This week’s (coincidentally) all-DeKalb Games of the Week feature two heated rivalries between teams that, in the last two years, have squared off with a state title on the line. Check out where Score Atlanta will be this weekend on the prep basketball scene.
BOYS GAME OF THE WEEK – TUCKER AT COLUMBIA
These county rivals boast two of the best boys hoops programs in the state. They have combined to win the past three Class 4A state championships, with Columbia (now in 3A) winning in 2006 and 2008 and Tucker in 2007. On Saturday, they will renew their rivalry when the No. 11 (according to the Score Atlanta Power 15 all-class poll) Tigers travel to Columbia to face the No. 12 Eagles (12-1, 3-0).
Columbia has won four of the past five meetings, dating back to 2007. Ironically, the only victory in that span for Tucker was the 2007 state championship game.
Tucker head coach James Hartry knows that going into Columbia and getting a win will not be easy.
“Columbia is always a big, tough, physical team. It’s going to be a hostile environment in their place,” said Hartry.
This game is an early test for the Tigers, who are coming off of a loss to Marist last week and face a tough region schedule ahead. “Winning this game will give us confidence, but every win gives us confidence and we don’t look at one game being more important than another,” added Hartry.
The Tigers have plenty of scoring, led by senior Manny Atkins (25 ppg) and junior Chris Kingsberry (15 ppg). Columbia has some scoring punch as well, led by junior JerShon Cobb (17 ppg) and freshman Jordan Price (12 ppg). The Eagles defense has been the key to their nine-game winning streak. They have held their opponents to an average of 43 points. They also average six blocks per game and rebound the ball extremely well, led by Darnelius Session at six boards per contest. The player to watch for in this game is the aforementioned Manny Atkins of Tucker, who along with his 25 points a game also brings down 11.5 rebounds per game. With all these star players putting up big numbers, it should prove to be a very entertaining and intense contest.
GIRLS GAME OF THE WEEK – STEPHENSON AT REDAN
No. 3 Redan will host No. 10 Stephenson in the girls game of the week on Friday night. Redan will have revenge on their minds, stemming from last year’s state finals when Stephenson came away with the Class 5A title, beating the Lady Raiders by 15 points. The Lady Jaguars are hoping to regroup after their stunning loss to M.L. King.
Redan will be led by junior Nia Evans, who was MVP of the DeKalb Holiday Tournament and scores 13 points a game to go along with 5.5 rebounds. Stephenson will counter with leading scorer, junior Hidaayah Williams, who scores 10 points a game. On the defensive end, Redan holds its opponents to 37.8 points a game, which has helped towards an undefeated record so far. Stephenson’s pesky defense can cause lots of turnovers, and they average over 10 steals per game.
These two teams have been frequent visitors to the state final four over the last few years, and it looks like that could happen again this year. The winner of this game gains control of the region and could be on its way to a top seed in the state tournament.
Deighton can be reached at joedeighton1@yahoo.com.
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