Region 6-AAAA basketball keeps getting better and better. With great games going on every week among a host of talented teams that have their eyes on a state tourney berth, no one can take their eyes off the basketball being played.
This week it was the Marist War Eagles who took center stage. After a slow start, they are once again beginning to become a pesky and dangerous opponent. After starting slowly in region play, Greg McClaire’s bunch has won three of four, with two of those wins coming against ranked opponents. That includes a 72-70 overtime defeat of No. 7 Tucker on Friday. Kash Manzelli scored 35 points, and was crucial down the stretch in regulation, as Marist overcame a 13-point deficit in the final 3:40. But the War Eagles stormed back behind the hot shooting of Manzelli and Daniel Spingola. Manzelli’s three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining tied the game at 63. Then Spingola paced the War Eagles in OT by scoring their first five points en route to the win. With the win, they moved to 5-4 in region play at press time, still looking up at Chamblee in the 6A-AAAA standings.
Next up is a crucial game with Lakeside-DeKalb on Friday. Manzelli will try to outduel Sheldon Strickland in a battle between two of the top scorers in the county. Then they face rivals St. Pius X on Saturday. The Golden Lions program has seen much better days, as they appear headed for another disappointing season. SPX currently sits at 7-12 and 3-5 in 5B-AAA play.
Meanwhile, the Tigers try to bounce back on Friday at Stone Mountain, and at home on Tuesday against Southwest DeKalb.
Tucker’s loss gave Miller Grove a two-game lead in the standings in 6B-AAAA. The Wolverines outpaced a game Southwest DeKalb team in an 88-78 win the same night of the Tigers’ defeat. They face a showdown with David Mason and Chamblee on Friday in a battle of the two best records in the region.
In AAA, Jershon Cobb and No. 3 Columbia continued to breeze through 5-AAA. They beat Clarkston 70-34 on Friday before cranking up the offense in an 88-54 win over Carver-Atlanta on Monday. They are 8-0 in region play. This week they have McNair on Friday, a trip to Alcovy for a non-region game the following afternoon, and then another region matchup against Towers.
In girls basketball, Redan’s undefeated season and 46-game winning streak will be put to the test. A region battle with Newton awaits on Friday, but it’s Saturday’s game with non-region opponent Southwest DeKalb that everyone will be watching. The Panthers are one of the only teams in the state that can match the individual talent of Redan. Alondra Rivers and Kayla Lewis lead the charge for an SWD team that ranks No. 3 in Class 4A.
GEARING UP FOR STATE …
Lakeside continued to make a habit of being the DeKalb County Swimming champion last week, taking home its seventh consecutive crown. The Vikings’ 247 points were over 60 points clear of the closest contender. Jack Lane and Cesar Acosta paced LHS with two first-place finishes in individual events, while the Vikings also took home crucial titles in the 200- and 300-yard relays.
Dunwoody was second with 181 points. Scott Cantey took home a diving championship for the Wildcats. It was yet another year as runners-up in DeKalb for them, as they have been to second to Lakeside every season during their recent run.
Addison Lange of Druid Hills nearly helped the Red Devils to an upset runner-up finish, with wins in the 60 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.
It was a similar story in the girls meet, with Lakeside and Dunwoody once again finishing first and second, respectively. The Vikes took home their incredible 14th straight county championship behind Annie Kelly’s wins in the 200 individual medley and the 400 freestyle. Dunwoody finished second with 219 points behind a pair of victories from Sara McMahon. Chamblee finished third.
The Vikings and the rest of the DeKalb teams will close out the season this week in the state championships. The Marist Aquatic Center will play host to the Class A-4A diving finals on Thursday starting at 1 p.m. Then it’s on to the swimming finals for the weekend. Westminster hosts the preliminary rounds on Friday at 5 p.m., then champions will be crowned Saturday evening, starting at 6 p.m.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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