stars. Brandon Hayman averages 12 points and 9.6 rebounds, and Ronald Wamer averages 11.9 points. By contrast, Walton's guard pair of Karl Cochran and Lanerryl Esters-Johnson each average more than 20 points per game. Mill Creek had five players with 10 points or more. "We're making history,'' Wamer told the Gwinnett Daily Post. "I love playing with my teammates and I didn't want the season to end.''

DeKALB'S DOMINANCE WANES IN GIRLS DRAW
One of the top stories in the girls state playoffs is the demise of DeKalb County teams, which were dominant in 2010. Southwest DeKalb, the reigning Class AAAA champion, failed to qualify. Chamblee, the No. 1-ranked team in AAAA entering the region tournament, also failed to make it. Redan, which had won AAAAA titles in 2008 and 2009 and was runner-up last year, lost in the first round last weekend to Loganville. Redan's Aneesah Daniels, who has signed with Alabama, fouled out in the fourth quarter. Loganville's Enisha Donely scored 25 points. "We didn't feel like it was going to be an upset coming in," Loganville first-year coach John Zorn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We're a No. 4 seed, but we felt like we were just as good as any No. 1 seed around. We felt like if we could shoot, we could play with anybody." DeKalb still can rest its hopes on Columbia (Decatur) in AAA. Columbia, the defending champion, reached the second round with a 58-35 victory over Allatoona.

MaxPreps Georgia girls basketball playoff brackets

WHITEFIELD BEATS WESLEYAN IN 2010 TITLE GAME REMATCH
One of the most intriguing first-round matchups last week had Wesleyan and Whitefield playing in a rematch of the 2010 Class A boys final, which Wesleyan (Norcross) won in a mild upset. Whitefield Academy (Mableton) won the rematch 62-48 behind 19 points from 6-4 forward Kennard Backman, who has signed a football scholarship with UAB. Wesleyan fought back from a 17-4 hole in the first half to lead 26-24 at halftime, but Whitefield opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run and allowed Wesleyan no closer than 51-46 the rest of the way. Wesleyan finished 25-5.