EATONTON — The Banks County boys basketball team pushed past Monticello for a 74-65 win on Thursday in the semifinals of the Region 8-AA tournament at Putnam County High.
The Leopards (23-4) booked a spot in Friday's 8-AA championship contest at 8:30 p.m. and will finish no worse than the No. 2 seed for next week's state playoffs.
Banks County's Carl Cleveland dominated in the semifinals, pouring in 33 points, grabbing 11 boards, and adding 3 assists. Dylan Orr added 11 points, 11 boards, 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks in the win, while Gabe Martin scored 10 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and nabbed 2 steals. Darius Bonds also had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 11 assists and 1 block.
Gatlin Lunsford chipped in with 6 points, 3 rebounds took 3 charges. Wes Ledford had 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist.
The Leopards jumped out to a 25-14 lead after the first quarter and held a 43-36 advantage at halftime.
Aston Bonner paced Monticello with 26 points, and De'Ivion Lawrence added 22.
BANKS COUNTY GIRLS 49,
RABUN COUNTY 42
The Lady Leopards (22-5) fended off the rival Lady Wildcats for the Region 8-AA semifinal win on Thursday at Putnam County High in Eatonton.
Jaycie Bowen led a balanced scoring effort for Banks County, putting up 13 points, while Amber Williams added 9 points and 9 rebounds. Allison Smith also scored 8 points in the win, while Lauren Shedd added 7 and Maddie Thomas and Kailynn Gilstrap each scored 6.
The Lady Leopards will take on Elbert County at 7 p.m. Friday at Putnam in the 8-AA championship game.
