It’s almost THAT TIME OF YEAR again.
With softball and volleyball already complete, and football heading toward the playoffs, attention will soon turn to basketball as the fall season gives way to winter.
Coming off the heels of one of the best seasons (2022-23) in area history, it would have been a lot to ask for a repeat performance for the 2023-24 campaign.
The northeast Georgia area girls teams certainly delivered once again, with 17 of the 25 area teams making the postseason in their respective leagues (GHSA, GIAA, GAPPS) and classifications. For the boys, however, only 11 teams qualified for the playoffs.
For the girls in 2023-24, seven teams won region titles -- Buford, North Forsyth, Jefferson, Chestatee, Banks County, Rabun County, and Lakeview Academy.
Lakeview Academy had its dream season in 2023-24, winning its first Lanierland title, the GIAA District 4 4A/3A region title, and then capping it off with its first-ever state title, knocking off Deerfield-Windsor for the GIAA 3A championship.
North Forsyth advanced to its first-ever championship game in Class 6A and Buford (Class 7A) and Rabun County (Class A D1) both advanced to the Final 4 before falling just short of Macon.
Chestatee (4A), White County (3A), and Banks County (2A) all made it to the Elite 8.
For the boys in 2023-24, only two teams captured a region title and only one advanced past the second round. Lakeview Academy was the one team for both, winning the GIAA District 4 4A/3A region title, and then capping it off with its first-ever state title, knocking off Heritage-Newnan for the GIAA 3A championship.
So, what’s in store for the 2024-25 season? Nothing is for certain. But with several of the girls teams returning the bulk of young, talented rosters this year -- and some others ready to perhaps take the next step -- we could witness another powerhouse season by the time it’s all over.
Several area boys teams that were young and inexperienced last season are hoping that they can build off a year of varsity experience.
The season officially tips off on Friday but most teams will not take the court until next week.
On the girls side, Lakeview will be the hunted rather than the hunters this year in the GIAA. However, the Lady Lions, who return the majority of their championship roster, will begin the season with a pair of key starters out with injuries, including dynamic senior guard Dynesty Putman.
“The challenge for this group has been managing expectations and maintaining that championship-level mindset,” Lakeview girls coach Ken Huffman stated. “There’s always a heightened sense of pressure after achieving such success, and with four starters returning, there’s both excitement and the weight of repeating that success.
“But the early-season injuries will definitely test our depth. We’ll likely have to rely on less experienced players stepping up to fill in new roles. That might mean some shifts in rotations and possibly more playing time for others who will need to adjust quickly to higher competition levels.”
The most intense region battle could be in Region 6-3A, where White County, Chestatee, Pickens, and Dawson County bring back experienced teams.
Lady War Eagles coach Sutton Shirley said it will be a war every night once region play begins. But gone for Chestatee is the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Riley Black.
“There are five teams (in 6-3A) that are legit to win the region and go on deep playoff runs this year,” Shirley said. “It will be very competitive. As for life without Riley, we also have three starters back that have scored over 2,100 points and have over 1,000 rebounds collectively and they’ve all played together for several years. You don’t replace players like Riley but I feel we have quality depth that can more than make up for that.”
There were a couple of coaching changes but nothing as big as long-time Banks County coach Steve Shedd moving over to White County. Shedd led the Lady Leopards to the 2023 Class 2A state title game.
Shedd is hoping to instill that same championship-mentality to the Lady Warriors, who advanced to the Elite 8 as a No. 3 seed last year.
“Our expectation is to compete for a region championship. We feel like if we show up and play up to our capability, we can beat anyone,” Shedd said. “The competition in our region will be tough; you can never take a night off. We have a huge respect for all the teams in our region and we know it will be a battle. Our hopes are that our tough non-region schedule will prepare us for the region.”
On the boys side, despite the down season overall a year ago, several teams could be poised to have breakout seasons. Gainesville should be much-improved but is in a very difficult Region 7-5A. Habersham Central, coming off a runner-up finish in 8-6A, is one of the early front-runners in the new 8-5A with Clarke Central and Winder-Barrow. The Bulldoggs made the Class 5A Final 4 last year.
Cherokee Bluff won its first-ever Lanierland title but could not get out of a tough Region 8-4A, missing out on the playoffs. They were among several teams with close-but-no-cigar attempts to qualify for the playoffs.
Habersham Central coach Tommy Yancey is hoping their experience can be the difference this season.
“These seniors have gone to the state tournament three years in a row,” Yancey said. “We're focusing on getting better each day. We want to compete for a region championship. We have a chance but Winder-Barrow is the team to beat right now.”
Lakeview Academy will be the early favorite again in GIAA Class 3A, returning all but one starter. How they handle knowing they are the team to beat before the season begins may be their biggest challenge.
“We also have a lot of experience, so we look forward to great leadership from our seniors. If we can stay injury free and stay focused on competing to our standards we have a chance to have a special year,” Lakeview boys coach Benjie Wood said.
But much like the girls, Regions 6-3A and 8-3A could be where the most excitement is generated by area teams. Five teams in 6-3A made the playoffs last year and several are looking for bigger things in 2024-25.
But it’s the opposite in 8-3A, as none of the six teams in the new region made the playoffs last year. Cherokee Bluff (the 2024 Lanierland champions), East Hall, Jefferson, and West Hall all missed out on the playoffs last year. But all four are expected to be improved and challenge for playoff spots and the region title. It will be a wide-open affair as all six teams are also expected to be much-improved in 2024-25.
A team to put on the playoff watch radar could be Banks County in Region 8-A Division 1. The Leopards return all but one starter on a team that narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year.
Rabun County, who made the Sweet 16 in Class A D1, will also be among the favorites to win the 8-A D1 title in a region that is stacked with six teams that made the playoffs.
First-year Banks County coach Chuck Butler is hoping the experience will get the Leopards back on solid playoff footing.
“We have very high expectations on the season due to the veteran personnel,” Butler said “How fast all the players buy into the new demands placed on the team will be the key. If this team puts it all together and peaks by region and tournament time, they could threaten a deep run in the state playoffs.”
AccessWDUN Sports will be publishing its 2024-25 season previews on Friday.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2024/11/1270869/basketball-can-lakeview-teams-repeat-who-will-make-a-run-in-2024-25