Norcross from Region 7 and Buford from Region 8 have clinched regular-season region titles in Class 7A girls basketball.
No. 2 Carrollton, riding a 20-game winning streak, can clinch Region 2 with a victory at No. 8 Campbell on Friday.
Grayson, two wins from a 25-0 regular season, and Milton can clinch No. 1 region seeds this week.
No. 5 McEachern and No. 6 North Paulding lost Region 4 home games Tuesday to teams below them in the standings.
Here are Class 7A standings for girls basketball with commentary on how each region is progressing.
Region 1: Lowndes and Camden County have pulled away in a region that features five teams with outstanding records, though none is ranked. Lowndes, the two-time defending champion, has won on Camden’s home court on Jan. 20 and will play Camden at home Feb. 6.
Region 2: Carrollton plays at Campbell on Friday night in the Class 7A game of the week. Carrollton, on a 20-game winning streak, won their first meeting 47-39. That’s Campbell’s only Georgia loss since mid-December. Carrollton won region titles in 2021 and 2022 and was a state runner-up in 2021 in Class 6A, but this would be the Trojans’ first region championship in the highest class. Pebblebrook won this region a year ago but is 1-18.
Region 3: Two ranked teams are in this region, and both lost to lower-standing region opponents Tuesday. McEachern was stunned at home by Marietta 49-47 while North Paulding lost to Hillgrove 62-53. McEachern will play at North Paulding on Tuesday but must play at Marietta first on Friday. McEachern was the region champion and a state semifinalist last season.
Region 4: Grayson defeated No. 7 Archer 82-44 on the road Tuesday and hasn’t let any region opponent within 20 points. Worth noting that Grayson lost in last year’s first round and has never gone past the quarterfinals. Grayson’s top players are Danielle Carnegie, a 5-9 guard signed with Georgia Tech, and Erin Rodgers, a 6-0 forward signed with Florida Atlantic. Defending champion Brookwood (6-17) is rebuilding but positioned to make the playoffs.
Region 5: Cherokee won at North Cobb 45-38 on Tuesday after beating Walton 80-53 on Friday, so this race is almost over. Cherokee’s has the region’s best player, Toni Warren, a 6-0 wing player who has signed with Wofford. Walton is the defending champion.
Region 6: Milton avenged its only region loss last Friday with a 57-37 road victory over Lambert, then beat another contender, West Forsyth, 61-42 on the road Tuesday. Milton can clinch the regular-season title with a victory over defending champion South Forsyth on Friday. Milton didn’t make the playoffs last season.
Region 7: Norcross beat second-place Discovery 34-27 on the road last week to clinch the regular-season title. Norcross is the 2023 state runner-up and 2022 champion. Norcross is contending again despite the lost of first-team all-state player and Mercer signee Jania Akins to a knee injury in December.
Region 8: Buford, the defending region champion, clinched the regular-season title with a 73-46 victory over Central Gwinnett on Tuesday. Buford has swept Mill Creek 58-49 and 63-41. Buford is led by Ava Grace Watson, a 5-8 guard who has signed with Ohio State.
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