HOOPS PREVIEW: SWD faces Miller Grove in AAAA clash

Class AAAA No. 1 Miller Grove will host No. 5 Southwest DeKalb tonight as Shaq Goodwin, a member of the Score 44 and one of the Big Three faces another member of the Big Three, Tony Parker as well as Score 44 forward Brandon Morris. … Walton and Lassiter met twice on the football field this past season with the Raiders prevailing both times. Many of those Trojans players will seek out a measure of revenge tonight as the two programs square off on the hardwood. Lassiter’s roster includes football standouts Niles Clark, Juwan Dickey, Robert Dowling and Adam Dowell. … Wheeler will hit the road to face Etowah tonight. Charles Mitchell scored 30, including 12 in the fourth quarter in last week’s loss to Milton. He will look for some help to take down Etowah. … No. 4 Mill Creek travels to North Gwinnett in a game that features two teams that have been ranked in the Score Atlanta Class AAAAA rankings at various points this season. Chris Bolden of the Score 44 will be in for a battle with Mill Creek’s talented Paul Evans and Jalen Bracey. … On Saturday Buford (AA) faces Eagle’s Landing (AAA) in a matchup of No. 3 teams. … In girls action, Class AAAA No. 8 Miller Grove will host Southwest DeKalb while Class AAA No. 2 St. Pius X hosts North Atlanta. … No. 4 North Gwinnett looks to continue is nice run with a matchup against the always-dangerous Mill Creek. … North Cobb is looking for a win against Kennesaw Mountain as the Warriors cling to the No. 10 spot in Class AAAAA. … In a Class AA showdown, No. 7 Decatur travels to the Long Forum to meet No. 8 GAC. Both teams will seek to leverage a win for better positioning in the region tournament. … Saturday will see Buford meet Jackson-Atlanta a day after the Wolves host Cross Keys as Wolves senior Andraya Carter plays in her first game since returning to the Score 44 list.

Outside of the metro …

With the regular season coming to a close, teams across the state are fighting to get themselves into prime playoff position for state title run. Score Atlanta’s sixth-ranked team, Tift County, faces off against Coffee, which is hoping to be a dark horse contender in the Class AAAAA playoffs. The Blue Devils (17-5) have won nine of 10 and are looking to maintain their late-season momentum heading into the AAAAA playoffs, where they hope to make a deep run. … A South Georgia rivalry will be renewed on Friday night as Valdosta hosts Lowndes in another critical AAAAA showdown. The Wildcats (16-5) won the first matchup against the Vikings behind 16 points from Rashad Lewis. The Trojans, at 1-4 in the division, are fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive. A matchup against Coffee, which Lowndes is hoping to overtake in the standings, could be a game that decides one of the final playoff spots. … The marquee weekend matchup in Class AAAA takes place Saturday as North Clayton hosts Lovejoy. Before starting its seven-game winning streak, Lovejoy lost at home to the Eagles 58-49 on Jan. 10. Saturday’s game features a matchup of two members of the Score 44 with Lovejoy’s Justin Tuoyo and North Clayton’s Marcus Hunt, who will hope to shine on his senior night. Lovejoy will be looking to continue its torrid play and take its winning streak into the postseason, while North Clayton looks to develop some consistency to make a legitimate playoff run. … A key matchup in Class AA goes down Friday as seventh-ranked Thomasville, led by Score 44 member and highly-touted big man Willie Clayton, host Albany, which has won seven of eight and 11 of its last 12 games, with Thomasville handing the Indians their last loss in a 37-36 defensive showcase. The Bulldogs have also been on tear as well, winning nine of 10, and are hoping to make a statement against the Indians before the postseason begins.

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply

*