South Ga. girls showdown ... More drama in DeKalb ... Villa Ricans unbeaten
Two of the top girls teams in South Georgia will meet on Friday in a game that will could determine the regular-season champion in Region 1.
No. 3 Harris County plays at No. 4 Bainbridge. A win would virtually cement first place for Harris County, which won the first meeting 75-57 on Dec. 8. A win by Bainbridge would throw the teams into a deadlock for first place.
Harris County (18-2) is led by senior Jessika Carter with 21.7 points, 14.6 rebounds and 4.1 steals. Junior Taziha Fleming adds 16.1 points and 8.8 rebounds. Carter, a Mississippi State commitment, had 25 points and 17 rebounds in the first game against Bainbridge.
Bainbridge (17-2) is led by Nadia Marshall, a 5-9 senior who averages 19.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.7 steals. Senior guard Tytianna Roseborough averages 13.4 points and 3.9 steals.
Villa Rica puts unbeaten streaks on line: The Villa Rica boys (16-0) and girls (15-0) put their perfect records on the line Friday against Woodland of Cartersville. The Wildcats are No. 7 in the state boys rankings and No. 5 in the girls rankings. They have a non-region game against Temple on Saturday, with the competition heating up on Tuesday against Carrollton.
Buford boys host Class AAAAAA power Gainesville: Defending state champion and No. 2-ranked Buford will host a non-conference game on Saturday against Gainesville, the No. 4-ranked team in Class AAAAAA.
The Wolves have won 14 of their last 15 games, a stretch that includes the championship of the Kingdom of the Sun tournament in Ocala, Fla., and a win on Tuesday against United Faith Christian Academy of Charlotte, N.C. Buford won that game on a last-second basket by forward David Viti.
Buford’s loss came against Cedar Shoals and thrust the two teams into a tie atop the Region 8-AAAAA standings.
A big weekend for SWD boys: The No. 4 Southwest DeKalb boys lost to No. 3 Miller Grove on Friday, then lost a game to the snow on Tuesday. The Panthers get a chance to even the score against Miller Grove on Friday at SWD, then play at Columbia on Saturday.
A Miller Grove win would leave the Wolverines in the driver’s seat in Region 5. Miller Grove still has a makeup game against Arabia Mountain and a road game against Lithonia, which could determine the top seed in the region.
