Swainsboro (21-6; First Round)

Part of a deep Region 2, Swainsboro is set to return scoring options two through four with a young group coming of age. Juniors Kimiya Freeman (13 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 3 spg) and Kali Brown (8.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 spg) were All-Region picks, Freeman a First Teamer and Brown a Second Teamer. 5-foot-9 sophomore McKinley Walden has dynamic upside, earning First Team All-Region as a freshman averaging 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.8 steals and netting 11.5 points per game at GBCA Live against Sequoyah and Carrollton this June.

East Laurens (28-4; Champion)

The defending state champs graduate two starters including First Team All-State forward Deanna Lowther and leading scorer Jameria Bing but back is Preseason Third Team All-State sophomore 5-foot-11 Garyunna Mitchell who posted 13.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3 steals and 1.5 blocks a night as a lengthy high-energy impact maker. 5-foot-6 senior Zahmaria Robinson plays bigger than her size averaging 9.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.7 steals. Developing steady guard play will be important for the Falcons in an unforgiving Region 2.

Vidalia (22-7; Elite 8)

The third team on the list out of Region 2 who will be in the hunt to top Preseason No. 2 ACE for a region title is Vidalia. The Indians lose three of their top five scorers but bring back standout sophomore 5-foot-8 Ze Rollins, a bouncy athlete who picked up 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game to pace Vidalia. 6-foot junior Tori Polke contributed 6.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.4 blocks.

Screven County (19-9; Sweet 16)

Screven County moves up a classification after reaching the Sweet 16 in Class A D-II. The Gamecocks graduate their third leading scorer but have the rest of their core back headlined by Preseason Third Team All-State senior wing Jaliah Roberts who piled in 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a powerful coast-to-coast attacker. Achanti Middleton averaged 14.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.4 steals as a sophomore. The two form one of the highest scoring tandems in the classification. Getting support from others like senior Janiyah Scott (4.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 spg) will be important in Screven County’s quest to break the Top 10 and make some noise come state tournament time.