Contenders and Pretenders

Today is the start of the girls GHSA state playoffs and the Bi-City has some of the state's top teams. But that doesn't automatically give them a berth in the final four.
Everyone begins earning their trip to Macon tonight.

Here is a look at eight teams in Class AAA that have a chance to advance to Macon.

Hardaway -- The Lady Hawks suffered a devastating 69-68 overtime loss in the Region 2-AAA final to Kendrick. But that might have been the best thing to happen to them. The Hawks were upbeat at practice this week and are focused. They will make it at least to the quarterfinals.

Northeast-Macon -- Northeast knocked off Southwest-Macon in the Region 4-AAA final to earn the top seed. Northeast shouldn't have a problem winning its first two games.

Gainesville -- Gainesville lost in the final to East Hall, but are always good. Gainesville is capable of making some noise in the tournament.

Sandy Creek -- Sandy Creek couldn't beat Carrollton -- who is undefeated -- but that doesn't diminish the type of team it is. Sandy Creek has tough opening round game against North Hall but should survive.

Hephzibah -- The Lady Rebels have the toughest draw in the state. If they can get past Southwest -- which they will do next Friday -- they have to play Kendrick. Arguably, the top three teams in the state are in the same bracket. This might be Wendell Lofton's best coaching job.

Kendrick -- The Lady Cherokees will be tested by Worth County in the second round but they will win. Just last season, Kendrick beat Worth County by 28 points in the quarterfinals. The question is can Kendrick make it back to Macon?

East Hall -- East Hall only has one loss and is capable of getting to Macon. Last year, East Hall made it to the quarterfinals of AA and will try to improve on that. Carrollton will try to have something to say about them making a trip to Macon.

Carrollton -- Carrollton is the only unbeaten team in Class AAA. Sometimes that isn't the best thing going into the playoffs. Kendrick was unbeaten going into the semifinals when Avondale beat them last year. Carrollton might have a similar experience.


The final four: Hardaway vs. Franklin County (the surprise team)
Kendrick vs. Carrollton

Final four selections will be made later. Tomorrow we will breakdown the boys.

Trying to break a tie is never easy, especially when the teams split during the regular season.
Just ask Northside and Jordan -- who finished tied for second.
The Georgia High School Association has a set of tiebreakers that includes records against all Class AAA teams. The Region 2-AAA coaches have a tiebreaker that starts with the top seeded team not involved in the tie and works it way down.
Ultimately, the final tiebreaker is flipping a coin or drawing a number out of a hat.
But are any of these really fair.
Spencer coach George Williams likes what they did about 20 years ago. In 1988, when Spencer and Columbus High were tied for first in the region, they played a game to determine who was the top seed and earn the automatic bid.
In 1988, only two teams made the playoffs and one received the automatic bid. That year, like this year, Spencer and Columbus High had identical region records and split during the season.
Spencer won that game. And Columbus never made the playoffs. The Blue Devils lost to a Baker team that included Kendrick coach Sterling Hicks, who was a freshman.
Determining it on the court might be a better solution than flipping a coin.