5A: No. 1 Miller Grove (19-2, 9-0) at No. 9 Southwest DeKalb (18-3, 8-1)

No. 1 Miller Grove looks to put the finishing touches on an undefeated region record by knocking off rival No. 9 Southwest DeKalb, who the Wolverines pulled away from late for a 76-69 win at home on Dec. 15. Alterique Gilbert, the McDonalds All-American and UConn signee, leads the Miller Grove attack averaging 23 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7 assists and 4.5 steals. He is flanked by Colin Young, ETSU-decommit Aaron Augustin and both Tae Hardy and Joshua Jackmon in the backcourt. Coach Sharman White has frontcourt stalwarts as well in Raylon Richardson and Aidan Saunder. Gilbert finished with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Colin Young chipped in 19 points to dispatch of the Panthers in their first meeting. Augustin totaled 11 points and 12 assists. Three seniors lead Southwest DeKalb in scoring. Keith Gilmore (16.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Nathaniel Ambersley (13.4 ppg, 4.6 apg) and 6-foot-6, 245-pound TiQuan Lewis (12.1 ppg, 7 rpg) are Coach Eugene Brown’s main options. The trio combined for 45 points in their loss at Miller Grove, led by Lewis’ 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Panthers’ third option is 5-foot-7 sparkplug Darius Hogan. The junior averages 9.6 points per game and netted 12 against the Wolverines.

4A: No. 2 Lithonia (15-4, 12-1) at No. 4 Grady (18-2, 12-1)

First-place in Region 6 is on the line in this top five battle. On Dec. 11, the Knights handed the Bulldogs a 62-52 loss. Bucknell-commit Avi Toomer went for 16 points and 6 rebounds while point guard Christian Bryant scored a team-high 19 points and DJ Brittian added 10. Toomer is averaging over 24 points and 9 rebounds per contest, but Bryant, a 5-foot-9 senior, has proven to be able to carry the load at times, scoring 11 points a night. In their first meeting, Grady’s aggressive guard play made the bigger Bulldogs look slow. Bryant, Toomer and Brittian combined for 10 steals. Lithonia received 15 points apiece from Tyleen Patterson and Tyheem Freeman. Patterson along with Jacara Cross (14 points, 7 rebounds) were at times unstoppable inside, but the Knights were able to control tempo and keep it out of their hands when they needed to. Lithonia will need keep Grady’s quick guards in front of them and dump it inside every chance it gets if the Bulldogs want to regain control of Region 6.

5A: No. 3 McIntosh (17-2, 12-0) at Stockbridge (11-7, 7-3)

No. 3 McIntosh is the odds on favorite to roll to another undefeated record in Region 4. The Chiefs use a balanced attack spearheaded by the school’s all-time leading scorer, Furman signee Jordan Lyons. The sweet-shooting guard pours in a team-high 18.9 points per game but receives help from all over the floor. Inside is Wofford signee Dishon Lowery, possibly the state’s best rebounder, averaging 12.5 boards to go with his 11.9 points and 2.8 blocks. Will Washington is among the state’s best unsigned players thanks to his rare combination of scoring (13.8 ppg) and passing (8.5 apg). Chase Walter rounds out the Chiefs onslaught inside averaging 8.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, but it is Isaac Kellum who brings a new dynamic to the team after sitting out the first 13 games of the year. The 6-foot-4 forward brings athleticism and a defensive mindset to the three position which McIntosh has missed in its two losses. He will be tested early and often as Stockbridge boasts two of the region’s most relied upon scorers. Seniors Jadon Davis and Virgil Fields both flirt with triple-doubles on a nightly basis. Davis pumps in 23.7 points a night while Fields goes for 19.2 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. In the Tigers’ latest win, an 81-80 victory over Dutchtown, Fields hit the go-ahead floater with three seconds left. Fields finished with 27 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists. Davis exploded for 37 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.