Sports
Southwest Atlanta Hoops Teams Raise Intensity in Season's Final Week
Washington Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs bark and bite; Westlake girls, Mays teams top three in their region.
With the region tournament and eventual state playoffs lurking around the bend, the severity of this week’s final regular season games is as intense as a four-alarm fire.
Each game is expected to be a tug-of-war battle of wills as teams jockey for position in the standings. The final rankings will determine the seeding order during next week’s region tournaments.
Washington boys and girls dominate Region 5A-AAA
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The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs are feasting on the competition in Region 5A-AAA with a bark as fierce as their bite.
Washington’s boys are 14-7 and boast a first-place record in the league at 7-2. This past week, the Bulldogs beat Druid Hills and Riverwood to extend their winning streak to six in a row.
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“We’re pleased with our play, but we know we can get better,” said boys’ head coach William Faulkner. “Everybody is dialed in. We have to hang our hat on defense and we’ll win.”
The Lady Bulldogs also went undefeated last week, and although their overall record is under .500 at 10-11, the team is 7-2 in the region, which is good enough for second place.
“The girls played hard overall. They’ve been playing well as a team,” said girls’ head coach Denise Alsobrooks. “With the region tournament, everyone starts at 0-0. One loss and you’re out. We have to focus on playing hard, tough defense and making sure our shots fall.”
Washington closes out the final week of the regular season with three road games – at North Atlanta Feb. 8, at Grady Feb.11 and at Riverwood Feb. 12.
Westlake girls play second fiddle, boys in middle of the pack
Westlake’s girls have been in or around the top of the Region 2-AAAAA standings throughout the entire season. Currently, the Lady Lions are in second place in their league at 11-1. Their overall record is 18-4. The club’s recent wins included victories over Creekside, Tri-Cities and Newton.
On Feb. 8, Westlake travels to Stephenson for a highly anticipated rematch with the Lady Jaguars. The week’s other games include home matches versus North Clayton Feb. 9 and East Coweta Feb. 11.
“These final games will be our tune-up for the region tournament. We have to continue to play strong and execute in order to achieve our goals,” said Westlake girls’ coach Hilda Hankerson.
The boys started the year ranked in the top-10 in Class AAAAA, but have fallen on hard times recently, dropping to the middle of the standings. In recent action, Westlake beat Creekside and Tri-Cities, but lost to Newton, snapping a four-game winning streak. The Lions are 12-7 overall with a fifth-place record of 6-6 in 2-AAAAA.
Mays holds firm in third place
Both programs at Mays High School have identical rankings in Region 6B-AAAA, earning a bronze medal in third place.
On Feb. 1, the Lady Raiders lost a 53-51 heart-breaker to Miller Grove to snap their seven-game winning streak. The defeat was also the squad’s first lost of the calendar year. Mays also suffered additional losses last week against Redan and Chamblee.
The squad hopes to rebound this week with games at Douglass Feb. 8 and home against Southwest DeKalb Feb. 11 in the season finale. Mays hits the final week of the regular season at 11-8 and 9-5 in the region.
“We had a hard week, but we understand the importance of execution. That’s what we need to do this week and heading into the region tournament,” said girls’ head coach Natasha Harrigan.
Mays’ boys currently stand at 15-8 and 10-4 in the league. Following a lopsided 86-63 defeat versus Miller Grove, the Raiders bounced back strong with wins over Redan and Chamblee.
Finishing out the string
It’s been a rough run for both squads at Therrell in 2010-11. The teams have sub-.500 records as the season come to a close this week. Therrell’s final three games include at South Atlanta Feb. 8, followed by home tilts versus Westminster Feb. 11 and the rematch with South Atlanta Feb. 12 on Senior Night.