Evans has success in new region

The Evans High School Knights are enjoying the new AAAA region. The Knights went 10-0 in the regular season in football, and so far they are 13-1 in basketball. Their terrific start has garnered Kevin Kenny's team a spot in the AAAA Top 10 rankings.

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While Region 3-AAAA basketball seems to be very competitive among the top teams, Evans and Richmond Academy have bolted ahead of the pack and appear to be the teams to beat.

ASU hasn't missed a beat without star

They might not have any Columbia County players, but the Augusta State University men's basketball team deserves a mention.

Actually, I am mentioning ASU more for the readers in Columbia County. If you have not caught a game during the past few years, you are missing out. Head coach Dip Metress has the team playing at an incredibly high level.

The Jags are coming off a 27-6 season in which they advanced to the Division II national title game, which was broadcast live on CBS.

Although the team lost its best player, two-time all-American Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman, it has not missed a beat. The Jaguars are off to a 10-2 start and are ranked No. 10 in the nation.

That ranking is likely to improve this week after three recent wins, including an 86-77 win over No. 2 USC Aiken on Jan. 5. That game was played in front of about 3,100 fans at Christenberry Fieldhouse, the second largest crowd for a college game in the facility's history.

There is no A.J. to cheer for this season, but the team does feature a pair of All-American candidates: big man Garret Siler, who is dominant inside and has been projected as a possible NBA Draft pick, and Australian import Ben Madgen, who is among the best guards in the nation. The junior is second in the Peach Belt Conference in scoring with more than 19 points per game, including a season-high 33 points in the game against USC Aiken.

Make your way over to Wrightsboro Road this season to catch the best bang for your buck. Here are ASU's remaining home games:

Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m., vs. Francis Marion

Jan 24, 4 p.m., vs. Georgia Southwestern

Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m., vs. Clayton State

Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m., vs. Lander

Feb. 21, 6 p.m., vs. North Georgia (Homecoming)

Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m., Columbus State (Senior Day)