^3A No. 5 South Atlanta (8-2) vs. Buford (4-4)

Round 2 of the War Eagle Classic pits Coach Eddie Martin’s Buford Wolves and Michael Reddick’s No. 5 South Atlanta Hornets. The Hornets are led by strong guard play. Seniors Devontae Dean and Orlando Bebee and junior Devonte Pullins are dangerous options. In Round 1 they defeated ^5A No. 8 LaGrange 65-50. Pullins led the way with 16 points while Dean added 11 and Bebee scored 13 in the second half. Buford, who has scheduled a tough non-region slate, pulled out a 40-39 win on Will Springer’s last second putback. The 6-foot-7 senior finished with 11 points. Rising prospect, 6-foot-8 junior Sahil Patel, scored a team-high 14. Senior guard Brandon Iverson and sophomore point guard Alex Jones are two players to keep an eye on with their ability to set up easy scores and find baskets for themselves when needed.

^2A No. 4 GAC (6-3) at ^4A No. 6 St. Pius (7-2)

In this highly anticipated holy war, the Golden Lions will attempt to protect the X-Dome without leading scorer Kerney Lane and brother Everett. Kerney, a silky smooth 6-foot-6 southpaw forward, will be out of town. Coach Aaron Parr will turn to senior swingman Christian Merrill to shoulder a heavier load. He along with junior guard Carson Seramur and 6-foot-7 senior Jakob Spitzer will have to play well against a GAC team that has now won three-straight. The Spartans offense runs through junior guard Brian Coffey Jr. He likes to get all his weapons involved. Senior forward Garrett Covington is the team’s leading scorer. At 6-foot-4, he is a triple-double threat with his rebounding and court vision. Senior Jacob Hoffman is a knock down shooter from the outside and junior Charlie O’Briant is a long 6-foot-8 down low. Two freshmen play big roles in Coach David Eaton’s offense. Hunter McIntosh is an impressive point guard with a nice stroke while Chris Hinton is a load inside at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds.

4A: Redan (8-4) vs. Arabia Mountain (6-6)

The DeKalb Pre-Holiday Christmas Tournament title game showcases two teams that are enjoying success early on. Last year Redan was 11-15 and Arabia Mountain, 12-14. The Raiders can thank 6-foot-4 senior forward Darryl Moody for the turnaround. He has averaged over 16 points per game and five rebounds. Juniors Tyronn Stuckey and Jibril Wykcoff are both double-digit scorers. Stuckey adds over five assists per game and Wykcoff has emerged as a knock down shooter, drilling 23-of-34 deep balls through his first seven games. Four key players lead the hard charging Rams. Junior Darius Giles is a big shot maker and finished with 32 points including a three-pointer to help Arabia Mountain edge Stone Mountain in 2OT, 65-62. Sophomore center Jermon Clark is 6-foot-6 and anchors the paint inside with his defense. Senior Walter Cunningham scored 18 points and added six assists in the opening round of the tournament while sophomore Jordan Sterling finished with 17 points.