Four Columbus area basketball teams made the Final Four. Here’s when they play

As the Georgia state basketball playoffs near the championship game, the Hardaway girls team and the Taylor County girls team are representing the Columbus area in the Final Four.

With semifinal games coming Saturday, here’s a look at how each team made it to the penultimate round and who they’ll face.

Hardaway

The Hawks girls team is one of the last Columbus teams standing and defeated Northwest Whitfield in the Class 4A quarterfinals to earn a Final Four spot. During the regular season they were undefeated in region play and won their region tournament.

The first two rounds saw them dominate West Laurens and Fayette County, more than doubling their opponents’ scores.

They will face Griffin, the top seed from Region 2, for a chance to play in the championship against the winner of Baldwin County vs. Holy Innocents’ High School.

Game info: Hardaway vs Griffin, Saturday at 2 p.m., at Fort Valley State University

Taylor County

Taylor County’s playoff run comes as no surprise after their stellar regular season. The Vikings lost only one game on their way to an impressive region title and one seed.

They cruised to a 72-17 win over Twiggs County in the first round of the Class A Division II playoffs before nearly doubling up Greene County and Randolph-Clay to snag a spot in the Final Four.

The Vikings will face Clinch County, who boast a 25-4 record as the second-place team from Region 2. The winner willgo to the championship against the winner Mt. Zion vs Lake Oconee Academy.

Game info: Taylor County vs Clinch County, Saturday at 6 p.m., at Fort Valley State University

St. Anne-Pacelli

St. Anne-Pacelli reached the semifinals of the GIAA tournament thanks to a bye in the first round followed by a 59-46 win over Brookstone in the second round. They went 21-5 in the regular season to earn the second overall seed in 4A.

The Vikings will face Stratford in the championship.

Game info: St. Anne-Pacelli vs Stratford, Saturday at 8 p.m., at Mercer University

Brookstone

The Brookstone girls team won their semifinal game and will play for the championship Friday after a close 37-33 win over FPD.

The Cougars boast a 22-6 record and have been a surprise team in the GIAA 4A Girls tournament as the seventh-ranked team, knocking off the #2 and #3 teams on their way to the finals. Brookstone will face George Walton Academy Friday.

Game info: Brookstone vs George Walton, Friday at 8 p.m., at Mercer University

This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 3:40 PM.