With Brunswick’s 48-42 loss to Statesboro last night at Camden County in the Region 3-AAAAA tournament, a new champion will hoist the trophy after the defeat eliminates the Pirates from the state tournament picture. Brunswick (19-8) entered the region tournament the No. 4 seed while Statesboro (20-7) rolled in as the No. 5. Region 3 has been one of the toughest in the state with six teams with 17 or more wins and a sleeper come state tournament time since the Metro Atlanta area hardly ever sees the boys from the south. The competitive region saw No. 9 in the state Effingham County (21-3) run through unscathed at 13-0 and Camden County (18-5) win its first 13 games of the season.
In their lone regular season meeting, Brunswick held off the visiting Statesboro Blue Devils 54-51. The Pirates finish their season sending home one of the state’s best junior centers, Kymani Dunham.
No. 6 seed Ware County (17-10) has played spoiler throughout the tournament as well, knocking off No. 7 Coffee (11-15) and No. 3 Richmond Hill (17-10), 58-56. The Gators are actually the hottest team in the region, winners of 11-straight topping the Rebels’ 10 in-a-row and now meet second-seed Camden County while No. 1 seed Effingham County sees Statesboro.
State Frontrunners
Now that Brunswick is out of the picture, who are some of the frontrunners to capture the state title? No. 1 Miller Grove remains a heavy favorite after its streak of six straight championships was broke in the Elite Eight last year by No. 8 Warner Robins. The Wolverines have firepower all over the court and a winning pedigree. But if we are talking winning pedigrees, especially in the regular season, none do it better than Coach Markus Hood at No. 2 Allatoona. The Bucs are undefeated at 25-0 and have won 77-straight region games spanning five seasons. Allatoona’s calling card is its stifling defense headed by sophomore Trey Doomes and senior Ephraim Tshimanga.
Looking for offensive powerhouses that could make a trip to Macon? No. 3 McIntosh, No. 4 Gainesville and No. 5 Cedar Shoals all pass the test. McIntosh has not lost a game since small forward Isaac Kellum was cleared to play by the GHSA. Will Washington orchestrates one of the most exciting offenses in the state while Wofford signee Dishon Lowery and Chase Walter go to work inside, with Furman sniper Jordan Lyons outside.
Gainesville has the juice and a chip on its shoulder that could bode well when everything is on the line. Georgia State signee D’Marcus Simonds is as fiery as they come and he has a deep supporting cast that has won games without him. Cedar Shoals might not have the sex appeal as some other teams, but their balanced scoring attack is as good as they get. Senior Chris Gresham has just returned from injury, missing the entire season and has already added another dimension to a deep team. If they can survive Heritage-Conyers, the Jags will likely matchup with Gainesville for the Region 8 title, a rematch of an 80-77 2OT loss to the Red Elephants.