Both teams from McIntosh and Fayette County, along with the Sandy Creek boys and Whitewater girls, are headed to state. Also advancing are the Landmark boys and both teams from Our Lady of Mercy.
As region basketball tournaments wrap up this weekend, several local teams have already clinched spots in the state tournament by reaching their region semifinals, with one clinching a region finals spot with a win Thursday.
Region championship games in all classifications are Saturday.
The Chiefs made it 26-0 with their 96-81 win over Forest Park Thursday night at Drew in the Region 4-AAAAA tournament. After a first-round bye, the Chiefs’ win put them in Friday’s semifinal round against Mundy’s Mill and guaranteed them a spot at state.
A win Friday would put McIntosh up against the Stockbridge-Drew winner for the region title.
Starr’s Mill won twice this week just to reach the quarterfinals, with a 63-46 victory over Northgate in last Saturday’s play-in game and a 73-70 win Tuesday over Woodland. The Panthers’ season ended Thursday with an 81-53 loss to Drew.
Friday’s Region 4-AAAAA girls semifinal round has McIntosh facing Forest Park and Woodland going up against Dutchtown. The Lady Chiefs defeated Ola 48-23 Monday and downed Luella 37-33 Wednesday to reach the semifinals. Starr’s Mill saw its season end Wednesday with a 55-35 loss to Forest Park.
The Region 5-AAAA boys semifinal field is set for Friday, with Sandy Creek taking on Woodward and Fayette County playing host school Carrollton. Sandy Creek had a first-round bye, while Fayette County beat Whitewater 59-37 Wednesday at Woodward to advance and end the Wildcats’ season.
On the girls’ side, Fayette County defeated Whitewater 51-40 Thursday to reach the tournament final Saturday against Carrollton, who downed Woodward in the other semifinal. Whitewater had a first-round bye, while Fayette County ended Sandy Creek’s season Tuesday with a 58-29 win.
Landmark downed Mt. Vernon 72-58 Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Region 5-A tournament, while Our Lady of Mercy advanced with an 81-71 win over Paideia. Landmark had a first-round bye while OLM defeated Strong Rock 76-31 earlier in the week. The War Eagles face SW Atlanta Christian in the next round, while the Bobcats take on Greenforest for a shot at the region title.
The two Friday matchups in the Region 5-A girls semifinals are Our Lady of Mercy against SW Atlanta Christian and ELCA taking on Paideia. The Lady Bobcats edged Greenforest 51-50 in overtime Wednesday, while Landmark beat WD Mohammed 59-38 Monday and lost 69-46 to ELCA to close out the season.
