Class 2A blog: Top weekend games for Week 7

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Let’s take a look at some of the top Class 2A boys and girls games taking place this weekend.

The most notable matchup comes on the boys side, where in Region 6, the No. 3 Lovett Lions (8-3, 3-0) host the top-ranked Pace Academy Knights (11-1, 4-0) on Friday. The winner of this game claims sole possession of first place atop the Region 6 standings.

This will be the first of two meetings ahead of the 6-2A tournament, with the second coming on Feb. 5 at Pace. Last season, the Knights went 2-0 against Lovett, with both wins in the double digits.

The Knights are led by one of the top players in the country in Matthew Cleveland, a Class of ‘21 5-star forward who signed with Florida State in November. Cleveland is ranked as the No. 21 player in the country. He averages 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.0 blocks and he’s a big reason the Knights are No. 21 nationally in the MaxPreps computer rankings. Josh Reed, a 3-star junior wing with a Boston College offer, averages 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and two steals, and senior forward Cole Middleton averages 13.4 points, 11 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. Senior 3-star guard Madison Durr averages 9.2 assists and 3.1 steals.

Lovett is led by senior center Ryan Mutombo — yes, that’s the son of you-know-who — who stands at 6-foot-11, 235 pounds and signed with his father’s alma mater, Georgetown. He a 4-star ranked as the No. 16 center in the country.

Another top 10 matchup on the boys side is in Region 2, where the No. 9 Vidalia Indians (7-3, 2-1) travel to the No. 4 Woodville-Tompkins Wolverines (7-1, 2-1) on Friday. Currently, the Indians and Wolverines are in a three-way tie with Bacon County for second place in the region standings, while Jeff Davis and Swainsboro (both 2-0) are tied for first.

The Indians beat the Wolverines 66-55 at home on Dec. 11.

On the girls’ side, the No. 4 Washington County Lady Golden Hawks (3-0, 1-0) host the No. 8 Dodge County Lady Indians (6-1, 2-0) on Friday. The teams will play again on Feb. 2 at Dodge County.

Northeast (3-1, 1-0) is the only other team with an undefeated region record.

The Lady Golden Hawks are led by senior Miracle Parker (22.3 points, four steals), sophomore Mikaili Parker (10 points, five assists, 4.3 steals) and junior Ashley Gray (10.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and five steals). The Lady Indians are led by sophomore Altierra Gooch (14.5 points, 11.8 rebounds), junior Sanaa Searles (9.5 points) and junior Ileisha Mitchell (5.5 assists, 3.8 steals).

On Friday, the No. 5 Elbert County Lady Leopards (9-1, 1-0 in Region 8) host 4A’s No. 9 Cedar Shoals Lady Jaguars (6-2). On Tuesday, they defeated No. 10 Banks County on the road, 54-41, to take sole possession of first in 8-2A.

The Lady Leopards beat Cedar Shoals 44-43 last season.

Note: All scheduled games mentioned here are subject to cancellation or postponement due to COVID-19 concerns. All stats, schedules and records are courtesy of information contributed to MaxPreps. All player ratings and rankings are courtesy of the 247Sports composite.

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