High school hoops: Bibb County’s premier programs roll on as region play heats up in new year

With the high school basketball season well underway, the two top dogs in Bibb County are still holding strong.

The Southwest boys sit at 12-1, according to MaxPreps. The team will head back into action after a brief holiday break riding the momentum of a tournament win at the Screamin’ Demon Invitational in Warner Robins, where the Patriots defeated Luella 77-70.

Southwest followed up that pre-Christmas win with a Dec. 28 victory against Jones County to keep the hot streak going, a roll that dates back to the Patriots’ only loss of the season against Dublin back on Dec. 13.

Since the region loss, Southwest has rolled to climb back into the top part of multiple statewide rankings. Both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Sandy’s Spiel slotted the Pats in at No. 2 in their respective polls, though the AJC poll was for Week 6 while the Sandy’s Spiel rankings were updated for Week 8.

The preseason favorite Patriots have had a busier schedule than many, and it will only ramp up as January arrives. After a showdown with Dodge County Friday, Southwest will face Central at home and ACE on the road in some all-Macon matchups.

Central and ACE are, in fact, the two teams closest to southwest in the Region 2-A Division I standings, though none of the three are near the region’s top echelon as December ends. The Patriots and Gryphons are both 1-1 in the region, placing them in a tie for fifth despite Southwest’s overall success. 

Central is struggling to get things going after a growth year last year that saw them make the playoffs, as the Chargers are 4-9 overall and 1-3 in region play including losses to Dodge County, Dublin and East Laurens. 

Though Central bounced back with a nice win over 4A Perry Dec. 20, the Chargers also endured a difficult tournament schedule this holiday season. They suffered three losses against strong teams in 6A Meadowcreek, 3A Mary Persons and a powerful Worth County. Dublin sits at the top of Region 2 with a 9-1 overall mark and the only undefeated record in the region at 4-0.

At the 2A level, the Westside boys are finding their balance. After an uneven start, the Seminoles are 3-1 in their last four and notched a tournament win at the Atlanta Holiday Classic when they defeated 5A Villa Rica 56-49.

Star player Josh Harden continued his winning ways for Westside, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Atlanta tilt as the ‘Noles took the lead in the opening quarter and rode it to the victory.

Westside looks to keep the ball rolling in a key matchup against what could be their fiercest competitor in Region 2-2A. The Seminoles face Morgan County, who sit at 9-6 overall thus far with no region games, Friday night before a game against Veterans Saturday.

Rutland will enter region play with a respectable 5-8 record, though the Hurricanes have slumped lately against higher quality opponents. After wins over Howard, Perry and Twiggs County — Rutland actually beat the Cobras twice — to start the year 4-2, the ‘Canes suffered five straight losses, including two overtime heartbreakers against Crisp County and Perry in mid-December.

The Howard boys have struggled to a 1-6 record so far with an 0-4 mark against Region 4-3A opponents, according to MaxPreps. Recent results have not been encouraging, as the Huskies lost their last three games against West Laurens, Harlem and Cross Creek by 35, 27 and 36 points, respectively.

One winning streak ends, another rides into the new year

In a fiercely competitive A-Division I region, two Macon girls basketball teams are putting together solid starts ahead of some key region games in January.

Though their winning streak ended at seven games last week in an Atlanta tournament loss to Alabama 5A school Wenonah, the Central Chargers still appear to be the class of Region 2-A Division I and one of the elite teams in the entire state.

The Chargers are 10-3 even after facing challenging foes like 6A Discovery and 3A North Clayton in tournament play. They are 4-0 against Region 2 opponents, including a thorough dismantling of Dublin at the beginning of December and a scrappy, defensive 34-30 win over ranked Washington County midway through the month.

Even after the tournament loss in Atlanta to end the calendar year, Central seems poised to again take firm hold of its region and make a playoff run a ways down the line to match the heaps of preseason hype the Chargers received.

The ACE Gryphons did not receive as much hype before the year began but have nonetheless equalled Central in at least one way, as the ACE girls pieced together seven consecutive victories of their own to end December.

Perhaps the most impressive in the streak, and of their 10 total wins, was a 43-41 win over ranked East Laurens. The Gryphon girls led for three strong quarters and fended up a late comeback attempt by the Falcons. Aside from a 20-point performance from Mckayela Turner, ACE held the East Laurens offense relatively in check.

The Gryphons seem poised to extend their streak with favorable matchups against Dublin and Twiggs County ahead Friday and Saturday, but Dodge County and Central loom large later in mid-January.

Other Macon girls teams of note include the Northeast Raiders — who technically remain undefeated (1-0) in Region 2-A Division I thanks to their light schedule early in the year — and the Howard Huskies. The Huskies are 4-4 so far and have played close games against some strong Region 4-3A foes, though a recent 40-point loss against Cross Creek put a dent in their promising start.