Hoops today and Saturday at Northwest Georgia trade center

Published 8:04 am Friday, March 2, 2012

While the title runs ended early for local high school basketball teams this season, local high school basketball fans will still have a good opportunity to see state tournament basketball this weekend.

Starting today, the Georgia High School Association’s state tournaments return to Dalton’s Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center for Class 2A and 3A postseason games. Eight quarterfinals matchups for the northern halves of the state brackets are set for today and Saturday at the trade center.

There are four Class 2A games scheduled for today.

In girls action, Atlanta’s Lovett — Region 6’s No. 2 seed and a 44-43 winner over Region 8 champion East Hall in the second round — takes on Rome’s Model at 4 p.m. Model, the Region 7 champion, also had a close second-round game, beating Greater Atlanta Christian 62-60.

In the day’s other girls game, Buford (Region 8 No. 1) faces Heard County (Region 5 No. 1) at 7 p.m.

In today’s boys games, Dawson County (Region 8 No. 1) takes on Columbus’ Jordan (Region 5 No. 2) at 5:30 p.m. and Greater Atlanta Christian (Region 6 No. 1) faces Manchester (Region 5 No. 1) at 8:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Class 3A takes the court for its four games.

In girls play, North Hall (Region 8 No. 1) plays Acworth’s Allatoona (Region 7 No. 1) at 4 p.m., with Troup (Region 6 No. 1) taking on Decatur’s Columbia (Region 5 No. 1) at 7 p.m.

In boys games, Atlanta’s Washington (Region 5 No. 3) takes on Allatoona (Region 7 No. 1) at 5:30 p.m. and Carrollton (Region No. 1) takes on Columbia (Region 5 No. 1) at 8:30 p.m.

Those matchups will give fans a second look at teams now well familiar to Dalton, which had the best showing among any local GHSA basketball team this season. The Catamounts finished second in the Region 7-3A tournament to Allatoona and saw their time in the state tournament come to an end with a loss to Columbia on Wednesday.

Winners in both Class 2A and 3A will advance to next week’s semifinals at the Macon Centreplex.

Admission to the quarterfinals is $10 per day, per the GHSA’s Constitution and By-Laws.