This is a busy weekend for Johnson High in Savannah. The Atom Smashers could find themselves back in the mix for the Region 1-AAA Division B championship or relegated to a No. 3 seed, depending on how things play out.
No. 5 Johnson (16-3) tonight hosts No. 2 Jenkins (15-3), which leads the subregion with a perfect 8-0 record and has won six straight games. On Saturday the Atom Smashers play Savannah (13-7) for the third time; Johnson won the first meeting in a tournament, while Savannah prevailed in the first subregion matchup. Savannah is in second place in the subregion at 6-1, one game ahead of Johnson.
Johnson’s top scorer is 6-foot-2 junior Dashawn Loadholt, who averages 13.1 points. Antwan Maxwell averages 12.5 points and Da’Monte Greene averages 9.5 points.
Jenkins is led by Malik Benlevi, a 6-6 senior who averages 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. Benlevi has signed with Georgia State. Trevion Lamar, a 6-4 sophomore, contributes 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, and Nicholas Severado, a slender 6-8 senior, averages 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
Savannah is led by 6-4 senior Jermaine Williams, who averages 16.1 points and 11 rebounds per game, and 5-8 sophomore Zion Williams, who averages 9.9 points, 6.9 assists and 2.7 steals.
In other boys games to watch Friday:
No. 3 Cedar Grove (14-3) will try to bounce back with a home game against North Clayton (12-8). The Saints were knocked off by No. 9 South Atlanta on Tuesday.
Washington County (11-6) could take a huge step toward securing the No. 2 seed in Region 3-AAA with a win Friday at Butler. But the Golden Hawks have eight games left and no off days on the schedule because of its trek to the football championship game that caused games to be rescheduled. Butler (13-7) is trying to dig its way out of a hole caused from forfeiting four games.
In girls games to watch Friday:
No. 1 Dawson County (20-0) returns after a week off to play at Banks County (18-3), currently in second place in Region 7-AAA. Dawson County won the first meeting 64-47 on Dec. 16.
No. 4 South Atlanta (19-0) host Jackson (13-4) and could virtually wrap up Region 4-AAA Div. A. The Hornets, led by Kierra Johnson-Graham, lead the division by one game and beat Jackson by 22 points in their previous meeting.
In a non-region game on Saturday, No. 6-ranked Morgan County (13-6) travels to play at Class AAAA No. 2 Buford (16-3).
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