After a busy week of high school basketball, eight teams from Richmond and Columbia counties will be vying for region championships and No. 1 seeding in the upcoming Georgia High School Association state tournament Friday night.
Additionally, Westminster Schools of Augusta’s girls team (19-4) will play for a Georgia Independent Athletic Association Region 4-AAAA crown Friday night at 7 p.m. at Bulloch Academy (20-6). The Wildcats came back from a 22-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Frederica Academy Thursday night.
Augusta Prep’s boys squad (15-7) will be in action as well, taking on Briarwood Academy (17-9) at 7:30 p.m. Friday also for the GIAA Region 4-AA crown.
Also, the Augusta Christian Lady Lions (19-8) start their quest for a SCISA state title by taking on Pinewood Prep (3-21) in a first round state tournament game at 1 p.m.
Later, we’ll break down and unpack all the high school hoops postseason action across our CSRA coverage area. But for now, let’s take a deeper dive into Friday night’s GHSA region tournament championship matchups.
Region 4-AA Championship Games (At Josey)
Who: Josey (24-2) vs. Butler (19-9) (Girls)
When: Friday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.
The History: Josey won both regular season matchups this year, 52-32 on Jan. 5 and 42-39 on Jan. 30.
The Matchup: Josey’s looked pretty invincible all season long. Its two defeats this season came from Class AAAAAA Lakeside and South Carolina Class AAAA defending state champion North Augusta. The Lakeside loss came during the second game of the season and the North Augusta defeat happened two days after Christmas. That means the Lady Eagles have gone almost two months without dropping a game. But they’ll face a Butler squad that Lady Bulldogs coach Eboni Fields feels is “peaking at the right time.” Josey routed Washington County, 63-23, in Thursday’s Region 4-AA semifinal as most thought they would. But Butler thwarted the expected Thomson-Josey region championship showdown by knocking off Thomson 54-46 behind the strength of Karen Nimo’s 25-point, 10-rebound performance. The first matchup between these two teams was a blowout in favor of the Eagles. The second one, just a couple of weeks ago, was much closer. And, as any coach will tell you, it’s hard to beat a good basketball team three times in one season.
Who: Westside (22-4) vs. Thomson (21-2) (boys)
When: Friday, Feb. 16, 8:30 p.m.
The History: The two teams split the regular season series with each team beating the other on the road. Thomson defeated Westside 71-68 on Dec. 15 and Westside their last meeting 55-42 on Jan. 23.
The Matchup: This is arguably the most anticipated region tournament matchups of them all. It’s a bona fide 1 vs. 2 matchup, not just in region standings, but in state rankings as both these teams hold distinction as the top two ranked teams in all of Class AA. And they’ve played like it each time they’ve met this season. Both teams got a bit of a challenge in their respective region tournament semifinal games with Thomson shaking off a pesky Laney squad late and Westside prevailing 50-37 over Butler in a physical defensive struggle. The local star power will be intriguing here. Thomson’s high-scoring Daquan Young against former Thomson son Lavonta Ivery who defended him in the last matchup holding him to just two points. Then there’s the clash of the floor generals in Westside’s DeMarco Middleton and Thomson’s Jahkiaus Jones. It’s the last game of the night, and it will feel like a state championship atmosphere.
Region 4-AAA Championship Games (At Cross Creek)
Who: Cross Creek (21-4) vs. Morgan County (14-11) (girls)
When: Friday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.
The History: Cross Creek swept the regular season series, winning both games 41-38 (Jan. 16) and 58-59 (Feb. 2)
The Matchup: If Josey is in the conversation of best girls basketball teams in the area, Cross Creek’s gotta be in that chat as well. The Lady Razorbacks are senior led and hungry for another Class AAA state championship. But don’t let Morgan County’s record fool you. Aside from Cross Creek’s four losses to Newton, Carver, Thomson and Grovetown, no team on Cross Creek’s schedule has played Cross Creek closer than the Bulldogs from Madison. Junior Jaden Young leads the team in scoring, but it’s definitely a balanced effort between throughout Morgan County’s roster. Meanwhile, Michaela Bogans and Tahjae Hawes make up one of the most potent duos in the state.
Who: Cross Creek (17-9) vs. Richmond Academy (19-5) (boys)
When: Friday, Feb. 16, 8:30 p.m.
The History: Cross Creek defeated Richmond Academy in two closely contested games: 54-51 (Jan. 13) and 55-45 (Jan. 26).
The Matchup: This could be game-of-the-night part two. Not only is it pitting two Richmond County programs against each other, it’s also a matchup of new vs. old. Cross Creek is one of the county’s youngest schools but has become a bit of a state championship dynasty, whereas ARC has been around long enough to say, “been there, done that.” Although the Musketeers fell on some hard times over the last several years, coach Steve Nobles boasts one of the best Richmond Academy squads we’ve seen in years. Justin Mims, a 6-foot-5 senior, is one of the best performers in the state. And in both games, ARC had leads over Cross Creek before the Razorbacks were able to overtake them in the end. No matter who wears the white home jerseys, Cross Creek has the home court advantage here. But Richmond Academy is hungry for revenge with a championship trophy on the line.
Region 2-AAAAAA Championship Games (At Evans)
Who: Grovetown (17-9) vs. Evans (13-14) (boys)
When: Friday, Feb. 16, 8 p.m.
The History: Grovetown defeated Evans in both regular season matchups: 65-47 (Jan. 9) and 65-50 (Jan. 23).
The Matchup: Since a 1-4 start, a new-look Grovetown team has quietly put together another solid season that has great potential in ending with another region championship. After routing Brunswick in Wednesday’s region semifinal, the Warriors will meet an old cross-county nemesis in Evans for a chance at a third straight title. After finishing fifth in the regular season region standings, Evans wasn’t exactly the odds-on favorite to win a chance to compete for a region crown, But the Knights got there first by toping another cross-county rival Lakeside in the tournament’s first round and then by upsetting Glynn Academy 67-65 Wednesday on Glynn Academy’s own home court. Grovetown started the season with a roster full of young, unproven players. But since Dec. 29, Grovetown is 13-2 with all but three of those wins coming in double figures.
