Here’s a wrapup of the final week of the regular season and a look ahead to the region tournaments in Class AAAAA basketball:
*Perfect regular seasons: The top-ranked Brunswick girls team and the No. 2 McIntosh boys completed the only unbeaten regular seasons in AAAAA when they improved to 25-0 with lopsided victories on Friday. Brunswick defeated rival Glynn Academy 66-46, and McIntosh cruised past Northgate 71-37. Brunswick will return to action Thursday in the 3-AAAAA semifinals at Effingham County. McIntosh will play on Thursday in the 4-AAAAA quarterfinals, needing one victory to quality for the state tournament.
*Clinchers: The No. 3-ranked Effingham County girls team clinched the No. 2 seed in 3-AAAAA with a 50-47 victory Friday against No. 7 South Effingham. MaKayla Robinson battled through second-half injury problems to lead Effingham County with 22 points. The victory avenged a 48-45 loss to South Effingham on Dec. 13 and gave Effingham County a bye into the region semifinals, guaranteeing the Rebels a berth in the state playoffs. ... The No. 8-ranked Carver-Columbus boys team captured the regular-season title in 1-AAAAA with a 70-61 victory against Hardaway. Carver, which has clinched a spot in the state playoffs, will be back in action Friday at home in the region semifinals.
*Tournament time: While most of the state's regions were finishing the regular season this weekend, some already have begun their postseason tournaments. The 7-AAAAA tournament got under way Friday at Creekview with two boys games and two girls games and continued Saturday with eight more games. Tournaments that began Saturday included 4-AAAAA at Drew, 5-AAAAA at New Manchester, and 6-AAAAA at Stephenson. The other four AAAAA regions will start their tournaments on Monday. Check back on ajc.com all week for updated schedules and scores.
*Region of champions: The most closely watched region tournament is likely to be 6-AAAAA, whose current members have won 13 state championships (eight boys, five girls) in 11 years in the second-highest classification. The tournament includes six teams ranked in the top 10 – the No. 1 Miller Grove, No. 3 M.L. King and No. 7 Southwest DeKalb boys teams, as well as the No. 2 Mays, No. 6 Stephenson and No. 8 Southwest DeKalb girls teams. One intriguing girls matchup could take place Friday, when Mays and Stephenson would meet in the semifinals, with the loser relegated to a first-round road game in the state playoffs.
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