There are more than four dozen teams in the northeast Georgia area covered by AccessWDUN Sports, boys and girls combined, still jockeying for positioning in the upcoming region tournaments.
Seven of them can clinch top spots in the region, and for some, automatic berths in the state tournament on Tuesday.
Both Buford teams can clinch in Region 8-7A against Central Gwinnett at The Buford Arena. The Lady Wolves (19-2, 7-0 Region 8-7A) have not lost a region game since joining the region in 2022, including region tournaments. The Buford boys (19-3, 7-0 Region 8-7A) lead Collins Hill (14-8, 4-3 Region 8-7A) by three games with three games left.
In Region 8-6A, the North Forsyth girls (22-0, 10-0 Region 8-6A) can clinch the top seed with a win over Gainesville (4-14, 2-5 Region 8-6A) in Coal Mountain and a Lanier (11-10, 6-2 Region 8-6A) loss to Shiloh (6-16, 3-6 Region 8-6A).
The Jefferson girls (19-3, 9-0 Region 8-5A) can clinch in Region 8-5A with a win over second-place Loganville (17-5, 7-2 Region 8-5A) at The Arena
In Region 8-4A, the Chestatee girls (18-4, 8-0 Region 8-4A North) can claim the top spot in the subregion with a win over East Hall (6-15, 1-8 Region 8-4A North) and a Cherokee Bluff (18-4, 7-1 Region 8-4A North) loss to North Hall (15-6, 5-3 Region 8-4A North).
On the boys side in Region 8-4A, Cherokee Bluff (16-6, 7-1 Region 8-4A North) can clinch the top seed from the North with a win over a surging North Hall (10-12, 6-2 Region 8-4A North) squad.
The Banks County girls (18-4, 7-0 Region 8-2A) also can clinch with a road win over Union County (12-9, 5-1 Region 8-2A).
However, there also are some crucial games for area teams looking to make a late push for shots at the top seeds. The Gainesville boys (8-13, 6-2 Region 8-6A) need a win over North Forsyth (7-15, 4-5 Region 8-6A) to stay alive. The second-place Red Elephants trail Shiloh (18-4, 8-1 Region 8-6A) by 1 12/ games but the two teams meet on Feb. 9 in Snellville to end the regular season.
The Jefferson boys (17-5, 7-2 Region 8-5A) sit 1 1/2 games behind first place Winder-Barrow (20-3, 9-1 Region 8-5A) and will need to win out and have the Bulldoggs drop their final two games. The two teams split their two regular season meetings.
The Banks County (14-8, 5-2 Region 8-2A) and Union County (17-4, 4-2 Region 8-2A) boys are locked in a three-way duel with Athens Academy (17-4, 5-2 Region 8-2A) for first place. But the Leopards have a chance to seal the top spot this week traveling to Union County on Tuesday and playing host to the Spartans on Friday.
(See the entire schedule for Tuesday below.)
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE FOR Tuesday, Jan. 30
Banks County at Union County, 6 p.m.*
Central Gwinnett at Buford, 6 p.m.*
Commerce at Tallulah Falls, 6 p.m.*
East Forsyth Johnson, 6 p.m.*
East Hall at Chestatee, 6 p.m.*
Fellowship Christian at East Jackson, 6 p.m.*
Fideles Christian at Lanier Christian Academy, 6:30 p.m.*
Flowery Branch at Eastside, 6 p.m.*
Gainesville at North Forsyth, 6 p.m.* -- 94.5 FM The Lake
Gilmer at White County, 6 p.m.*
Habersham Central at Apalachee, 6 p.m.*
Horizon Christian Academy at Dawson County, 6 p.m.*
Lake Oconee Academy at Towns County, 6 p.m..*
Loganville at Jefferson, 6 p.m.*
North Hall at Cherokee Bluff, 6 p.m.*
Pickens at Lumpkin County, 6 p.m.*
Wesleyan at West Hall, 6 p.m.*
(* -- denotes region contest)
