McEachern and Hillgrove did what they were expected to do Saturday in the Georgia High School Association girls basketball tournament, pounding fellow Region 4-AAAAA schools North Cobb and Harrison to reach the AAAAA Final Four.

McEachern 69, Harrison 32

McEachern beat fellow Region 4-AAAAA school Harrison for the fourth time this season to raise its record to 31-0, while the Lady Hoyas ended the year 16-15.

After beating Harrison by 57 points two weeks ago and coming off a 43-point win and 61-point first half against Westlake, the top-ranked Lady Indians had a sluggish start in Fort Valley and led only 29-14 at halftime, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

McEachern got rolling in the second half and led by as many as 40 points, the AJC said.

Patches Roberts led the Lady Indians with 20 points and 12 rebounds, backed by 15 points from Dominique Wilson and 10 from Kayla Montgomery, The Marietta Daily Journal said.

Nikki Hegstetter closed her Harrison career with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

McEachern’s win sets up a state AAAAA Final Four game against third-ranked Norcross in a rematch of last year’s championship game, won by the Lady Blue Devils.

McEachern opened the season with a 55-43 win over Norcross on Nov. 16, but Thursday’s state semifinal game is a bit more important. The game will start at 4 p.m. at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

Hillgrove 57, North Cobb 33

Hillgrove defeated North Cobb for the fifth time this season behind a defense that allowed only seven points in the second half in Fort Valley.

The Lady Hawks held a 35-26 halftime lead, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said. That raised the possibility of a finish like the first three games between the Region 4-AAAAA rivals, each of which ended with a single-digit margin, rather than their region semifinal matchup two weeks ago, which Harrison won by 23.

But North Cobb managed only two field goals in the third quarter, The Marietta Daily Journal said, and none in the fourth, according to the AJC.

All eight of Amber Reeves’ points for the Lady Warriors came in the first half, the MDJ said. Taylor Gordon had 21 of North Cobb’s 33 points.

“They always say get them next year, but I always think about what could have happened this year,” Reeves tweeted after the game.

The top scorers for the Lady Hawks were Meredith Heyer with 16, Celina Rodrigo with 16 and Mackenzie Engram with 14, the MDJ said.

Hillgrove improved to 25-4 on the year, with three of those losses to crosstown Region 4-AAAAA rival McEachern. The two Powder Springs schools will meet again in the state finals if they win Thursday.

Seventh-ranked Hillgrove plays fourth-ranked North Gwinnett in the state AAAAA Final Four at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

North Cobb finished 22-9, with all of its losses coming to three teams, according to Georgia Prep Country: five against Hillgrove and two each against McEachern and Woodstock.

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