Last night was the first of a two-evening round for the state's Elite 8 basketball programs. For Cobb, that meant the girls teams from Campbell and Pope and the boys team from Kell. Only the Longhorns will advance to the semifinals: the Final Four round at the University of West Georgia.
Pope and Campbell were both on the road, as the GHSA coin flip gave the bottom team on the bracket the home advantage. Both teams were region champs—Pope in Region 7-6A, and Campbell in Region 2-7A—and facing the Region 4-6A champ, Marist and Region 5-7A champ, Cherokee, respectively.
The Greyhounds had difficulty getting anything going in the first half and found themselves down at halftime, 32-16. Unfortunately a stifling Marist defense continued to swarm the Pope offense in the second half, allowing only 13 more points. The final score was 57-29. Although the game ended the Greyhounds' season, the Pope Girls had a remarkable year, losing only 2 region games and closing out at 23-8 overall.
Similarly, the Lady Spartans had a slow start contending with Cherokee's stingy defense and went into the half down by double digits, 45-24. Mid-game adjustments helped out and Campbell had their best scoring quarter in the third with 21 points, but the overall deficit was too much to recover, even though they outscored the Warriors in the second half by 11. The final score was 70-60. The Lady Spartans ended their 2023-24 season with a single region loss and an overall record of 22-8.
Cobb's only 5A school, the Kell Longhorns, are the reigning hardwood state champs and both the boys and the girls teams showed grit and determination this season. The Lady Longhorns claimed the Region 6 runner-up spot and made it to the second round of the state tournament, but were eliminated by Jackson during Winter Break. The Boys team has been brilliant all season, and came into last night's home Elite 8 game against Dutchtown on a 25-game win streak.
The Region 6-5A champs are making a statement in the postseason, much as they did during the regular season. Seniors Jaylen Colon, C.J. Brown, and Cannon Richards have been playing together for a long time and it shows. Region Player of the Year Brown put up 26 points in last night's contest, including 5 three-pointers. Region First-Team Colon added 12 points with three shots from behind the arc, and Region First-Team Richards contributed 6 points and 13 rebounds. The trio combined for 45 of the Longhorns' 60 points, ending the Bulldogs' season with a final score of 60-46.
The Longhorns will now face Winder-Barrow in the Final Four at University of West Georgia on Friday, March 1. Before last night, the Longhorns were ranked fourth in the state and first in 5A. Winder-Barrow is ranked 6th in 5A and beat a talented Warner Robbins team to advance to the Final Four. Kell will be favored, but anything can happen late in the season with a state championship on the line.
"We will need to continue to stay consistent on both ends of the floor," said Head Coach Jermaine Sellers about his team's matchup with Winder-Barrow. "At this time of year it comes down to defense and rebounds. That’s our focus."
The Longhorns will need to continue their brilliance on the court and stay focused off the court to win the final two games for back-to-back 5A Titles.
"We’re fortunate and blessed to be in this position. We don’t take it for granted. Our guys work hard and compete everyday in practice. They enjoy playing with each other. That is what’s being displayed on game day," Coach Sellers concluded proudly.
Great job, Kell Basketball! Let's go, Longhorns!
