Mother Nature delayed the conclusion of multiple region basketball tournaments across northwest Georgia, but championship trophies will be awarded to the victors on Monday night. Chattooga, Ringgold, LFO, North Murray, LaFayette and Northwest Whitfield will be represented in their respective region championship matchups.
GHSA Region 7-AA Girls Championship: No. 1 Chattooga vs. No. 2 Rockmart @ Chattooga, 7:00 p.m.
The only blemish on Chattooga’s near-perfect region record was a loss to Gordon Central in December. The Lady Indians have been on fire since the dawn of the new decade, going 10-2 in their 12 contests. Coach Alvah Beasley’s team will welcome a Rockmart team that they manhandled in their last outing, defeating the Jackets 64-48 in a Jan. 10 contest at Chattooga. A win will secure the Indians the No. 1 seed in the GHSA Class AA State tournament and a matchup with Region 5’s No. 4 seed Callaway.
GHSA Region 7-AA Boys Championship: No. 1 Chattooga vs. No. 2 Rockmart @ Chattooga, 8:30 p.m.
The Chattooga Indians and Rockmart Yellow Jackets have met in the last four Region 7-AA title games with the Indians winning the previous three. They can make it four straight region championships and lock up the region’s No. 1 seed on Monday night. The Indians are ranked No. 9 in the latest Class AA rankings and currently sit at 21-5 on the year. Coach Jared Groce would love to add a region title to the many accomplishments his Indians have had this season.
GHSA Region 6-AAA Girls Championship: No. 1 Ringgold vs. No. 2 Sonoraville @ North Murray, 7:00 p.m.
Margaret Stockburger and her senior-heavy Ringgold Lady Tigers have run through the Region 6-AAA gauntlet so far this season, but another matchup with a scrappy Sonoraville bunch stands in their way of a championship. Led by seniors Sydney Pittman and Rachel Akers, the Lady Tigers have the experience and ability to make a deep run in this year’s state tournament after missing the postseason last year.
GHSA Region 6-AAA Boys Championship: No. 1 North Murray vs. No. 2 LFO @ North Murray, 8:30 p.m.
The region’s co-coaches of the year have their teams set to do battle for the Region 6-AAA crown. Joshua Laney’s LFO Warriors, led by the freshman trio of JaMichael Davis, Brent Bowman and Amari Burnett, have turned a lot of heads around the area by securing the school’s sixth trip to the postseason. Tim Ellis and his North Murray Mountaineers stand in the way, however. The Mountaineers, led by Division I football signees Ladd McConkey (UGA) and Chaisen Buckner (Navy) were a perfect 16-0 against region opponents during the regular season, and manhandled the Warriors by the score of 68-48 at home earlier this year.
GHSA Region 6-AAAA Girls Championship: No. 1 Gilmer vs. No. 2 Northwest Whitfield @ SE Whitfield, 7:00 p.m.
The Lady Bruins have had two nail-biter games with Gilmer this season, falling to the Lady Cats by a combined 13 points in two meetings during the regular season, one of which was a two-point defeat in Elijay. Northwest’s Tionna Baker will be the player to watch on Monday night. The senior guard is averaging 13.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 4.7 APG this season, and dropped 20 points against Gilmer earlier this season.
GHSA Region 6-AAAA Boys Championship: No. 1 LaFayette vs. No. 2 Northwest Whitfield @ SE Whitfield, 8:30 p.m.
The No. 11 ranked Ramblers had two gutsy wins over Northwest Whitfield earlier this season, but can a third time be the charm for Ryan Richards and his Bruins? Northwest senior guards Blaine Greene and Kooper Pardee will have to keep the Ramblers quick ball handlers in check if they want to walk away with the upset and the region championship trophy.