The top-ranked Allatoona boys basketball team is scheduled to travel to Kentucky this weekend (weather permitting) to participate in the King of the Bluegrass Showcase at Fairdale High School near Louisville.
The Buccaneers will face host Fairdale at 7:30 p.m. Friday and meet Iroquois (Ky.) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Fairdale (8-11) is led by senior guard Cory Thomas, who ranks fourth in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association in scoring at 27.0 points per game. Iroquois is ranked No. 13 in Kentucky by MaxPreps and No. 532 nationally, one spot behind Cobb County team Hillgrove.
Allatoona is one of 15 boys teams participating in the event, which includes 11 Kentucky teams as well as teams from Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee. The Buccaneers (21-0) are the only remaining unbeaten team in Georgia’s Class AAAAA.
Here are some of the other scheduled games to watch in AAAAA this weekend (check with your school to make sure the weather hasn’t caused any changes to the schedule):
*Jenkins at Calvary Day (boys, Saturday): Fourth-ranked Jenkins steps out of its classification to play a Class A team that is 12-3 this season. Jenkins heads into Friday night's region game at Windsor Forest with a one-game lead over Bradwell Institute for first place in 3-AAAAA. Jenkins hosts Bradwell on Feb. 8 in the regular-season finale.
*Southwest DeKalb at Stephenson (girls, Saturday): This Region 6 matchup features two of the top six teams in Class AAAAA. Top-ranked Southwest DeKalb (19-2) has won 12 consecutive games since a loss to Windward (Cal.) at the Tournament of Champions in Phoenix on Dec. 20. No. 6 Stephenson went 1-1 last season against the Panthers, who won the state championship.
*Heritage-Conyers at Salem (girls, Saturday): When these Rockdale County and Region 8 rivals last met on Dec. 16, Salem set a school scoring record in a 112-30 victory, and Seminoles junior Ayanna Mitchell set the school's single-game record with 46 points. Fourth-ranked Salem (18-2 overall, 13-0 in 8-AAAAA) is closing in on the region's regular-season title.
*South Effingham at Effingham County (girls, Saturday): Third-ranked Effingham County will try to avenge its only loss of the season when it hosts its county rival. South Effingham beat Effingham County 46-45 in the teams' first meeting on Dec. 14. South Effingham star Tianna Germain scored 22 points and hit the game-winning shot with 12 seconds remaining.
