The final week of the regular season is here, and with that will come some pressure-packed showdowns around the northeast Georgia area, especially with 34 games set to tip off on Tuesday.
However, only a handful of games will have a massive impact on regular season region titles as eight of the regions, girls and boys combined, already have been clinched as far as the top seed for the upcoming region tournaments. And nearly a dozen more teams have secured the top two spots.
But three teams can claim titles on Tuesday, and two of those games will take place at The Arena in Jefferson. The Dragons will entertain East Hall in a pair of Region 8-3A matchups as the East Hall boys and the Jefferson girls both can put a bow on the titles and top seeds with wins.
The Rabun County boys are the other and can clinch in Region 8-A Division 1 with a win on the road.
FIRST PLACE SHOWDOWNS
EAST HALL BOYS at JEFFERSON (REGION 8-3A) -- This was a war the first go around, with the Class 3A fourth-ranked Vikings (19-4, 7-1 Region 8-3A) holding off the eighth-ranked Dragons (16-5, 7-1 Region 8-3A) 57-56 in Valhalla in a battle that was almost more fit for the gridiron. Both are tied for the region lead, one game ahead of No. 1 Cherokee Bluff (20-3, 6-2 Region 8-3A).
But both teams control their own fate. The Vikings can put an end to the chase for the top seed with a win at The Arena on Tuesday. The Dragons, however, also can stake a claim to the title with a win tonight and then a win over Bluff on Friday in Flowery Branch.
The key battle will be whether the Dragons can find a defensive matchup inside to stop East Hall’s Chasen Jones and Braydon Langston and slow down point guard Jordan Richerson. That trio was devastating on Friday in a road win over the Bears.
The Dragons play taller than they appear and are quick on the perimeter. But they also will need big offensive games from Ceven Nicely, Christian Hester, and Dashaun Keith to stay in the game. Jefferson is tough at home, going 8-1 so far, including a double-overtime win over Cherokee Bluff last month.
EAST HALL GIRLS at JEFFERSON (REGION 8-3A) -- The Class 3A second-ranked Lady Dragons (18-4, 8-0 Region 8-3A) have been as dominating as any team in the state, winning all but one of their eight region games by double-digits. They yield only 42.3 ppg on the season and just 33.0 ppg in region play.
A win over the Lady Vikings would wrap up the No. 1 seed in the upcoming region tournament. They beat East Hall 52-41 in the first matchup. However, a loss to East Hall could give Cherokee Bluff (17-6, 6-2 Region 8-3A) a shot on Friday when the two teams meet in Flowery Branch.
RABUN COUNTY BOYS at PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN (REGION 8-A D1) -- The Class A D1 third-ranked Wildcats (19-4, 9-1 Region 8-A D1) can clinch the region title and top seed with a win on the road tonight. But after rolling to an 8-0 start in the region, they have been pushed over the last week. They lost to Commerce and had to hang on for a 63-60 win over Banks County.
They beat The Storm just 56-49 at home last month and are 8-3 on the road. Providence is 10-2 at home and has won 4 of its last 5 overall.
Below is a look at some of the other big games set for Tuesday that COULD have an impact on first place in several region standings:
MILTON at GAINESVILLE (REGION 7-5A) -- There are two immediate scenarios with this one: 1) The Red Elephants (16-6, 9-1 Region 7-5A) can move into a first-place tie and split the two regular-season meetings with a win at David-Hill Gymnasium, 2) the Eagles (17-6, 10-0 Region 7-5A) clinch the regular season title with a win.
A tie at the end of the regular season does Class 5A seventh-ranked Big Red no good. Based on the region tiebreakers, they would lose the No. 1 seed on margin of victory point-differential. HOWEVER, they do have a path to the title.
Big Red can steal the region title by knocking off the third-ranked Eagles tonight, beating Seckinger on Friday, AND have Milton lose again to arch-rival Roswell (9-14, 3-8 Region 7-5A) on Friday. But Milton has lost back-to-back games just once all season.
CLARKE CENTRAL at HABERSHAM CENTRAL (REGION 8-5A) -- The Class 5A fifth-ranked Raiders (20-3, 10-1 Region 7-5A) have been hanging onto the top spot for two weeks by the slimmest of margins over fourth-ranked Winder-Barrow (21-2, 9-1 Region 7-5A). The two teams split their two regular-season matchups.
Habersham can stay atop the region and force the Bulldoggs to win out with a victory over winless Clarke Central (0-22, 0-10 Region 7-5A) tonight. Winder-Barrow closes out its regular season against Aaplachee (13-10, 4-6 Region 7-5A) tonight and Clarke Central on Friday.
The Raiders will lose the tiebreaker on point-differential in the event of a tie at the end of the regular season, so they need the Bulldoggs to lose one of their last tw games to be able to grab the title and the top seed.
CHEROKEE BLUFF BOYS at OCONEE COUNTY (REGION 8-3A) -- The Class 3A top-ranked Bears suffered a huge blow to their region title hopes with a contentious loss to East Hall on Friday. However, not all is lost, but they will need help.
They will need to beat the Warriors (9-14, 3-5 Region 8-3A) tonight and then hope for an East Hall loss to Jefferson. Then, they would have to knock off the Dragons on Friday at home to force a three-way tie. If that happened, the tiebreakers could go all the way to the Postseason Rankings (PSR), with the higher-ranked team winning the No. 1 seed in the region tournament.
However, an East Hall win over Jefferson tonight would seal it for the Vikings.
BANKS COUNTY GIRLS at ATHENS ACADEMY (REGION 8-A D1) -- The Class A D1 10th-ranked Lady Leopards, riding a 14-game win streak, continue to hold a slim lead over No. 2 Elbert County in the standings. Banks County (17-5, 9-1 Region 8-A D1) and the Lady Blue Devils (21-2, 9-2 Region 8-A D1) split their two regular-season meetings.
However, the Lady Leopards have a tougher finish with a trip to the eighth-ranked Lady Spartans (17-5, 7-3 Region 8-A D1) tonight and Providence Christian (14-8, 6-4 Region 8-A D1) on Friday. Athens Academy won three straight but dropped a 61-40 decision against Banks County in their first matchup. Providence has won five straight but also lost to the Lady Leopards the first time, 61-48.
Meanwhile, Elbert County closes out its regular season on Friday against last-place Commerce (6-17, 0-10 Region 8-A D1). The region meets on Wednesday to discuss tiebreakers in the event of a tie at the end of the regular season.
(See below for the full schedule of Tuesday's games.)
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, Feb. 4
Banks County at Athens Academy, 6 p.m.*
Buford at Dacula, 6 p.m.*
Cedar Shoals at Flowery Branch, 6 p.m.*
Cherokee Bluff at Oconee County, 6 p.m.*
Clarke Central at Habersham Central, 6 p.m.*
East Hall at Jefferson, 6 p.m.*
GAC at White County, 6 p.m.*
Johnson at Pickens, 6 p.m.*
Loganville Christian at Lakeview Academy, 6 p.m.*
Lumpkin County at Chestatee, 6 p.m.*
Milton at Gainesville, 6 p.m.* – 94.5 FM The Lake
Monroe Area at West Hall, 6 p.m.*
North Forsyth at Denmark, 6 p.m.*
North Hall at Dawson County, 6 p.m.*
North Murray at Union County, 6 p.m.*
Oglethorpe County at Commerce, 6 p.m.*
Rabun County at Providence Christian, 6 p.m.*
(* -- denotes region contest)
