On deck are the girls region tournaments, which must be completed by Feb. 18, in advance of the state playoffs, which begin Feb. 21.
Here are some thing to keep an eye on in each region.
Region 1
The Dodge County Indians (20-1, 10-0) are the region’s lone-ranked team at No. 4. All region wins have been by double-digits, with Worth County (9-13, 5-4) getting the closest, losing by 10 each time. Berrien (17-6, 8-2) and Fitzgerald (13-9, 6-3) are the others with winning league records. It’s the Indians’ region to lose and if they fail to land the No. 1 seed, it will be a major upset.
Region 2
The No. 2 Central-Macon Chargers (22-1, 12-0) are running away with Region 2, with all league games blowouts. They appear a lock for the top seed and are on a 20-game win streak. Aside from two losses to the Chargers, Northeast (14-7, 10-2) hasn’t lost against a Region 2 opponent and would appear in line for the No. 2 seed. Two of Spencer (12-9, 8-4), ACE (15-7, 7-5) and Jordan (6-17, 6-6) likely round out the playoff field.
Region 3
Though this region features no ranked teams, Tattnall County (14-8, 11-0) and Vidalia (14-8, 9-1) have strong region records are ranked 13 and 19, respectively, in the MaxPreps computer. The disparity between the top two teams could be significant, though, as Tattnall County beat Vidalia 65-31 in the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 13.
Region 4
With eight schools, 4-2A is divided into sub-regions. No. 4 Thomson (17-4, 12-0) leads Sub-Region A, and No. 5 Josey (19-3, 11-1) leads B. The region’s No. 1 seed should come down to those two. Butler (16-6, 8-4) is the only other school with a winning region record.
Region 5
This may be the most tightly-contested region in 2A, and it’s between two teams nicknamed the Eagles: No. 7 Landmark Christian (16-7, 13-1) and No. 8 Columbia (18-6, 12-1). On Dec. 9, Columbia won at Landmark Christian. On Jan. 17, Landmark Christian more-than-returned the favor, winning 64-35 on the road. Callaway could be a wild card, losing 52-50 in overtime to Columbia on Jan. 10, and 54-50 to Landmark Christian on Jan. 24.
Region 6
This region is home to top-ranked Mouth Paran Christian (22-1, 14-0), a favorite to win the state championship after winning 1A Private last year. North Cobb Christian and KIPP, both unranked, are 12-3 in the region, and KIPP became the only region team to come within single digits of Mount Paran, losing 58-51 on Jan. 7.
Region 7
The top 10 ends with No. 9 Murray County (17-4, 11-0) and No. 10 Fannin County (17-7, 9-2). Though the Rebels lost to the Indians both times, the games were close at 46-41 on Jan. 10, and 52-51 on Feb. 3. Either team could win the top seed. Model (12-9, 7-4) is the only other team with a winning region record.
Region 8
No. 3 Banks County (22-3, 8-0) is running laps around the rest of the region, with Athens Academy, Union County (4-3 in 8-2A) and East Jackson (3-4) likely left to compete for the Nos. 2-4 seeds. The Leopards survived a scare from Athens Academy on Friday, winning 38-36 on the road, and has won all other region games by at least 25.
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