The 1A-3A Private basketball season will end when the Holy Innocents’ boys take on North Cobb Christian at 3 p.m. and Hebron Christian’s girls face Holy Innocents’ at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Centreplex in Macon.
Holy Innocents’ (26-4) boys have made their way back to the state title game for the second year in a row, aiming to win the program’s first-ever state championship. The team is currently on an 11-game winning streak and looks to continue its momentum in the upcoming state title game against top-seeded North Cobb Christian. The Golden Bears are led by 5-star power forward Caleb Wilson, a North Carolina-commit who is averaging 21.2 points, 11 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game. Alongside him, junior guards Devin Hutcherson and Kingston Whitty have been key contributors, both averaging double-digit points while shooting over 50% from the field. Hutcherson is averaging more than 14 points per game, while Whitty is contributing more than 10 points per game. Holy Innocents’ has been dominant throughout the postseason. In their first playoff game, they defeated Aquinas by 55 points. Their second-round matchup was their closest contest so far, but they still secured a 16-point victory over Landmark Christian in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score suggested. The last two rounds of the playoffs were just as dominant as the first. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Hebron Christian 94-38, leading by 38 points at halftime. In the semifinals, they took down a tough Mt. Paran Christian team 84-42, securing their spot in the state championship game for the second consecutive year.
Top-seeded North Cobb Christian (28-3) has advanced to its first state finals since joining the GHSA in the 2008-2009 school year. The Eagles have won their last 19 games and went undefeated in region play this season. While they don’t have the high-end recruits that some other teams may have, they feature a balanced offense, with an astonishing four players averaging 12 or more points per game. Leading the team in scoring is sophomore forward Brock Bonner, who averages 18.7 points per game. Alongside him, sophomore center Xavier Butler contributes 15.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. The offense is run through sophomore guard Grant Robich, who averages 14 points and 6.7 assists per game. North Cobb Christian started the playoffs with a statement, putting up 106 points against The Weber School, with nine different players scoring at least eight points in the 106-49 victory. The next two rounds weren’t as dominant but still saw the Eagles win comfortably with back-to-back 76-64 victories over Mt. Bethel and St. Francis. The semifinals proved to be the Eagles’ biggest test, as they faced defending champion Greenforest Christian. Greenforest came out strong with a 20-point first quarter, but North Cobb Christian made key defensive adjustments, allowing only 31 points the rest of the game. The Eagles pulled out a hard-fought 57-51 victory to secure their first-ever state championship appearance.
On the girls side, Hebron Christian (29-1) is looking to win its third straight championship and fourth in the last five years, aiming to give legendary coach Jan Azar her 17th state championship, all of which have come since the 2002 season. The Lions have been one of the championship favorites since winning last year’s 3A title. With two 4-star players, Hebron Christian is one of the most talented teams in the country. The team is led by senior 4-star point guard Aubrey Beckham, who is committed to the University of Georgia, and senior 4-star power forward Danielle Osho, who is committed to the University of Miami (FL). The Lions have only lost one game this season, a 55-52 loss to 5A finalist Langston Hughes, a team which the Lions had already defeated six days earlier. Since that loss, they have won 19-straight games. The Lions’ 29-1 record secured the top overall seed and the only first-round bye in the playoffs. Hebron’s first playoff game was a dominant 93-25 victory over region foe Prince Avenue Christian. Their quarterfinal matchup was much tougher, as they faced three-time defending champion Mt. Paran. The back-and-forth battle ended with Hebron pulling out a 53-46 victory. The team’s semifinal matchup against Galloway was expected to be another close contest. However, Hebron dominated from the open tip off, coming away with a 74-32 victory, winning by 42 points in a game that was never in doubt.
Holy Innocents’ (24-5)has made its first state championship appearance since the 2020 season, and the Golden Bears are looking for the program’s fifth championship. The team has been one of the best programs for years, even though they have not won a championship since 2020. Before that 2020 championship, they had won two more titles in the second half of the 2010s, in 2016 and 2019. Holy Innocents’ entered the 2024-2025 season as one of the favorites to win the new A-3A Private classification. They are led by the top senior recruit in the state, 5-star point guard and Stanford-commit Hailee Swain. The team enters the state championship on an 11-game winning streak. Against in-state teams, the Golden Bears have been dominant, losing only three games. Those three losses came against some of the best teams in the state, River Ridge, Langston Hughes, and North Paulding, who combined for a 65-6 record this season and two of which have made the state finals themselves. The first three rounds of the playoffs showed how dominant Holy Innocents’ could be. In those rounds, the Golden Bears outscored their opponents 244-76, with an average margin of victory of 56 points per game. Most impressively, they secured a 96-18 victory over Mt. Pisgah. Holy Innocents’ semifinal matchup against two-time defending champions St. Francis was a four-quarter battle, with the Golden Bears escaping with a 63-61 win.
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