As the regular season draws to a close this weekend, teams are preparing for next week's region tournaments which determine the seedings for the state tournament that begins Feb. 15 and ends March 6-9 in Macon.
So perhaps it's a good time to look around the classification to pick some of the top players who could lead their programs to state championships:
Boys
-- Hunter McIntosh, Greater Atlanta Christian: A 6-foot 2 senior guard, McIntosh helped lead GAC to a state championship last year with a 67-53 victory against Jenkins. McIntosh has the scoring ability to take over a game. Against East Hall on Jan. 30, he led the Spartans to a 76-64 victory with 18 points.
-- Tyrin Lawrence, Morgan County: A 6-3 senior shooting guard helps lead a trio of dynamic guards for Morgan. Against Newton on Jan. 19, Lawrence led all scorers with 26 points. He can score from inside, outside, driving and is a lock-down defensive player.
-- Lamont Sams, Johnson-Savannah: The 6-9 senior forward is averaging 9.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 blocks. Against Islands on Jan. 5, he scored a season-high 18 points.
Girls
-- J'Mya Cutter, Johnson-Savannah: The 5-8 senior guard is averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and 4.1 steals per game.
-- Livi Blackstock, Jefferson: Blackstock, a 5-7 sophomore guard, is averaging 14.6 points. She spreads her scoring around, averaging four points in the first quarter, five points in the second, 3.5 points in the third and 2.2 points in the fourth. She also adds 1.9 steals and 4.3 rebounds per game.
-- Jaida Burgess, Beach: The 5-3 junior is averaging 17.3 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Against Windsor Forest on Dec. 7, Burgess scored 29 points, a high this season. Against Groves on Dec. 4, she scored 28. She has added 3.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 5.6 steals per game.
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