Athens girls, boys high school basketball postseason superlatives: Top performers, coaches

High school basketball has wrapped its campaign in the Athens area, providing an opportunity to name postseason superlatives as teams hang up their sneakers and take a much-deserved rest − or celebration.

It was a season to remember, with a decades-long victor drought in Athens broken by two teams on two levels in North Oconee (GHSA) and Monsignor Donovan Catholic (GIAA). There was the team of eight that made its way to the Final Four on the backs of a lone senior, and several new members inducted into the 1,000-point club. There were prize freshmen that emerged and talented seniors sent off with love from the crowds. Cinderellas went dancing and legacies were created in the Classic City in 2024.

Here are some takeaways:

Vote: Athens-area high school athlete of the week for March 1-10

Top coaching performances

North Oconee's Rick Rasmussen and Athens Christian's Jeff Vaughn helped lead their underestimated teams to new heights this season. Rasmussen's Titans went on a 19-game win streak, undefeated in 2024 to earn the first region title and state title in school history. Vaughn's Eagles made their way to the Final Four with only eight girls on the roster: one senior and seven underclassmen. They held on until the very end, falling to an eventual state champion in St. Francis.

Jefferson's Greg Brown earned Region 8-5A Coach of the Year. He led his Lady Dragons to a region title and a No. 1 seed in the state tournament. They ended their season in an overtime Sweet 16 match against Cartersville, going down by a mere two points.

Oglethorpe County's Brianna Dickens earned Region 5-A Coach of the Year. She led her Patriots to a region title, though they fell in the first round of states to Elbert County.

Winder-Barrow's Travis McDaniel led his Bulldoggs to the Final Four, Clarke Central's Stefan Smith earned Region 8-5A Coach of the Year and Athens Academy's Don Hurlburt led his Spartans to the Elite Eight.

Top freshmen performances

The future is bright in Athens for a trio of freshmen: North Oconee's Justin Wise, Apalachee's Peyton Denmark and Oconee County's Eliza Oechsle.

Wise helped the Titans to their first state title on March 6 with a critical 19-point performance over Holy Innocents' Episcopal. He was named to the All-Region 8-4A second team and averaged 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals per game. He's major Division I prospect, many have said.

While the Wildcats didn't get a postseason run, Denmark was a key player in their regular season offensive production. She's even been called the 'Caitlin Clark of Apalachee,' standing as a role model for the younger girls teams in the district. She earned herself All-Region 8-6A honors. Oechsle was an honorable mention for the Warriors on the All-Region 8-3A list and helped lead her team to the Sweet 16, where they fell by 20 points to Wesleyan.

Top upperclassmen performances

North Oconee senior Byrd Carter was named to the All-Region 8-4A first team this year. He's earned All-Region honors all four years of his high school career and has a Division I offer waiting for him. He averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, three assists and 1.6 steals per game and posted 20 points alone in the state title game to lead his team to victory.

With Carter, seniors Evan Montgomery and Justin Payne paved the path for the Titans. Montgomery was named to the All-Region 8-4A second team, averaging nine points and nine rebounds per game. He had two double-doubles in the state tournament with a 17-point, 15-rebound game and a 16-point, 14-rebound game. Payne averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 assists per game, with nine assists to zero turnovers in the title game. He was named to the All-Region 8-4A first team with Carter.

Athens Christian senior Hampton Ford was named Region 8-A Player of the Year and Oglethorpe County senior Denim Goodard was named Region 5-A Player of the Year for a second time. She entered the 1,000-point club, averaging 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals per game.

Oconee County juniors Elizabeth Wynn and Julie Azeltine raised the bar all year for the Warriors. Azeltine averaged 15.5 points per game to lead the program, and also averaged seven rebounds per game. Wynn is key in the box, protecting the rim and getting those second chances for the Warriors. She averaged 10 rebounds per game, as well as 2.5 blocks and 7.5 points. She also posted a double-double in the Sweet 16.

The big one thousand

In case you missed it, earlier this season Clarke Central junior Marcus Gillespie and Athens Christian's Natalee Goff joined the elite 1,000-career-point circles at their schools. Goff was the fifth girl to do so in Eagles history.

Gillespie was another top upperclassman performer, consistently scoring around 30 points in every game he played − there was little surprise over the fact that he got to the 1,000-point club, with everyone focused on the fact that he did it in just one and a half years.

Oglethorpe County girls had two get into the 1,000-point club, between Goodard and junior Kenzie Henderson. Henderson averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks her game and was named to the All-Region 5-A first and All-Region defensive teams.

Don't forget about...

Monsignor Donovan Catholic, of course. The GIAA Class A team was the first Athens-area boys' team to bring home a state title trophy since their coach, Tony Sorrells, won one playing for Madison County in 1988. They're also the first overall Athens-area team to bring home a state title trophy since the 2001 Jefferson girls, who won that year over Wesleyan.

Senior forward Nick Huff had a triple-double with 15 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks, and was backed up by his counterpart, senior wing John W. "Tripp" Thompson III, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds.

Sara Tidwell covers Athens-area high school sports and University of Georgia athletics for The Athens Banner-Herald. Contact her at stidwell@gannett.com and follow her @saramtidwell on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens superlatives: Top 2024 girls, boys basketball players, coaches