Upson-Lee video by Bruce Dunaway

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com
 

          Showdowns?

          The Thursday night schedule for Central Georgia boys teams in the GHSA state basketball tournament is full of them.

          The only area team facing an opponent with a losing record is Central, hosting 9-19 Long County.

          Monticello is a quality four seed that is 11 games over .500, and travels to Jordan, a 13-12 team. And Greenforest is a 15-11 team hosting 19-7 Stratford.

          After that?

          It’s pretty much a collection of 20-plus win teams taking on Central Georgia.

          The most even game looks to be in South Georgia, where 24-3 Thomasville hosts 23-3 Dublin in Class AA.

          Thomasville is 10-2 at home and Dublin is 9-1 on the road. The Bulldogs opened with a quality opponent, Swainsboro, and won 56-50, sparked by Reggie Perry’s 25 points.

          The Irish average 73.8 points a game to 67.6 for the Bulldogs.

          And then there is GMC’s visit to Woodville-Tompkins in Savannah, with only one win separating their 3-loss records.

          The Wolverines average 5.2 more points a game, but there’s less than point difference in the average the teams have given up, less than 45 points a game.

          GMC had an 11-game winning streak stopped by Wilkinson County, 58-54 in the 7-A tournament.

          The Bulldogs are led by Malik Foston, Jalen Milner, and Javez Mason, who team for 48.1 points a game, Foston leading the way with 6.1 rebounds.

          Vidalia has two more wins than Washington County, and both have eight losses.

          The Indians have won seven of their last eight, the Golden Hawks four straight and six of their last seven. Vidalia has only one loss to a non-playoff team, Class 4A West Laurens, while the Golden Hawks have lost to Northeast and Southwest.

          Tahj Jones averages 19.9 points for Vidalia.

          Playing at home – or at Veterans, in the case of Warner Robins – may be needed for the Demons, Upson-Lee and Baldwin.

          Eagle’s Landing brings a 22-6 record to face the 24-3 Demons, winners of 10 straight.

          The Eagles had a 9-game winning streak broken with a 51-44 loss to Dutchtown – now 15-14 and still playing - in the Region 4 tournament. Eagle’s Landing had a 39-33 lead early in the fourth, but couldn’t hold on.

          The balanced Demons’ last loss was to Class 7A Newton 80-65 in mid-January. Their closest game since then was a 19-point win over Northside.

          Salem is 21-6 and ranked seventh or eighth in the three state polls, and have balance with three players – Tehjuan Powell, Montez Swann and Tabais Long – averaging 12 or 13 points a game. Jalen Reynolds gets 8.7 rebounds a game, and Powell 5.2.

          The Seminoles bring some size with Powell and Long at 6-5, the rare counter for Upson-Lee’s Travon Walker inside.

          Three of Salem’s losses came in the first three weeks of the season, and their only two losses in 2018 were in overtime, 63-54 to Stockbridge and 66-55 to Woodward Academy.

          Americus-Sumter (24-3) finished second in Region 2-4A, among the toughest regions in the state with three teams still alive. The Panthers won the regular-season title, but lost Westover – vanquished easily last week by Upson-Lee – in he region tournament.

          Americus-Sumter beat Spalding 66-33 in the first round while Baldwin (22-6) rolled past Druid Hills 71-45. Eric Hall Jr. and Joshua Lusane all but split 31points a game, Lusane getting 8 boards.

          Baldwin counters with Brenden Robertson, Donte Justice, and Rodney Walker combining for 37 points, Walker good for 7.1 rebounds and Robertson 5.5.