Walton Teams Swept Away; Pope Boys Lose

The first round of the Georgia High School Association basketball tournament turned out to be the end of the road for three of East Cobb's five teams that qualified for the playoffs. 

Both Walton teams were eliminated on Saturday, with the girls being trounced 61-39 by defending Class AAAAA state champion Norcross. The boys, who have been ranked as high as No. 6 this season, dropped a 65-61 decision to Mill Creek at home. The Raiders, who beat Wheeler during the season and earned the first seed in the Region 5AAAAA tournament, closed out the season with a 19-7 record.

And , the Pope boys (21-8) fell 57-56 at Chattahoochee in the Class AAAA bracket, with the margin of victory coming on a free throw with three seconds remaining. 

The weekend started on a high note, with the holding off Forsyth Central 42-39 to advance to the second round. On Tuesday, the Lady Greyhounds (23-6) have to hit the road. They'll travel to Athens to play Clarke Central, which rolled over Carver Atlanta 78-43. 

The Wheeler boys, ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA, also moved into the second round by virtue of over North Gwinnett. The Wildcats (23-6) will remain home on Wednesday against Archer of Lawrenceville, which defeated West Forsyth 61-49.