See which Savannah area basketball teams advanced to the Sweet 16 in state playoff action

Replacing a Georgia coaching legend like Savannah High's Tim Jordan is a considerable challenge, but George Brown, a longtime assistant at The High, has made the transition a seamless one.

After taking the Region 3-A Division I title last week with a win over cross-town rival Woodville-Tompkins, Brown's Blue Jacket squad dominated in a first-round playoff meeting with visiting Dublin in a 66-44 win on Wednesday night. Next up for Savannah High (20-8) is a Sweet 16 matchup with visiting Heard County (11-16) set for Saturday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m.

In the win over Dublin, Maki Joyner had another impressive performance for the Blue Jackets. The junior showed why he was selected as the region player of the year with an array of athletic drives to the basket with strong finishes as he scored 18 points.

Senior Nayshawn Heyward was hitting from the outside and scored 18 points, while senior Jermaine Edwards was a force defensively, while adding nine points. Junior guard Jermontae Brown also played well and Deshawn Davis, the 6-foot-8 junior and Defensive Player of the Year in the region, was a huge factor down low with his ability to block and alter shots.

"I thought we played really well defensively, and we hit some shots tonight, which was great," said Brown, a former standout player at Armstrong State. "It's been different this year running the program as the head coach. I don't have coach Jordan on campus anymore to look toward him for wisdom. But I think it's been an easy transition. The boys have responded well, and now they know it's time to survive and advance."

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Edwards, who has close to 1,500 rebounds and 1,200 points in his career as a four-year starter, said the players have a strong relationship with Brown, and they have become even closer this season.

"Coach Brown pushes us in practice every day just like it's a game," Edwards said. "That helps when you get to the playoffs. Our strength is our defense. Coach always says that some nights, you offense and shooting won't be there. But defense is about effort, and that's the key to winning."

In other Class A Division I action, Woodville-Tompkins saw its season come to a close as the No. 2 seed Wolverines lost to Bleckley County. Woodville went up by a point with nine seconds left, but Bleckley County countered with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win 46-44.

Woodville finished the season with a 22-5 record under Travis Priddy, in his first season as the head coach.

In Class 3A, three Savannah area boys teams from Region 3-3A punched their ticket to the Sweet 16.

Savannah Country Day, the Cinderella squad that won the Region 3-3A title as a No. 7 seed, beat visiting Mary Persons 58-45. Next up for the Hornets (15-15) is a second-round matchup with visiting Carver (22-5) Saturday, Feb. 24, at a time to be announced.

Johnson, the region runnerup, bounced back strong with a strong showing in a 76-50 win over visiting Jackson. Junior Favion Kirkwood had 25 points and five rebounds, while region Player of the Year Josh Quarterman had 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. Senior guard Cormari Jones dished out 11 assists and scored 13 points or the Atom Smashers, who improved to 17-11. Johnson will be on the road for the second round at Cross Creek (19-9) Saturday with tipoff set for 5 p.m.

Calvary Day came up with a big upset as the No. 4 seed went on the road and knocked off No. 1 seed Peach County with a 54-53 victory.

The Cavs did it with a defensive stop in the final seconds, first-year coach Sceptor Brownlee said.

"It was a great defensive effort as a team -- we got a couple deflections and got the stop we needed," Brownlee said. "The boys played hard -- and as they say, we were looking to survive and advance."

Senior guard CJ Gaines led Calvary with 22 points and Kuol Kuol, the 6-foot-10 sophomore, had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

"CJ played like a senior who doesn't want his high school career to come to an end," Brownlee said.

Calvary Day (10-17) will be on the road again in Albany to face Monroe (22-6) with tipoff set for Saturday at 6 p.m.

In Class 4A, New Hampstead, the Region 3-4A champion, took care of business with an 84-55 win over visiting Westside Macon. Toland Daughtry, who was recently named the Region Player of the Year, led the Phoenix with 29 points. Ja'Cari Glover had 17, Antoine Youmans scored 14 and freshman AJ Williams added seven points.

The Phoenix (22-5) is set to host Cairo (15-10) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. as they try to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

Benedictine came through in the final seconds as the Cadets held off Griffin in a 53-51 win. Junior guard Caleb Jones led the way with 23 points for BC, and La'Don Bryant added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Benedictine (15-7) will be able to host on Saturday as Westover, a No. 4 seed, upset No. 1 seed Fayette County 63-60. The game with Westover (14-12) is set to tip off at 5 p.m.

In Class 5A, the Bradwell Institute boys advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 42-41 win over visiting Lithonia. Tahshaun Frasier, the Region 1-5A Co-Player of the Year, led the way with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Now the Tigers (22-6) are on the road to face Eagle's Landing (20-7) with tipoff set for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

In the girls' GHSA tournament, Calvary Day, the Region 3-3A champion, advanced to the second round with ease in a 70-37 win over Pike County.

Bre Jones had 21 points, eight rebounds, eight steals and four assists in the game, and Zora Geiger had 14 points and nine rebounds. Calvary Day (21-5) will host Morgan County (17-12) in a Sweet 16 matchup set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23.

Savannah Country Day, the Region 3-3A runnerup, beat Upson-Lee 49-38 on Wednesday behind 14 points from Stella Oelschig and 12 from Molly Hildebrandt.

The Hornets (19-6) hit the road to face Cross Creek (23-4) with tipoff set for 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23.

In Class A Division I, the Region 3-A champion Bryan County rolled to a 56-31 first-round win over Bleckley County.

Kayley Wedlow, recently named the Region Player of the Year, led the way with 17 points and Ashanti Brown had 14, with Liz Harvey adding 10 points. Bryan County (25-3) is set to host Heard County (18-8) Friday at a time to be announced.

In Class 5A, Bradwell advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 58-24 win at Decatur. Junior Parris Parham, recently named the Region 1-5A Offensive Player of the Year, poured in 30 points with 14 rebounds in the win. Bradwell (23-5) is set to hit the road to face Harris County (24-3) at 6 p.m. Friday.

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Survive and advance: Savannah area basketball teams with playoff wins