The Arabia Mountain girls just completed a dream regular season. Now they want more.
The Rams went 23-1 and finished the year with a 20-game winning streak. They breezed through the Region 4 schedule without a loss and have not been beaten since losing to Region 8-4A champion Walnut Grove way back on Nov. 22.
The next step comes at the Region 4 tournament, which Arabia Mountain will host. Competition starts on Monday but the Rams don’t play until Wednesday, when they meet the winner of the Lithonia-Tucker game at 7 p.m.
“It’s been a long season and it’s hard when you’re on a 20-game winning streak to keep kids focused, but they’ve been grounded and they understand it’s one game at a time,” coach Jerry Jackson said. “They’ve bought into that philosophy.”
Arabia Mountain is already guaranteed a spot in the state tournament, but would prefer to enter as a No. 1 seed. That would guarantee at least a couple of home playoff games.
Jackson is in his sixth season at Arabia Mountain after winning a state championship during a seven-year run at Redan. He has seen the dedication of his girls from the first day of practice and has enjoyed watching them reap the rewards of their hard work.
“It starts by running these hills here in the mountains and they just work hard,” Jackson said. “I’ve got a good coaching staff and they’re a great group of kids.”
The Rams have three girls averaging double figures, led by junior Malaya Jones (21.8 points, 5.1 steals, 3.0 assists), Myori Pruitt (16.9 points, 6.4 steals. 5.4 assists), 4.6 rebounds) and Sierra Burns (16 points, 3.0 steals). Sophomore Angilina Billingsley leads the team with 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
Pruitt, a 5-foot-5 senior, is the heart of the team. The four-year starter pushes and challenges everyone on the team – including Jackson.
“One morning we had a practice here at 6 a.m. and she beat me here,” Jackson said. “She said, ‘Coach, you’re a little late.’ I said, ‘It’s 5:40 in the morning!’ She’s a great kid, she keeps everything going and she’s had a great career.
Pruitt has scored 1,000-plus points and surpassed 500 assists and 500 steals. She’s only a handful of rebounds away from reaching 1,000 there, too.
The other milestone maker is Jones, who pass the 1,000-point mark this season. The 5-7 junior is another one of the team’s on-the-floor leaders.
“I like having kids around who understand the game,” Jackson said. “They’ve been around the game and they can help us, just like a coach on the floor. Mayori can help get the young kids in position and put them in the right spot. She’s like a player and a coach at the same time.”
Region 5 comes down to wire
The boys race in Region 5 features four excellent teams separated by only one game. But none of those teams meet in the last game of the season, which leaves many unanswered questions.
No. 5-ranked Mays (17-7) and No 4 Tri-Cities (15-9) are tied with 12-3 region records. They split during the regular season. Mays finishes with a game at Villa Rica and Tri-Cities is at Banneker on Friday. If the two big dogs win, they will be tied for first.
No. 8 Chapel Hill (16-8) and No. 10 Maynard Jackson (15-7) are tied for third in the region at 11-4. Jackson has been the hottest team in the league and has won five straight, including a victory over Tri-Cities last week. Chapel Hill has the most challenging game with a visit to Creekside and Jackson closes against Midtown. Chapel Hill and Jackson also split their two regular-season games.
Girls regions still in play
In Region 3, Northside (17-6, 7-0) travels to Harris County (17-7, 6-1) in the season finale to determine the top playoff seed. Northside has won six straight, including a 65-54 win over Harris County on Jan. 24.
In Region 7, the No. 1 spot is still up for grabs. Calhoun (8-1) can clinch the regular-season championship with a win over Dalton. If Dalton wins and Hiram (7-2) beats Cartersville, there will be a tie between Calhoun and Hiram for first place. Since they split the two regular-season meetings, there would be a coin flip to determine the No. 1 seed.
Region 2 tournament concludes
The league will complete its region tournament on Friday night in Warner Robins.
In boys play, No. 2-ranked Eagle’s Landing will meet Union Grove in the title game. Union Grove upset No. 6 Dutchtown in the semifinals in overtime. Dutchtown plays Jones County for third place. In girls play, No. 1 ranked Warner Robins will play No. 5 Union Grove for the championship. Eagle’s Landing meets Jones County in the third-place game.
It is the second straight year Union Grove’s boys and girls have reached the championship games.
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