Basketball: More than 2 dozen area teams begin state tournament play this week

It's the time of year when 32 teams from the Georgia High School Association's nine classifications have just one dream: winning a basketball state championship.

Yes, the Road to Macon officially begins on Tuesday as more than two dozen area teams pack their hopes and dreams up and set sail for the elusive state championship.

The girls bracket is the first to tip the action off around the state, except for a handful of boys games on Tuesday. The majority of the boys action will begin on Wednesday.

On the girls side, 18 Northeast Georgia teams, 11 of which are ranked in the top 10 in their respective classes, hope to keep their seasons rolling. North Forsyth, Buford, Chestatee, Banks County and Jefferson are No. 1 seeds and will have home-court advantage through at least the first two rounds. 

Defending state champion Lumpkin County heads into the Class 3A tournament as a favorite to get back to the state title game, but a loss to No. 2 Wesleyan on Saturday in the Region 7-3A game has the Lady Indians as a No. 2 seed. But it's better than you think. Lumpkin stays away from another Class 3A title favorite, Hebron Christain Academy. The two would meet at the title game. The Lady Indians, however, could see a potential second-round matchup at No. 5 Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe and, if they get past LFO, a pending rematch of the last two semifinal battles with No. 6 Cross Creek for a trip to the Final Four. 

In Class 7A, No. 6 Buford would also be a favorite to make it to Macon this year. They'll possibly face Cherokee in the second round and either No. 6 North Paulding or No. 9 Pebblebrook in the quarterfinals.

In Class 6A, No. 8 North Forsyth has an interesting road to the Final Four. They'll face a Pope team that finished at the top of the region in the regular season but was upset in the tournament to finish fourth. If the Lady Raiders get past Pope, they'll most likely face Sequoyah. The Lady Cheifs beat North Forsyth twice, by three points each time, earlier this season. Will the third time be the charge for NoFo? If it is, they'll most likely face No. 4 Woodward Academy or No. 6 Brunswick in the quarterfinals. Both Habersham Central and Gainesville also have tough first-round draws. 

In Class 5A, a young Jefferson hopes to stay hot in its first-round game against No. 4 seed North Murray. 

In Class 4A, No. 8 Chestatee's road to the semifinals has No. 6 Stockbridge and No. 2 Griffin as possible stops. If the Lady War Eagles get past Central Carrollton, they'll most likely face Stockbridge. They would get Griffin in the quarterfinals. No. 9 East Forsyth would get No. 4 Luella in the second round, and No. 10 North Hall most likely has top-ranked Holy Innocents in Round 2. 

In Class 3A, Dawson County might have the best draw of all the area teams in the classification. No ranked teams stand in their way, and if the Lady Tigers can make a run through the bracket, they could face Lumpkin County, for the fourth time this season, in the semifinals. As for White County, they may have the worst draw in Class 3A. They'll travel to No. 1 Hebron Christian on Tuesday. 

In Class 2A, No. 3 Banks County's path is OK, except they'll have to get past No. 2 Central Macon to make the Final Four. 

In Class A Division 1, Rabun County's quadrant houses three of the top 10 teams in Class A D1. Rabun County, ranked fifth, will likely face Oglethorpe County in the second round and could likely battle Woodville-Thompkins for a trip to

On the boys side, only nine Northeast Georgia teams will begin the trip to Macon this week, and only two, Buford and White County, are No. 1 seeds. 

In Class 7A, Buford, the Class 6A runner-up last season, should use the home-court advantage to knock off Berkmar but will have a tougher match in the second round against Cherokee. If the Wolves are to make the semifinals, they'll potentially face Carrollton. 

In Class 6A, both North Forsyth and Habersham Central have tough first-round draws. 

In Class 5A, Jefferson finished second in Region 8-5A, but do they have enough to make a run? Time will tell. 

In Class 3A, White County captured its first-ever region title against Gilmer on Saturday. The Warriors have a good path to the quarterfinals but will most likely play No. 6 Beach or No. 5 Dougherty for a trip to the semifinals. 

In Class 2A, Union and Banks County have interest in first-round draws, but the path only gets tougher. 

In Class A Division 1, Rabun County should get past Trion but will have a tough second-round draw against either No. 5 Social Circle or King's Ridge.