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UPDATE – Stay tuned for ongoing coverage of the high school basketball teams from our area as they compete in significant tournaments. We’re tracking the Georgia High School Association Final Four and the South Carolina High School League state championships happening this Saturday. Below, you’ll find a detailed preview of each anticipated matchup:
SCHSL Class-AAAA Girls Championship: North Augusta vs. Westside, Saturday at 4 p.m., Columbia, South Carolina
Saturday, 4:34 p.m. – It’s a nail-biter at halftime! North Augusta holds a narrow lead over Westside with the score at 26-24.
Saturday, 4:13 p.m. – At the end of the first quarter, it’s North Augusta leading Westside 19-17.
Saturday, 3:36 p.m. – North Augusta is gearing up to hit the court, ready to showcase their skills in what promises to be an exciting game.
GHSA Class-AAA Boys Semifinals: Harlem vs. Douglass, Saturday 3 p.m., Douglasville, GA
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. – FINAL: Harlem advances 63-50! A.J. Williams led the Bulldogs with 23 points. We are halfway to a possible All-CSRA state championship on Wednesday in Macon! The Bulldogs will face the winner of tonight’s 7 p.m. game between Cross Creek and East Hall.
Saturday, 4:05 p.m. – Douglass closes the gap to six, 43-37 at the end of three quarters. Eight minutes to decide who advances to Macon…
Saturday, 3:34 p.m. – HALFTIME: Harlem dominates first half, up 32-19.
Saturday, 3:17 p.m. – Harlem 15, Douglass 8 after one quarter.
Saturday, 2:45 p.m. – Harlem warmups.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. () — Another day, another chance for high school basketball teams in the CSRA to compete for state championships.
Friday’s action was intense with the Butler boys and Washington-Wilkes girls basketball teams punching their tickets to Georgia High School Association state championship games and the Fox Creek boys squad coming up just short in their bid for a South Carolina High School League Class AAA state crown.
Saturday promises to be another big day with trophy-hoisting implications.
A Yellow Jacket sweep?
Starting on the SCHSL side where North Augusta has a chance to perform a clean sweep of the Class AAAA state championship scene. Coach Al Young and his Lady Yellow Jackets will run back the 2025 state title game when they meet up with revenge-minded Westside at 4 p.m. Right after, the North Augusta boys will look to complete some unfinished business as they’ll play South Pointe at 6 p.m. for the boys Class AAAA crown.
Both games will be played at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. — home of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The North Augusta girls will try to claim their seventh title in the last 10 years. They won number six last year by defeating Westside 48-35. When asked about this consistent dynasty of North Augusta girls’ basketball, head coach Al Young feels grateful to be a part of such a successful run.
“I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of that. I think it says a lot about our community, our kids, and our school,” Young said.
As good as last year’s Rams squad was, this year, Westside (27-1) is considered the top-ranked team in all of South Carolina, regardless of classification, according to MaxPreps.
Their only blemish? A one-point overtime loss to North Carolina powerhouse North Mecklenburg back in December. Similarly, North Augusta’s lone loss this season came way back in the second game on the slate — a 61-57 overtime loss to Camden.
But, as the old saying goes, defense wins championships, and coach Young has preached that to his team all season.
“We stress defense. When we play well defensively, then good things happen offensively. We think offense can happen when we wear people down, and then we can find a way to score,” Young said.
Speaking of offense, it’ll be a heavyweight bout featuring two prolific scorers in North Augusta junior Ashley Walker (17.9 ppg) and Westside freshman Tiana Marshall (13 ppg).
“Well, I think (Ashley) is competitive, she works hard, I think that’s a part of her DNA, she wants to get it done and I’m excited to have her as a player,” Young said.
Unfinished business
Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, the Jackets are coming in hot. Since dropping a 54-46 decision to Region 4-AAAA nemesis Gray Collegiate back in January, North Augusta’s ripped off nine straight wins, including a 67-59 redemption win against Gray Collegiate in the Elite Eight round of the state playoffs. Head coach Tony Harrell’s team now has a chance to redeem themselves, losing in the state championship game a season ago. The fact that they’re back in this position again doesn’t surprise him.
“We’re just resilient. Finish everything. Every sprint, every rep in practice, we preach them to finish. We didn’t finish the drill last year, we want to do that this year,” Harrell said.
Coach Tony Harrell’s toughest task will be finding an answer defensively for 6-foot-8, 215-pound senior Treven Raymon and his 21.6 points and eight rebounds per game. His play has garnered him some solid recruiting attention with offers from programs such as Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina, FIU and Jacksonville. But, if the Jackets could pull off this win today, it would mean everything to the program.
“We met with the seniors way back in March, we set this goal for ourselves because of how we felt last year. Those kids have worked relentlessly to get back, and now we have a chance to win it.”
“Sometimes you have to lose, before you can win that ultimate prize. Last year’s loss stung us, and it’s helped motivate us for this year,” Harrell said.
An all-CSRA battle brewing?
Across the border, the Harlem Bulldogs and Cross Creek Razorbacks are going to do their best to set up an All-CSRA boys state final in GHSA’s Class AAA.
Harlem (22-9) is arguably one of the surprise teams in the state as coach Jeff Williams in his second year has led the Dogs to their first Final Four appearance. The Bulldogs have played the last few games of the postseason on the road, with the biggest upset coming in the second round, knocking off the 3A defending state champions Sandy Creek.
“Our tough regular season schedule actually helped us for that moment. It wasn’t the first time that we saw a great team, our guys rose to the occasion, they weren’t scared of the moment,” Williams said.
“It was a tough defensive battle, every possession counted, at the end we had more runs that they had, and it was a slug fest.”
They’ll take on Douglass (22-8) out of Atlanta at 3 p.m. while Cross Creek (24-5) will clash with “Cinderella” East Hall (14-15).
Yes, you read that win-loss record right. The Vikings are in the Final Four after starting the season 0-7 and then enduring a five-game skid in the middle of the season before getting it together to make an impressive run through the region and state tournaments.
East Hall comes in riding the wave of an eight-game winning streak and a stretch of 12 victories in its last 14 games with several of the latest wins coming by double digits.
While Harlem’s run qualifies as rarified air, the Razorbacks are familiar with this stage, having won back-to-back Class AAA titles in 2021 and 2022 and playing for a couple of others during coach Lawrence Kelly’s tenure.
“It’s big, because we’ve been there. You’ve got guys on this team that have not only been to the elite eight last year, but players that were freshman that actually played in the Final Four that we lost in, there’s a lot of experience on this team, and they want to create their own history and legacy,” Kelly said.
Now, here’s the fun part: If Harlem and Cross Creek both win, it’ll set up an all-CSRA state title game matchup between the two schools Wednesday in Macon. It would be just the third time an all-CSRA matchup would happen. The first one being in 1995, the second in 2022 when Westside beat Butler.
“We have so much talent around the Augusta area, that we don’t even have to travel to play great teams, so to get a matchup with a coach like Lawrence Kelly, I have the upmost respect for him. I consider him a friend, and we talk all the time,” Williams said.
“All of the kids know each other, my son spends the night over with his kids, and his players house. “But they know when we get between the lines, we’re trying to win, if we’re blessed to get to that point.”
Time will tell if these 3A region foes will meet for a state championship.
Saturday’s game schedule
Here is the schedule for all CSRA teams playing on Friday, March 6:
SCHSL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP:
Colonial Life Arena:
- Saturday, 4 p.m. – North Augusta girls vs. Westside
- Saturday, 6 p.m. – North Augusta boys vs. South Pointe
GHSA FINAL FOUR:
Legacy Arena, Douglasville:
- Saturday, 3 p.m. – Harlem boys vs. Douglass
- Saturday, 7 p.m. – Cross Creek boys vs. East Hall
This story will be udpated throughout the day. Follow @GiannaCefaluTV and @EllisonFHubbard on X to follow their coverage from Columbia and Douglasville.