Georgia's five best region tournaments
Welcome to the madness. The region tournament action tips off in full on Tuesday in Georgia. Here's a look at the five best, in our opinion, here in the Peach State.
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Region 6-AAAAAAA is the deepest of any region in Georgia high school hoops in our opinion. Four teams - Duluth, Peachtree Ridge, Mountain View and Collins Hill - have spent time in our Power Poll this season. All four have the talent and depth to go deep in the AAAAAAA state tournament. Discovery and Mill Creek are better than than record, too. The tournament will be played at Mountain View High School.
Region 2-AAAAAAA has truly been the gauntlet of regions in Georgia high school hoops over the years. Between Pebblebrook, Wheeler and Westlake, there has always been a nationally-ranked team in the group. This year Pebblebrook is the king of the kingdom. The Mableton squad has rattled off 20 straight wins going into the final week of hoops, the longest of any team in AAAAAAA. Wheeler has nine losses on the season but don't let that fool you. EJ Montgomery, the state’s top senior, is the toughest player to guard in the bracket. Campbell is a scary 17-win team. Coach James Gwyn will have his guys ready for anybody. And don't count out East Coweta. They could make the state tournament and surprise some people.
The level of talent in Region 8-AAAAAAA is stout. Newton and Grayson have traded haymakers this season and both played a schedule that prepared their players for a run to the state title game. They make up the No. 1 and 2 seeds. From there, well, things get interesting. Shiloh is better than their 11 wins. Rockdale County is no stranger to the post-season and they compiled 15 wins on the year.
If you ever have the chance, pull up a chair in Savannah for a region tournament. Region 3-AAA is always the place to start, too. This year’s top dog in the coastal town in Johnson, led by Georgia-bound Amanze Ngumezi. Jenkins has been the staple in Savannah for a while and is good enough to be crowded champs. Windsor Forest guard Zimbabwe Fields has one of the hottest hands in the area right now. Keep an eye on him.
With six teams all aiming for four seeds in the state tournament, the 2-AAA region tournament will be interesting. Five of the six teams have won at least 10 games. Tattnall County only won 12 games but won the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The school also hosts the semis and finals. Pierce County leads all teams with 18 wins while Long County has 16 on the season. Keep an eye on 13-9 Brantley County. They have the state's hottest junior in forward Jaylin Williams. And let's not leave out Liberty County, a team not too far removed from a state title.