Top-ranked Mount Vernon (14-9, 7-1) bested No. 5 Mount Bethel (15-5, 7-1) 57-54 Thursday in a key Class A Division I Region 6 to open the weekend schedule.
Bethel and Vernon were tied at 7-1 in region play entering the contest. With the victory, Vernon locked up the No. 1 seed entering the region tournament while Paideia secured the No. 2 seed and Bethel took the No. 3 seed. On Friday, No. 7 St. Francis will play against No. 9 King’s Ridge to determine the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds while Mount Pisgah secured the No. 6 seed in the league tournament.
Prior to the loss against Mt. Vernon, Bethel was coming off a 77-57 victory against Mount Pisgah last Friday where Cole Buker scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds. Will Kuimjian scored 20 points with four assists and six rebounds, and Zach Rodeen added 20 points with five assists. Trumane Watkins finished with 10 points.
Mount Vernon lost to then-No. 10 Paideia 61-58 on Jan. 23, then rebounded with a 72-68 victory against No. 7 St. Francis last week. Junior K.J. Garris is averaging 20 points with five rebounds and two assists per game. He is followed by senior Sha’yah Goba (13 points), senior Xavier Shegog (12 points) and senior Dennis Scott III (10 points).
In other games to watch:
Class A Division II Boys
-- No. 5 Seminole County (13-6, 9-4) travels to No. 7 Early County (15-7, 10-6) for a Region 1 game. Seminole County lost to Early County 55-51 in overtime on Jan. 5. Seminole County senior D.J. Yarbrough is scoring 16 points with seven rebounds and two steals per game to lead Seminole. Senior Ethan Johnson adds 14 points with eight rebounds and two steals per game.
Early County is paced by Jabril Lindsey, who is scoring 17 points with four rebounds and two steals per game. Junior Nathaniel Tinson adds 10 points with three rebounds and three steals per game.
Class A Division I Girls
-- No. 3 Athens Christian (17—3, 5-0) travels to No. 5 Rabun County (17-5, 4-1) Friday for a key Region 8 game. Athens Christian has won six consecutive games and is coming off a 48-47 victory against Elbert County on Tuesday. The Eagles beat Rabun 71-57 on Jan. 16. Rabun County
-- No. 2 Galloway (12-8, 4-1) travels to No. 10 Mount Pisgah (13-7, 5-1) Friday for a crucial Region 6 game. Pisgah is 5-1 in the league; Galloway is 4-1.
Class A Division II Girls
-- No. 5 Early County (17-5, 14-2) will host No. 10 Seminole County (14-5, 10-3) Friday in a Region 1 game. Early defeated Seminole County 46-40 in overtime on Jan. 5. Taneria Williams (14 points) and Zyi’kiera King (12 points) lead Seminole in scoring. Early is paced by junior Jacorra Russell, who is scoring 21 points with seven rebounds per game.
Class A Division I boys top-10
1. Mount Vernon
2. Darlington
3. Woodville-Tompkins
4. Savannah
5. Mount Bethel Christian
6. Paideia
7. St. Francis
8. East Laurens
9. King’s Ridge Christian
10. Bleckley County
Class A Division II boys top-10
1. Greenforest Christian
2. Portal
3. Calhoun County
4. Christian Heritage
5. Seminole County
6. Mitchell County
7. Early County
8. Treutlen
9. Lanier County
10. Towns County
Class A Division I girls top-10
1. St. Francis
2. Galloway
3. Athens Christian
4. Oglethorpe County
5. Rabun County
6. Swainsboro
7. Lamar County
8. Bryan County
9. East Laurens
10. Mount Pisgah Christian
Class A Division II girls top-10
1. Greenforest
2. Montgomery County
3. Taylor County
4. Wilcox County
5. Early County
6. Clinch County
7. Terrell County
8. Lake Oconee Academy
9. Towns County
10. Seminole County
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