GHSA Tournament of Champions: No. 3 St. Francis vs. No. 6 Pace Academy
There are a lot of items on GHSA basketball fans’ wish lists. One that we may never see is a tournament of champions. All eight classification champs grouped together and seeded or even paired at random to set up a…
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Continue ReadingThere are a lot of items on GHSA basketball fans’ wish lists. One that we may never see is a tournament of champions. All eight classification champs grouped together and seeded or even paired at random to set up a bracket to determine the overall champion of the state. With no basketball being played currently, why not breakdown some hypothetical matchups in this new series and let the fan vote determine who will advance to the next round?
We will provide a preview, a thoughtful prediction and let you – the fans – decide the fate of each game.
No. 3 A-PrivateSt. Francis (29-3) vs. No. 6 3APace Academy (28-4)
This first round matchup is a rematch from the Jared Cook Classic where St. Francis won 69-57.
The two private schools have ramped up their success in the past decade as St. Francis has four state titles including back-to-back while Pace has earned three. Loaded with D-I recruits, this one should go down to the wire.
If Pace Academy wants to advance to the Final Four, they must avoid a slow start. They trailed St. Francis 34-17 at the half in their first meeting and was down 20-13 in the Class 3A title game before racing past Jefferson 48-35. St. Francis had no trouble in their state championship, blitzing Greenforest from the opening tip and leading the entire game. The Knights coasted to a 76-55 victory and held the Eagles to 33.9 percent shooting while St. Francis hit 65.9 percent of their shots.
St. Francis’ balanced attack got the best of Pace Academy already once this year. Xavier-signee Dwon Odom Dwon Odom 6'1" | PG St. Francis | 2020 State #52 Nation GA dumped in 21 points while Jordan Brown Jordan Brown 6'1" | CG Pebblebrook | 2022 State GA hit five threes en route to 19 points. Berry-commit Chase Ellis Chase Ellis 6'4" | SF St. Francis | 2020 State GA had 13 points and Jusaun Holt Jusaun Holt 6'6" | SF St. Francis | 2021 State #110 Nation GA added 10 points and 8 rebounds. Matthew Cleveland Matthew Cleveland 6'7" | SF Pace Academy | 2021 State #13 Nation GA will be put to the test against St. Francis’ tough defense. He scored 23 points in their first meeting while Cole Middleton Cole Middleton 6'6" | PF Pace Academy | 2021 State GA had 15.
Look for Madison Durr Madison Durr 6'4" | PG Pace | 2021 State GA to step up against his former team. His defense on Odom and his productivity on offense will determine Pace’s fate. Middleton will have to carve out space inside and score up close but Ellis’ physicality and the length of Holt and Kai Simmons Kai Simmons 6'8" | C St. Francis | 2021 State GA could make things tough. St. Francis’ depth and balance could pose a problem again, especially if Seth Hubbard Seth Hubbard 6'4" | SG Huntington Prep | 2022 WV plays like how he did in the state championship.
Line: St. Francis -6.5
Vote below to decide who advances to the next round of the GHSA Tournament of Champions
Voting ends on 4/10