Region Tournaments to Watch: Class 2A

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Region 4</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS: Westside-Augusta, Thomson, Butler, Laney, Putnam County, Washington County, Josey, Glenn Hills<br>FAVORITE: Westside-Augusta<br>DARK HORSE: Butler</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The toughest region in the state in Class 2A boasts No. 1 Westside, No. 2 Thomson and No. 6 Butler. The two-time defending state champions Westside, handed Thomson their first loss of the season on January 23 on the road, 55-42 to avenge an earlier defeat. Since that game, the Patriots have scored 100, 103 and 103 points in three routs. The backcourt of DeMarco Middleton, [player_tooltip player_id='1146472' first='Lavonta' last='Ivery'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2372174' first='Jarious' last='Adkinson'] is clicking on all cylinders. Thomson has been great this year, even with Ivery transferring to Westside. How? [player_tooltip player_id='2046333' first='DaQuan' last='Young'] has blossomed into a force, a stat sheet stuffing athletic wing. [player_tooltip player_id='1235068' first='Jahkiaus' last='Jones'] has been steady at point guard, helping others around him thrive. With Thomson and Westside tied at 11-1, Butler is firmly entrenched in the three-hole at 9-3. The Bulldogs have a chance to make noise during the final week of the season, hosting both Westside and Thomson after losing to them in their first meetings, 54-44 and 64-50, respectively. Laney is starting to sneak up on teams, winning at Butler 62-59 to ruin the Bulldogs chances at a top-two seed. Putnam County can score with anyone, led by [player_tooltip player_id='1861275' first='Landon' last='Bonner']'s 23.7 points per game. Sitting at 5-7 in the region, Putnam's best game came in an 87-85 loss at Thomson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Region 5</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS: Columbia, ELCA, Landmark Christian, Towers, Redan, Callaway, Elite Scholars, McNair<br>FAVORITE: Columbia<br>DARK HORSE: Landmark Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 3 Columbia leads the region at 12-1, followed by No. 7 ELCA (10-3) and Landmark Christian (8-4). Columbia blew past ELCA 87-70 in their first matchup but fell to the Chargers 63-57 in mid-January. It looked like ELCA was ready to take off, but have stumbled twice since then, losing 42-41 to Landmark Christian then upset at Towers 52-50 to lose control of the region. Landmark Christian is a dark horse, pushing Columbia to the brink before losing 70-68 in overtime in their first meeting. The two teams meet again this final week of the season at the Brickhouse. Three players are averaging double digits for the War Eagles led by Joshua Harris' 16.5 points per game. ELCA is a balanced with a slew of guards and [player_tooltip player_id='2323190' first='Ese' last='Aigbokhae'] inside. Columbia is paced by [player_tooltip player_id='2046330' first='Trevian' last='Callaway'] with running mates [player_tooltip player_id='1978523' first='Jaquavious' last='Wallace'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1654136' first='Tahmar' last='Mann'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Region 8</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS: Union County, Athens Academy, Providence Christian, Banks County, East Jackson, Fellowship Christian<br>FAVORITE: Union County<br>DARK HORSE: Banks County</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athens Academy, Union County and Providence Christian are tied at 6-3 following the Storm's late surge winning five-straight, upending both the Spartans and Panthers. Homecourt advantage will loom large in the region tournament. Union County, Providence Christian and Banks County rely heavily on the three-ball. The Leopards were actually in complete control of the region at 5-0, but have lost four-straight. They are extremely dangerous with [player_tooltip player_id='1223236' first='Aaron' last='Scott'] pushing the pace and shooters scattered everywhere headlined by [player_tooltip player_id='1861303' first='Kolby' last='Watson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2241652' first='Caden' last='Watson'] and Hunter Youngblood. Athens Academy is constructed differently, not as reliant on the three-ball as other teams. [player_tooltip player_id='1145644' first='Kymel' last='Williams'] is a tough downhill playmaker while [player_tooltip player_id='2342681' first='Justen' last='Goudelock'] has blossomed into an incredibly difficult cover with his smooth jumper and old-man game. Union County doesn't have major depth or size, but the return of Maddox Young helps a lot in the backcourt to add another athletic ball handler. [player_tooltip player_id='1444783' first='Houston' last='Henry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1611592' first='Jude' last='Ellis'] can pick apart defenses with their craftiness while [player_tooltip player_id='1986579' first='Hayden' last='Hughes'] is a binge scorer from the three-point line. The Panthers' 1-3-1 zone can frustrate teams. Providence Christian reloaded in the offseason bringing in [player_tooltip player_id='1617639' first='Jaylon' last='Seymour'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2385262' first='Brice' last='Proctor'] to give three-point expert [player_tooltip player_id='1364561' first='Samuel' last='Thacker'] help. The Storm are clicking at the right time and will be scary to see.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->