It's been a week of ups and downs for the northeast Georgia area teams vying for a spot in their respective region tournament championship games. Now, those spots are firmly filled.
The only region with unexpected pairings in the finals is Region 8-2A. The fifth-seeded Banks County girls shocked No. 4-ranked Rabun County and region No. 1 seed, 74-71, on Friday to reach the finals, and the Union County girls beat No. 2 seed Putnam County, 59-51, to get the bid. Banks will play Union on Saturday at Rabun County in the title game.
In Region 8-3A, the No. 3 seed Franklin County boys upset second-seeded Hart County, 70-65, to reach the title game against Jefferson on Saturday.
The Buford girls and boys defended their region crowns with close battles. The boys edged Cedar Shoals, 88-86, and the girls beat Loganville in a slow-paced game, 47-35.
Check below for the complete area scoreboard and Saturday's schedule.
Friday, Feb. 7 Scoreboard/Saturday Schedule
Region 8-6A (at Gainesville High, semifinals)
Dacula girls 51, Winder-Barrow 42
Gainesville boys 71, Winder-Barrow 38
Lanier girls 45, Habersham Central 20
Lanier boys 74, Dacula 66
Region 8-5A (at Clarke Central High)
Consolation (3rd & 4th place)
Clarke Central girls 40, Cedar Shoals 39
Clarke Central boys 70, Loganville 51
Championship
Buford girls 47, Loganville 35
Buford boys 88, Cedar Shoals 86
Region 7-3A (at East Hall High, semifinals)
North Hall girls 72, Dawson County 51
Greater Atlanta boys 61, North Hall 51
Greater Atlanta girls 55, Fannin County 43
Dawson County boys 70, Cherokee Bluff 62
Region 8-3A (at Emmanuel College, semifinals)
Morgan County girls 39, Hart County 37
Franklin County boys 70, Hart County 65
Jefferson girls 64, Jackson County 33
Jefferson boys 86, Monroe Area 59
Region 8-2A (at Rabun County High, semifinals)
Union County girls 59, Putnam County 51
Social Circle 58, Union County boys 62
Banks County girls 74, Rabun County 71
Banks County boys 66, Putnam County 53
Region 8-A (at Commerce High, semifinals)
Lakeview Academy girls 47, Tallulah Falls 45
Towns County boys 51, Lakeview Academy 41
Hebron Christian girls 68, Athens Academy 38
Riverside Military boys 57, Athens Christian 53
Saturday, Feb. 8 Schedule
Region 8-6A (at Gainesville High School)
Consolation (3rd & 4th place)
Habersham Central girls (4) vs. Winder-Barrow (3), 3 p.m.
Dacula boys (4) vs. Winder-Barrow (3), 4:30 p.m.
Finals
Dacula girls (2) vs. Lanier (1)
Gainesville boys (2) vs. Lanier (2), 7:30 p.m. -- AM 550/FM 102.9 WDUN
Region 7-4A (at Flowery Branch High) -- POSTPONED TILL MONDAY
Consolation (3rd & 4th place)
Chestatee girls (4) vs. Flowery Branch (3), 3 p.m.
Chestatee boys (4) vs. Marist (3), 4:30 p.m.
Finals
White County girls (2) vs. Marist (1), 6 p.m.
Blessed Trinity boys (2) vs. Denmark (1), 7:30 p.m.
Region 8-3A (at Emmanuel College)
Consolation (3rd & 4th place)
Jackson County girl (4) vs. Hart County (3), 4 p.m.
Monroe Area boys (4) vs. Hart County (2) 5:30 p.m.
Finals
Morgan County girls (2) vs. Jefferson (1), 7 p.m.
Franklin County boys (3) vs. Jefferson (1), 8:30 p.m.
Region 7-3A (at East Hall High) POSTPONED TILL MONDAY
Consolation (3rd & 4th place)
Fannin County girl (5) vs. Dawson County (3), 3 p.m.
Cherokee Bluff boys (4) vs. North Hall (3), 4:30 p.m.
Finals
North Hall girls (2) vs. Greater Atlanta (1), 6 p.m. -- AM 550/FM 102.9 WDUN
Greater Atlanta boys (2) vs. Dawson County (1), 7:30 p.m.
Region 8-2A (at Rabun County High) POSTPONED
Consolation (3rd & 4th place)
Putnam County girls (2) vs. Rabun County (1), 4 p.m.
Putnam County boys (5) vs. Union County (3), 5:30 p.m.
Finals
Banks County girls (5) vs. Union County (3), 7 p.m.
Social Circle boys (2) vs. Banks County (1), 8:30 p.m.
Region 8-A (at Commerce High)
Lakeview girls (2) vs. Hebron Christian (1), 6 p.m.
Riverside boys (4) vs. Towns County (2), 7:30 p.m.
