(Below is the summary from Wednesday night's games, a complete North Fulton state tournament schedule can be found here)

Sweet 16 Boys

Milton 78, Marietta 51

By Tim Altork/Correspondent

Marietta scored the first four points of the game, but that was the only good news for the Blue Devils all night as Milton pounded them 78-51 to advance to the state quarterfinals for the second straight season.

Milton responded to Marietta’s initial burst with a 13-0 run in which all five Milton starters scored at least one bucket. The balanced threat would turn into a theme for the game as all five starters scored in double figures for the Eagles.

Jordan Lloyd had 16 points and Shannon Scott had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead the Eagles. Julian Royal added 15 points and eight boards and Dai Jon Parker scored 12 points to go along with eight assists and five rebounds. Evan Nolte finished with 13 points.

Milton held a 59-43 lead early in the fourth quarter, but blew the game open with another 13-0 run as they eventually built a 30-point lead before head coach David Boyd emptied his bench.

Milton will face Norcross in the state quarterfinal round. The Blue Devils were a 66-61 winner over Mill Creek in the second round. The Milton-Norcross matchup is set for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.

(Editor's Note: A full version of the Milton-Marietta story will run with pictures in Sunday's Beacon. The Milton-Norcross Elite Eight story will be available online only Sunday)

Sweet 16 Girls

AAAAA
Milton 45, North Cobb 31

By Tim Altork/Correspondent

The Milton Eagles advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history as they ended North Cobb’s season for the second straight year, 45-31 at home.

Nikki Dixon scored 20 points and Kris Puthoff-King added 16, as the dynamic backcourt duo outscored North Cobb by themselves.

Milton started sluggishly but rallied to hold a 20-19 lead at halftime. The Eagles defense held North Cobb to 12 points in the second half while Puthoff-King and Dixon scored all of Milton’s points.

Milton advances to face Mill Creek, who moved on thanks to a 55-41 win over Etowah in the second round. They’ll play at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.

(Editor's Note: A full version of the Milton-North Cobb story will run with pictures in Sunday's Beacon. The Milton-Mill Creek Elite Eight story will be available online only Sunday)

AA
Blessed Trinity 50, North Oconee 43

By John Breech/Staff

The glass slipper fits and it fits comfortably for the Lady Titans of Blessed Trinity. For the second game in a row, the Lady Titans went on the road and knocked off a higher seed. On Saturday, BT beat top seeded Pepperell, Wednesday night the Lady Titans knocked off two seed North Oconee 50-43.

Playing deep in the heart of Oconee County, the Lady Titans took command of the game with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter. Trailing 38-36 with 5:20 left, Katie Hawkins triggered the run with three steals that led to five BT points. Hawkins and teammate Libby Kalinowski combined to score all 10 points during the pivotal run that put BT up 46-38 with only 1:02 left in the game. 

Hawkins finished the night with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Kalinowksi led the team in scoring with 16 points. Jessica Watson paced the North Oconee attach with 12 points.

Next up for BT is region rival Greater Atlanta Christian. The state quarterfinal game will be played Friday, March 5 in Dalton (NW Georgia Trade Center) at 4 p.m. The two teams have met three times this season with GAC winning all three games (59-27 on Dec. 11, 63-47 on Feb. 6 and 63-27 on Feb. 20 in the Region tournament semifinals).

(Editor's Note: A full version of the BT-North Oconee game story will run in Sunday's Beacon. The BT-GAC Elite Eight story will also run, with pictures, in Sunday's Beacon)