There’s a new No. 1 in Class 3A Basketball, and it’s a familiar name out of DeKalb County. The Columbia Eagles moved into the top spot after blowing out McNair and then squeaking by Alcovy 62-58 on Saturday.
It gets tougher for the Eagles this week, as they face No. 7 Dunwoody on Friday. The Wildcats have been flying high this season after last year’s debacle when the powerhouse program missed out on the state playoffs. This year things have been back to normal in Adam Griffin’s second year at the helm. But DHS missed out on a chance to tie Columbia in the 5A-AAA standings when they were shocked by Druid Hills last week to drop to 8-2 in region play.
Columbia will look to get going from Jershon Cobb in the backcourt, perhaps the top guard in the county. But the big battle will rage down low with Georgia Southern signee Sam Mike taking on Dunwoody captain JaVon McKay.
Region 6-AAAA regular season play is coming to a close, but there is still plenty to be decided in the topsy-turvy league. Tucker and No. 3 Miller Grove will do battle in Lithonia in a matchup that should decide 6B-AAAA’s subregion title. In a region that features a plethora of teams that could contend for the state playoffs in next week’s region tournament, a high seed and better draw become all the more important, as plenty of big-time teams have been upset early in seasons past.
Donte Williams, Miller Grove’s 6-9 center, will look to make an impact. The big athlete will have his hands full with Brandon Dawson, a solid post player who excels at finishing around the basket.
In 6B-AAAA, Chamblee looks to have things wrapped up despite a 74-60 loss to Miller Grove last week. Meanwhile, the inconsistency continues at Marist, as Greg McClaire’s team has lost consecutive region games to Chamblee and Lakeside after upsetting Tucker in overtime on Jan. 29. They did, however, gain local bragging rights with a 49-39 win over St. Pius X on Saturday.
Not many teams are playing better than the Decatur Bulldogs, who have lost just twice in 2010. One of those losses came to Blessed Trinity, a defeat they look to avenge this Friday.
The showdown of the week in the girls game comes between two familiar 2-AAAAA foes. Redan and Stephenson have dominated that region, and have been perhaps the state’s two best programs over the past three seasons. The Raiders haven’t lost since the Jaguars knocked them off in the 2008 state championship game. But Stephenson won’t go quietly. SHS probably won’t win the region title, being two games behind Alisha Andrews and undefeated Redan, but a win would give them major confidence going into the region tourney.
POSTSEASON UPDATE …
State champions will be crowned in two different sports over the next two weeks, with the wrestling and swimming state finals taking center stage.
On the mat, it’s on to the sectionals where a host of county teams begin their quest for individual and team championships. Region 5-AAA starts at Riverwood on Friday with the state sectionals, while Region 6-AAAA goes to Loganville. Region 5-AA kicks things off at Sonoraville, and 2-AAAAA gets going at Union Grove. Finals take place Saturday.
In the pool, it’s crunch time as the season comes to a close. The races will be hosted by Westminster. Marist will be among the teams to look out for, with eight swimmers having qualified for the state meet, the most in Class 4A.
Dunwoody head football coach Michael Youngblood was relieved of his duties last week, a move that caught many by surprise after the former Tucker and Chattahoochee assistant had lead the Wildcats to a 7-5 record and second-round playoff appearance. Many believe that the firing was due to tension between the coach and DHS principle Kevin Harris, which stemmed from an incident during halftime of the ‘Cats homecoming game against Cedar Grove. The principle entered the locker room at halftime, hoping to remove two players for the halftime festivities, which was met with resistance by the surprised Youngblood.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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