BOYS
Mount Paran 53, No. 2 (Private) Walker 40 (Friday). The Wolverines (17-4, 9-4 in Region 6) had won 12 of their last 13 games, including a 27-point win over the Eagles back on December 10. But Mount Paran (12-7, 6-6) clamped down on defense this time and outscored Walker 21-13 in the fourth quarter to pull away. Senior guard Chandler Newell scored 17 points while fellow senior Chandler Baker added 11 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
No. 2 (Public) Wilcox County 68, Crisp County 53 (Friday). The Patriots (17-0, 11-2 in Region 2) jumped out to a 20-8 first quarter lead and never looked back. Wilcox will pick up some power rating points for beating a team from Class AAA.
No. 6 (Private) Wesleyan 58, Mount Paran Christian 51 (Saturday). The Wolves (12-5, 5-0 in Region 5) prevented the Eagles from scoring two Top 10 upsets over the weekend.
GIRLS
No. 4 (Private) Holy Innocents' 61, No. 3 (Private) Wesleyan 50 (Friday). In the first meeting of the season between the two teams since last year's state title game, won by Holy Innocents', the Bears prevailed once again. Junior center Jillian Hollingshead led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Jada Ferrell added 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and freshman contributed 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Wesleyan's Avyonce Carter led all scorers with 20 points.
No. 4 (Public) Greenville 52, No. 8 (Public) Macon County 46 (Friday). The Patriots (13-5, 7-1 in Region 4) jumped out to a 20-7 first quarter lead and hung on for the win. Senior guard Seniya Williams and junior guard Titeuna Raines each scored 18 points in a losing effort for Macon County (12-4, 8-3).
No. 6 (Private) Greenforest 61, No. 4 (Class AAA) Woodward Academy 56 (Saturday). The Eagles (16-4, 5-0 in Region 5) picked up huge power rating points, winning a nail biter at home over the War Eagles (19-2). A trio of juniors led the way for Greenforest, as L'Or Mputu scored 25 points, Ineza Sifa added 14, while Arianna Jones chipped in with 10. Woodward sophomore Sydney Bowles led all scorers with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Sara Lewis added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
And here are some big non-region games commemorating MLK Day, Monday:
BOYS
No. 3 (Private) Greenforest vs. Class AAAAA Southwest DeKalb, MLK Dream Challenge Showcase at Morehouse College. The Eagles look to stack up some power rating points with a win over an 11-9 team in Class AAAAA.
No. 5 (Private) Trinity Christian vs. Class AAAAA No. 3 Dutchtown, MLK Showcase at Holy Innocents'. The Lions (11-6) will collect a lot of power rating points if they can upset the Bulldogs, who are 20-2 this season.
No. 3 (Public) Terrell County vs. Class AAAAAAA Colquitt County at Monroe-Albany. The Greenwave (12-0) will look to stay unbeaten and pick up some power rating points by beating a team from the state's largest classification.
GIRLS
No. 7 (Private) Galloway at No. 10 (Private) Darlington. Galloway (14-4) has lost four of the five games it has played against ranked teams this season. They will try to improve upon that against the Tigers. Darlington's (17-2) loses this season have been to an unranked but solid team from Class AAA, Sonoraville (14-6).
No. 4 (Public) Greenville vs. Class AAAAAAA Colquitt County at Monroe-Albany. The Patriots (13-5) have the opportunity to pick up a bunch of power rating points with a win over the Packers (16-4). Greenville is led by junior twins Jabrica Leslie (18 points, 10 rebounds per game) and Shabrica Leslie (12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals), and sophomore Amanda Ogletree (11 points).
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