BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. — Union County moved into the Region 8-2A finals, holding off a scrappy East Jackson squad 76-70 at home on Wednesday.
The top-seeded Panthers (21-5) will take on No. 2 seed Athens Academy, a 56-48 winner over Providence Christian, in the finals on Friday in Blairsville.
The Eagles (10-14) came in looking for a second straight upset win after taking down Banks County in the first round. They trailed just 25-17 after the first quarter and closed to within 38-35 by halftime behind Birdy Cunningham, who had 15 points in the first half.
But Union County began to pull away in the second half behind Hayden Hughes and Jude Ellis, who finished with 19 points. The Panthers extended their lead to 55-48 heading into the fourth quarter and then on down the stretch.
Houston Henry added 15 points, and Jaxon Totherow had 10 for Union County.
Cunningham finished with a game-high 21 points to lead East Jackson but was held to just one field goal and 6 points in the second half. Qua Watson added 17 points, Lucas Smith had 12, and Brody Carruth had 10 for the Eagles.
BUFORD 64,
MOUNTAIN VIEW 52
The Wolves captured the Region 8-7A title with a tough win over the Bears on Wednesday at Central Gwinnett High School.
Asa Williams paced Buford with 19 points. Jackson Houston added 14 points, and Kyle Carpenter had 11 points for the Wolves.
Mountain View was led by Bronson Blair, who had a game-high 26 points, and Jah’mel Bruce had 12 points.
LAKEVIEW ACADEMY 71,
GEORGE WALTON 49
The Lions (22-5) moved into the GIAA District 4A/3A finals with a big win over the host Bulldogs on Wednesday.
Lakeview stormed out to a 16-5 lead after the first quarter and would take a 36-14 lead at halftime. The Lions used a 29-19 third quarter to push their lead to 65-33 heading into the fourth.
Tayden Ware had a double-double to lead Lakeview with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Justyce Sadler added 11 points, and Mekhi Barber and Keelan Harper each had 10 points for the Lions.
(Below is the full schedule of playoff games on Wednesday for teams in the AccessWDUN coverage area:)
BASKETBALL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD, Wednesday, Feb. 14
REGION 8-7A CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND (at Central Gwinnett)
Buford 64, Mountain View 52 championship
REGION 8-2A SEMIFINALS (at Union County)
No. 2 Athens Academy 56, No. 3 Providence Christian 48
No. 1 Union County 76, No. 5 East Jackson 70
REGION 8-A DIVISION 1 SEMIFINALS (at Athens Christian)
No. 1 Athens Christian vs. No. 4 Commerce, 7:30 p.m.
GIAA DISTRICT 4A/3A SEMIFINALS (at George Walton Academy)
Lakeview Academy 71, George Walton Academy 49
