Region Tournaments to Watch: Class 6A

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Region 2</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS: Brunswick, Effingham County, Evans, Glynn Academy, Grovetown, Lakeside-Evans, South Effingham<br>FAVORITE: Glynn Academy<br>DARK HORSE: Lakeside-Evans</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Glynn Academy, Lakeside-Evans and now No. 10 Grovetown have all represented the region at some point in the Top 10. Grovetown seems to be peaking at the right time, knocking off Glynn Academy 54-38 to move into a tie for first-place at 10-2. The Terrors are a surprise, one of the state's most improved teams going from 12-14 last year to 21-4 currently. Effingham County always finds a way to be competitive. A late season 54-49 win over Grovetown looms large but a subsequent misstep at Brunswick 63-58 is costly heading into their season finale against Lakeside whom they hold a one-game lead over and have already beaten 59-55. Lakeside entered the season as a logical contender, even though they lost Zay Howard to Grovetown. Ty Jones (Greenbrier) and defensive anchor DaKylan Hill (Laney) form a nice three-man crew for the Panthers joining [player_tooltip player_id='1300731' first='Bryce' last='Reynierson']. Keep a potential eye on Evans with their potent scoring duo of Taj Ford (17.6 ppg) and Brice Wallace (16.9 ppg). They split with Lakeside taking the first match 65-63.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Region 5</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS: Alexander, Douglas County, East Paulding, Langston Hughes, New Manchester, Newnan, Paulding County, South Paulding<br>FAVORITE: Alexander<br>DARK HORSE: South Paulding</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Alexander and No. 9 Langston Hughes have been the two most consistent teams in the region. No one in the region can match up with [player_tooltip player_id='1054789' first='Braedan' last='Lue'] when he decides to do damage in the paint. Gregory Dunson has elevated his game and new additions [player_tooltip player_id='1966153' first='Allen' last='Stoddard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1978521' first='Jermaine' last='Freeman'] have proven invaluable to keeping the Cougars atop the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1617599' first='Brentis' last='Schaeffer'] is a terrific guard that makes Langston Hughes go. The lefty does a little bit of everything and is the heart and soul of the Panthers. [player_tooltip player_id='1456817' first='Jaron' last='LeMelle'] is an emerging college prospect inside while [player_tooltip player_id='1530170' first='Cameron' last='Catholic'] is an X-Factor when he's on. South Paulding is a Dark Horse and usually plays Alexander and Langston Hughes tight, splitting with the Panthers and losing 78-68 on the road against the rival Cougars. Stumbles against dangerous middle of the pack groups Douglas County (49-47 OT) and New Manchester (71-59) prevents the Spartans from grabbing a two-seed. If Andrew LaVigne is hot, the Spartans limit turnovers and see [player_tooltip player_id='2028174' first='Evrad' last='Makendi'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1680428' first='David' last='Williams'] control the backboards, South Paulding can play with anyone. If the Spartans come out flat however, they can lose on any given night. New Manchester is playing with house money this year and feels like a disruptor, losing their top two players to transfer this offseason but sitting in fourth-place at 7-5 in region and 11-12 overall. [player_tooltip player_id='2241609' first='JahSiah' last='Payne'] is a really good sophomore that gives the Jaguars a bright future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Region 6</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS: Allatoona, Creekview, Etowah, River Ridge, Rome, Sequoyah, Woodstock<br>FAVORITE: Etowah<br>DARK HORSE: Sequoyah</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Etowah has emerged from the pack as the team to beat, relying on tough-nosed defense and timely perimeter shot making. [player_tooltip player_id='1063051' first='Dimitri' last='Angelakos'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2763262' first='Cooper' last='Heller'] space the floor while [player_tooltip player_id='1559535' first='Aiden' last='Weaver'] is an aggressive slasher and rebounder. The Eagles were upset by Sequoyah 68-61 to suffer their first region loss. Sitting at just 6-5 in the region, the Chiefs are dark horse with their outside shooting. [player_tooltip player_id='2046356' first='Cade' last='Lomas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2724122' first='Noah' last='Givens'] scored 18 points apiece in their win over Etowah. [player_tooltip player_id='1444780' first='Brendan' last='Tousignaut'] is a mismatch with his crafty footwork and inside-out versatility at swingman. Woodstock is enjoying their best season in school history under first-year Head Coach Eric Blair. [player_tooltip player_id='2102289' first='Taj' last='Saragba'] is the state's most dominant freshman big man, an explosive double-double machine. Jamier Nowell was a last second transfer from New York and has given the Wolverines an electric scorer. Allatoona, much like Etowah and Sequoyah, have guards that can light it up from beyond the arc with [player_tooltip player_id='1617613' first='Dean' last='Soulsby'] and Matthew McAuley. [player_tooltip player_id='1131292' first='Braxton' last='Wade'], a Kennesaw State baseball-signee, is Rome's all-time leading scorer. River Ridge is the biggest team in the region and plays a deep bench. Getting consistent guard play around [player_tooltip player_id='2441592' first='Collin' last='Ross'], Ian Helms and the rest of the frontcourt is key. [player_tooltip player_id='1444785' first='Luke' last='Jack'] is good enough to take over games for Creekview.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->