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Monday, February 11, 2008
Rankings, records mean nothing in regionals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the week high school basketball teams around Georgia will try to earn a trip to the state tournament. But not all the teams in the state have to play their way through their respective regional tournaments for a shot at a state title.
The Parkview boys’ and girls’ teams, for example, already have their playoff tickets by virtual of earning the No. 1 seed for this week’s Region 8-AAAAA tournament. The Panthers’ next game is Friday in the region semifinals.
“This is the exciting time of year for all the teams,” Parkview boys’ coach Tim Watkins said. “We are just trying to stay sharp until we play again.”
While the Panthers are lucky enough to have a comfort zone in the tournament, most teams in the state have to win at least two games before earning their playoff berth.
The top four teams from each region advance to the first round of the state playoffs, which begin Feb. 22. A team just needs to advance to it region semi-final round to earn a playoff berth. Some regions reward their regular-season top seed with a placement in the semifinal round. In other regions, everyone has to play their way into the state tournament.
“You got to come with it every night,” Miller Grove junior point guard Mfon Udofia said. “You have to bring your A-game, because someone is always looking for that upset win.”
Miller Grove knows all too well about upsets in the region tournament. Last season, Mays upset the highly-ranked Wolverines in the quarterfinals of the Region 6-AAAAA tournament at home. Miller Grove has a bye in the first round but faces the winner of the Mays vs. Washington game in the quarterfinals, with a trip to the state tournament on the line. Last Friday, Miller Grove beat Mays 58-51 in the regular season final for both teams.
“I don’t want what happen last year to happen again in the region tournament,” Udofia said. “I couldn’t sleep for about a month after that loss. We are real hungry.”
Ranking and records mean nothing at this point in the season. Westlake’s boys team cruised through its Region 2-AAAA schedule with a 16-0 record. The Lions are ranked No.1 with a 22-2 record, but the players said all that is in the past now.
“What you did in the regular season doesn’t matter,” Lions senior guard Gideon Gamble said. “I was a sophomore when we won every game and then lost in the state championship finals.
“If you lose now, your season is over. It is all about who plays the hardest and wants it more.”
Post up: Who do you expect to survive regionals? Which teams could prove to be this season’s biggest surprise spoilers? Let’s talk tourney.
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