Two of the top teams in difficult Region 6-AAAA will meet Tuesday, when Lithonia hosts Columbia.
Both teams picked up road victories on Friday to set up Tuesday’s showdown between the first-place Bulldogs (14-1, 10-0) and the visiting Eagles (12-4, 7-2).
Lithonia got 15 points and 13 rebounds from junior forward Tylon Patterson in a 51-36 win at Marist on Friday. Junior point guard Tyheem Freeman dished out 10 assists, and senior post Christopher Roberson scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and collected three steals in the first half, before going down with an injury.
Columbia rolled past Stone Mountain 77-53 on Friday. The Eagles have reached the state championship game the past five seasons and have an emerging star in senior forward Micaiah Henry. Henry had 10 points, 16 rebounds and nine blocks in the win over Stone Mountain. He scored 26 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and had 13 blocks in a win over Arabia Mountain last week, one of multiple triple-doubles on the season, according to Columbia coach Kerry Sandifer.
Columbia won both meetings with Lithonia last season. Lithonia coach Wallace Corker was an assistant at Columbia for 12 years before taking over at the Lithonia to start last year.
--Top-ranked Jonesboro, the defending Class AAAA state champion, rolled past Region 4-AAAA challenger Griffin, 80-45, on Friday. The Cardinals are 15-1 and 6-0 in region play, with their only loss coming against national power Montverde Academy of Florida in November.
Girls
Veterans and Mary Persons will face off Tuesday in a battle of Region 2-AAAA girls powers. Both teams are 5-0 in region play and were unbeaten on the season heading into non-region action Saturday.
Veterans improved to 15-0 on the season with a 59-29 win over Howard on Friday. Three players reached double figures to lead the Warhawks. Junior point guard Kya Cochran had 14 points. Nicholson had 11 points, and Owens added 10 for Veterans.
