Grayson remains unbeaten against Georgia competition this season, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Grayson defeated Region 4-7A rival Newton 76-70 in overtime on Tuesday. Amir Taylor scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds. Gicarri Harris, a Purdue signee, scored 14 and had 10 rebounds. Jacob Wilkins, a junior who has signed with Georgia, scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds.
Newton’s Zach Harden scored 23 points.
Here are Class 7A standings for boys basketball with commentary on how each region might progress entering Friday’s games.
Region 1: Camden County has lost two of its past three games, each to out-of-state teams, and while it cost the Wildcats a spot in the top 10, they remain the region frontrunner. Camden took fist place in region play with two victories last week. The Wildcats beat two-time region champion Lowndes 57-54 at home last week and should be in good shape until a home game Feb. 3 against Valdosta. Camden has not advanced in the state tournament since 1975.
Region 2: Pebblebrook’s ugly record is mostly the work of a tough schedule. The Falcons beat Carrollton 55-53 last week to take first place but lost Tuesday to Westlake 61-60 on the road. This region figures to go down to the end, when Pebblebrook plays those two teams again in the final week of the regular season next month. Carrollton, a quarterfinal team last season, is the defending champion.
Region 3: McEachern, a top-25 national team, beat Harrison 71-57 at home on Wednesday and plays at Hillgrove on Friday. McEachern’s Ace Bailey was named this week as the lone Georgian in the McDonald’s All-Star Game.
Region 4: In a statement for just how good Georgia basketball is, No. 1 Grayson barely escaped on Tuesday with a 76-70 overtime victory at home against No. 6 Newton. Grayson has several top-10 national rankings.
Region 5: Walton beat defending Class 7A champion Wheeler last week for the first time in 11 years. The rematch at Wheeler is Feb. 2. Meanwhile, Walton plays at Cherokee on Friday night.
Region 6: West Forsyth beat Lambert 87-58 on Tuesday, so the region might come down to next Tuesday’s home game against Milton, which West Forsyth beat the first time 69-66 last week. This region was the most suspenseful through the regular season and tournament last season but went 0-4 in the first round of the playoffs.
Region 7: Berkmar, ranked No. 6 last week, has lost four of its past five games to fall back, though Friday night’s game at Norcross is a chance for vengeance. Peachtree Ridge is 6-0 this month. Peachtree Ridge hasn’t won a region title since 2018.
Region 8: Buford, the defending champion, has won seven straight games since Jan. 1. Dacula is in danger of dropping out of the top 10 after losing Tuesday at Collins Hill 50-40.
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