Defending Class 6A boys basketball champion Grovetown has struggled over the first half of the season, posting a 4-8 record against what is ranked by MaxPreps as the most difficult schedule in the classification.
The Warriors will get a fresh start this week when they begin Region 2 play with a 5:30 p.m. game Saturday against South Effingham (6-6, 0-0).
Grovetown opened the season 2-0 but lost its next six games, a stretch that included losses to Class 7A perennial powers McEachern, Buford, Newton and Wheeler. The Warriors enter play this weekend with a two-game losing streak that includes losses to Jones County (64-61) and Pinson Valley, Ala. (77-55) in late December.
Grovetown, led by Class 6A player of the year Frankquon Sherman, was the regular-season and tournament champion in Region 3-6A last year before moving to Region 2 this season. Brunswick is the early leader, although most of the teams in the region have not played a league game yet.
Here’s a look at several of the big games involving Class 6A teams this weekend:
Boys
*River Ridge vs. Etowah (Friday): Etowah remains a top-10 team in 6A despite a 7-7 record that has come against a rugged schedule. The Eagles, 3-0 in Region 6, handed Rome its first region loss Wednesday with an 87-69 victory and now face another one-loss team in River Ridge. A victory in that game likely sets up a battle for first place against region co-leader Sequoyah on Tuesday.
*Hughes vs. Eagle’s Landing (Saturday): Third-ranked Hughes will travel to Gwinnett County to face Class 5A No. 2 Eagle’s Landing at 3:30 p.m. in the Grayson New Year’s Classic. The seven-game event also includes three of the state’s No. 1-ranked teams – Kell (5A), McDonough (4A) and Greenforest (A Division II). Hughes is 7-4 after a 55-40 loss Tuesday night against 7A No. 10 Carrollton.
Girls
*Tift County at Veterans (Friday): Ninth-ranked Veterans, which has jumped out to the early lead in 1-6A, returns to region play in this 6 p.m. game. Veterans is 2-0 in region play and fell to 10-2 overall with a 66-64 non-region loss to 5A No. 2 Warner Robins on Tuesday. Tift County, playing its region opener, is unranked in the human polls but holds the No. 8 spot in the MaxPreps rankings.
*Hughes vs. Griffin (Saturday): Eighth-ranked Hughes (8-4), which entered the weekend on a two-game losing streak, will face 4A No. 1 Griffin at 2:15 p.m. in the She Got Game Classic at the Suwanee Sports Academy. Other 6A teams playing Saturday in the event are River Ridge (3:30 p.m. vs. Hazel Green, Ala.), Forest Park (5 p.m. vs. Carrollton) and Sprayberry (3:30 p.m. vs. West Forsyth).
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