Region basketball tournaments are just getting underway statewide, meaning the high school season will be over for most teams by the end of the week.
Only the top four finishers in each region tournament above Class A will make the state playoffs, which begin Feb. 16.
Here are a few metro Atlanta region tournaments that stand above the others.
3-AAAAAA boys (at Hughes): No. 2 Westlake (19-4), No. 6 Pebblebrook (17-8), Campbell (17-7) and Douglas County (15-9) have been ranked at one time or another this season. The fifth seed, South Cobb (15-10), upset second-seeded Pebblebrook last week while Hughes (11-13), the host school, took top-seeded Westlake to overtime.
7-AAAAAA girls (at Meadowcreek): No. 3 Norcross (21-4) and No. 5 Collins Hill (22-2) are the only teams in the region with winning records, so all signs point to a third and decisive game for the region title between these highly ranked Gwinnett County schools that split in the regular season. Collins Hill hasn't won a region title since Maya Moore led the school to a state title in 2007.
8-AAAAAA boys (at Central Gwinnett): No. 5 Shiloh (19-5, 13-3) finished as the No. 1 seed from this region that was knotted in a four-way tie for first just over a week ago. Also contending will be No. 9 Berkmar (17-8), Dacula (19-6), Grayson (19-6) and Brookwood (17-8).
4-AAAA (at Mount Zion): This is a rare region with three top-10 teams in the boys and girls brackets. Those girls teams are No. 5 Jonesboro (18-3), No. 7 Griffin (19-5) and No. 8 Mount Zion (19-4). Unranked Henry County (20-5) won the other subregion. The top-10 boys teams are No. 1 Jonesboro, No. 6 Eagle's Landing (22-3) and No. 8 Walnut Grove (22-3), but unranked Henry County (15-10) and Eastside (19-7) have beaten five top-10 opponents between them this season.
6-AAAA boys (at Chamblee): This tournament features four top-10 teams – No. 2 Lithonia (20-4), No. 3 Grady (22-3), No. 5 St. Pius (21-4) and No. 9 Redan (16-8). Then there is four-time former state champion Columbia (11-11), which took Grady to overtime recently but needs an upset to avoid missing the state playoffs for the first time since 2003.
6-AA (at Pace Academy): This is another region with three top-10 teams on both the boys and girls sides. Those boys teams are No. 3 Pace Academy (14-9), No. 4 Lovett (19-5) and No. 7 Greater Atlanta Christian (16-9). Holy Innocents' (16-8) and Wesleyan (15-10) also are tough. In the girls draw, No. 1 Wesleyan (22-3) and No. 2 Holy Innocents' (20-5) could meet for the third time. They've split two meetings. Eighth-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian (13-8) also poses a threat.
6-A boys (at Christian Heritage): Three of Class A's top five teams are here: No. 2 North Cobb Christian (20-3), No. 4 St. Francis (17-7) and No. 5 Whitefield Academy (17-9). Also notable is unranked Walker (16-7), which features 6-foot-10 blue-chip prospect Robert Baker.
Credit: Craig Sager
Credit: Craig Sager
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