Just eight boys teams in our coverage area at AccessWDUN have winning records after the conclusion of annual holiday tournaments -- and none are named Gainesville or East Hall. But that may not have much of an impact now that all seven of the regions we cover are officially underway.
Early season surprises, including the struggles of several perennial powers, at the midpoint of the season have been the story. But they all enter the final, and most crucial, month of the regular season looking to make a playoff push.
RANKINGS: Only three area teams are ranked in either the ajc.com poll or Kyle Sandy’s rankings.
-- Dawson County is the highest-ranked team in the area at No. 4 in both Sandy’s and ajc.com’s Class 3A poll.
-- Banks County is ranked sixth in the ajc.com Class 2A poll but not ranked by Kyle Sandy.
-- Buford comes in at No. 9 in the ajc.com Class 5A poll and No. 10 in Sandy’s poll.
WHAT WAS EXPECTED: Gainesville (5-10, 2-0 Region 8-6A) was coming off a pair of deep playoff runs and looked loaded coming into the season. But the Red Elephants lost four starters to a variety of reasons, including a visa issue, just before the season began. That led to a shocking 0-10 start as they tried to find out just what they had. But they regrouped in time to win a fourth straight Lanierland title and have now reeled off five consecutive wins.
-- Reigning Class 5A state champion Buford (12-4, 1-1 Region 8-5A) was expected to rule the roost again. But Cedar Shoals (15-1, 2-0 Region 8-5A) and Walnut Grove (14-1, 2-0 Region 8-5A) have pushed the Wolves early in region play. The Wolves should challenge down to the wire but a repeat as region champs will not come as easily as it did in 2018-19.
-- Jefferson (9-7, 2-3 Region 8-3A) opened the season in the top three in Class 3A and was expected to be a state title contender. But injuries and a high-profile transfer have left the Dragons just trying to hang on in a tough region. They sit in fourth and just one game out of last place at the halfway point.
-- Dawson County (15-2, 5-0 Region 7-3A) was expected to be a possible state title contender. The Tigers have not disappointed so far. They are tied for the most wins in the classification and have outscored their opponents by nearly 300 points behind a high-powered offense led by Jasper Gibson.
-- Banks County (15-2, 5-0 Region 8-2A) was expected to dominate the region, and they haven’t disappointed, sitting atop the region. Senior forward and leading scorer and rebounder, Carl Cleveland, has proved he’s just that tough to defend. Along with Dakota Orr, Pierce Martin, Garrett Pressley and Clay Gosnell, the Leopards are well on their way to a deep playoff run.
WHAT WASN’T EXPECTED: After just a handful of wins over the past three seasons, but with some rising talent, Commerce was expected to be improved in 2019-20. But no one expected what the Tigers are doing so far. They are 10-5 overall and in the middle of what is usually a very tough fight in Region 8-A. We’ll know even more after this weekend as they have two huge road contests against Lakeview Academy and Prince Avenue.
-- With all the changes over the off-season for East Hall, most notably bringing in legend and former Vikings dynasty-builder Seth Vining to take over as coach, there was plenty of uncertainty surrounding the 2019-20 season. Outside expectations ranged from instant region title contender to massive rebuild mode, depending on who you asked. But no one expected the Vikings to be 5-10 after the Christmas break. And Vining stepped down after their opening game in the Lanierland tournament. They sit one game out of last place in Region 7-3A heading into this week.
ON THE CUSP: In just their second season, the Cherokee Bluff Bears (10-7, 3-2 Region 7-3A) are so close to being a Region 7-3A upset machine. They played leader and No. 4-ranked Dawson County to a close game last week, leading the Tigers by 9 points late in the game but couldn’t finish. The Tigers rallied from 9 points down to win the game. The Bears were expected to be much better this season but finishing has been an issue so far. If the Bears figure out how to finish, they could pull off some massive upsets in the region and the region tournament.
-- Chestatee (8-9, 3-2 Region 7-4A) seems close to being that team no one wants to play. They are fourth in the region right now and have a steady outside game led by Brenton Nicholson. If he is on fire, it makes it hard for any team to beat the War Eagles. But Chestatee lacks size down low which proves to be a problem when Nicholson is covered. Regardless, new head coach Josh Travis has them believing they can play with anybody which should make the backstretch of the region schedule very interesting.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
-- Lakeview (5-11, 0-1 Region 8-A) sits ninth in the region standings. They did lose a ton to graduation and have been battling sickness and injuries inside the locker room. But the Lions have enough firepower, when healthy, to get back into the region race. If not, their eight-year playoff streak could be in jeopardy.
INTERESTING REGION BATTLES ON TUESDAY:
-- Defending Class 5A champ and No. 9-ranked Buford battles Region 8-5A co-leader and fourth-ranked Cedar Shoals tonight in Athens. The Wolves have already lost to Walnut Grove (15-1, 2-0 Region 8-5A, No. 5 Class 5A) last month. This game will be just as tough for the Wolves. Cedar Shoals features a 1-2 punch with 6-foot-6 forward Quincy Canty and 6-foot-2 guard Tyler Johnson. Canty is averaging 22 points per game, while Johnson is tallying 20 points per game. Tip at 7:30 p.m.
-- North Hall travels to Cherokee Bluff in a battle for third place in Region 7-3A. The Bears beat the Trojans in the Lanierland consolation game last month. It didn’t count on the region slate but it gave both teams an early glimpse at each other. North Hall seems to be bipolar at times and Bluff has a problem finishing the game. Forget Lanierland, though, this game has more meaning. Tip at 7:30 p.m.
-- East Hall travels to Dawson County tonight on the hunt for its second Region 7-3A win. But it’s not going to be an easy task. With all the problems at East Hall right now, a win over the region leader would go a long way in building team confidence. The Tigers, however, are on a roll, having won seven in a row. Tip at 7:30 p.m.
-- Gainesville puts their five-game win streak on the line at Apalachee tonight. The Red Elephants began the season 0-10 but have reeled off five straight, including their fourth straight Lanierland title last month. But the Red Elephants are facing a hungry Apalachee team (4-10, 0-2 Region 8-6A). Gainesville has the ability to take care of business but can’t take Apalachee lightly. Tip at 7:30 p.m.
Jeff Hart contributed to this article.
