Basketball teams' seasons see end
Columbia County's high school basketball teams fell by the wayside last week, as 10 of 12 local hoop squads finished their seasons with defeats in region tournament action.
In some cases, tremendous efforts weren't enough to earn victories, and in others, Columbia County teams were no match for powerful opponents.
Region 3-AAAA - Despite an inspired performance Thursday night at Glenn Hills High School, the Greenbrier Wolfpack lost 74-71 to Butler High School in first-round action.
Richard Burke (21 points), Eric Marshall (21 points) and Tommy McKinney (19 points) helped the Pack take a 55-49 third-quarter lead, but a tenacious Butler press, plus the play of Bulldog point guard Willie Green, sent Greenbrier packing.
"We let their guards penetrate too much, and that opened it up for some easy baskets underneath," said Greenbrier coach Danny Black, who nonetheless praised his team. "I couldn't ask for a better effort that what they gave tonight. Our two seniors, Richard Burke and Tommy McKinney, had outstanding seasons for us. I feel for them, because they wanted to go to the state playoffs."
Greenbrier finished the season 11-14.
The Lakeside girls and boys both won region play-in games Monday at the Brierpatch.
The Lady Panthers beat Greenbrier (10-16 final record) 63-51 and advanced to a first-round game with top-seeded Glenn Hills on Wednesday. The Lady Spartans then notched a 71-51 victory to knock out Lakeside (11-15 final record).
The Panthers edged Glenn Hills 67-64 in Monday's play-in game. Like the Lady Panthers, that meant a first-round game against the region's top seed - Lakeside was dispatched Wednesday by Statesboro 65-50 and wound up with a final record of 8-18.
Region 4-AAAAA - The Evans girls and boys traveled to compete at Henry County High School, and both squads made first-round exits.
The Knights, the No. 10 seed in the 16-team region, faced No. 7 seed Henry County. The Warhawks had home-court advantage, but still had to survive a strong challenge from Evans.
The Tuesday contest featured 20 ties and seven lead changes, and Henry County prevailed 65-62. The Knights finished their season with a 14-12 record.
The Lady Knights played on Monday, and were no match for Riverdale High School. The Lady Raiders entered as the No. 1 seed in Region 4-AAAAA, and topped Evans 75-29. The Lady Knights finished with a 6-20 record.
Region 3-AAA (girls) - The Harlem Lady Bulldogs won a region play-in game at home over Jefferson County on Tuesday night. That 48-44 victory gave Harlem a berth in the region tournament at Laney, but the run ended there, as Washington County cruised to a 52-26 win. Still, the Lady Dogs managed a 7-19 season one year after going winless.
Georgia Independent Schools Association - Region 4-AAA - The Augusta Christian Lions eventually won the region title at Trinity Christain, but Columbia County's other private school squads weren't as fortunate last week in Dublin.
In first-round girls' action Tuesday, John Milledge Academy beat Augusta Christian 51-30, while Pinewood Christian Academy ousted Augusta Prep 43-26. The Lady Cavaliers finished the season 9-17, and AC closed with an 8-16 mark.
The Augusta Prep boys fell in first-round play on Wednesday. Jim Bennett poured in 25 points for Prep, but John Milledge pulled out a 56-52 win. The Cavaliers finished the 2001-02 campaign at 6-19.