Boys
No. 3 St. Pius at No. 4 Lithonia, Friday: Lithonia is in first place in Region 6-AAAA, one game ahead of both St. Pius and No. 2 Grady. The host Bulldogs (17-4, 14-1 6-AAAA) won at St. Pius, 55-44, in mid-December and are coming off a big win over Grady on Tuesday. The Golden Lions (18-3, 12-2 6-AAAA) responded to the December loss to Lithonia with 11 straight wins, before falling to Pennsylvania power Taylor Allderdic up last week in non-conference tournament action. Both coach—Lithonia’s Wallace Corker and St. Pius’ Aaron Parr—are expecting a defensive battle. Parr said the Golden Lions (18-3, 12-2 6-AAAA) must contain Lithonia’s steady senior backcourt of Rodney Chatman and Tyheem Freeman. St. Pius’ versatile forward Kerney Lane anchors a balanced Lions’ offense.
Columbia at No. 2 Grady: How will Grady react to an important loss to Lithonia on Tuesday? The Knights (18-3, 12-2 6-AAAA) were the early surprises in the toughest region in Class AAAA. They won their first 11 region games, before a loss to St. Pius. Grady senior point guard Avi Toomer, who is headed to Bucknell, is averaging 24.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Columbia (7-11, 4-10 6-AAAA) won three state championships from 2010 through 2012 under coach Kerry Sandifer. The Eagles have taken a step back in the region in recent seasons and are looking to turn things around heading into February.
Girls
No. 3 Marist at Redan, Friday: The visiting War Eagles are looking to improve to 15-0 in Region 4-AAAA. Redan (16-3, 13-2 Region 4-AAAA) has won eight in a row to move into second place in the region. The Raiders won the 2014 Class AAAA state championship under coach Jerry Jackson. Redan will try to slow down Marist’s dynamic star, senior guard Dominique Oden, who is headed to Purdue.
No. 6 Mt. Zion-Jonesboro at No. 8 Griffin, Friday: Mt. Zion star senior guard Tyeisha Juhan leads the Bulldogs (15-3, 9-1 4B-AAAA) into a battle of region championship contenders. Juhan is averaging 26.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game. Junior post Andeija Puckett leads’ the Bears’ attack, averaging 17 oints and 11.8 rebounds per game.
