Prep hoops season in final stretch

North Augusta at Lexington

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

The race for the Region 5-AAAA title is going to come right down to the wire. With two games left in the season, North Augusta's girls hold a 15-7 overall record and a 10-2 mark in the region. Irmo High School is 16-6 overall and holds an identical 10-2 region record. Aiken has today's game against Lexington (4-7) and then will play Aiken (7-5) on Friday. Irmo has Richland Northeast (2-9) and Dutch Fork (9-3) left on its schedule. NAHS and Irmo split their two regular season meetings.

With a win of Richland Northeast on Friday, North Augusta's boys improved to 16-5 overall and 7-5 in Region 5-AAAA. The Yellow Jackets are tied with Dutch Fork, chasing the final playoff spot out of that region. Only two games remain in the race, so every game is critical. Lexington will be a big challenge for North Augusta. The Wildcats are tied with Irmo at the top of the region standings and defeated the Yellow Jackets 78-52 on Jan. 15.

Dutch Fork at Aiken

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

Aiken's girls' team virtually locked up a Class AAAA playoff spot with an important victory over Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School on Friday. Tonight, the Lady Hornets will try to eliminate the "virtually." At 14-7 overall and 7-5 in region play, AHS is two games ahead of Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Lexington for the fourth-place spot in Region 5-AAAA. Dutch Fork is in third place at 9-3 in the region, and the Lady Hornets have a slim chance of catching the Silver Foxes if they wins tonight.

They boys' team at Aiken has now won back-to-back games after a five-game losing streak and is 11-10 overall and 5-7 in Region 5-AAAA. Making the playoffs is still a long-shot, because the Hornets would still have to catch both Dutch Fork and North Augusta, both of which are 7-5 in the region. The good news for AHS is that those are the two teams left on the schedule. Dutch Fork, though, defeated the Hornets 69-52 on Jan. 15. A repeat performance would eliminate AHS.

Midland Valley at South Aiken

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

With a win over Swansea on Friday, the Lady Mustangs improved their region record to 2-7. They currently stand in fifth place, one game behind South Aiken, which is currently 3-6 in Region 5-AAA play. Tonight's game is critical. A win for Midland Valley would put the two teams in a tie for the final playoff spot with one game left. A South Aiken win would clinch a playoff appearance for the Lady Thoroughbreds.

At 18-5 overall and 7-2 in Region 5-AAA, the Mustangs are going to finish in second place no matter what happens the rest of the way. But MVHS has been on a roll and wants to end the regular season playing at its best. South Aiken, meanwhile, is fighting to stay in the playoff hunt. The Thoroughbreds fell to 11-13 overall with a loss to Brookland-Cayce on Friday, and they are just 2-6 in region play. Swansea is 2-7 in the region, so the fourth spot is very much up for grabs, depending on what happens tonight.

Barnwell at Silver Bluff

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

Tonight will be the final regular season game for the Silver Bluff girls, and it is one they can't lose. At 8-1 in Region 5-AA play, the Lady Bulldogs are tied with Ridgeland in the region standings. The two teams split a pair of regular season meetings. Barnwell is 6-3 in the region and won't let its rival win without a fight.

Silver Bluff's boys captured a Region 5-AA title last week, and now they are trying to complete their regular season with a win over their rivals tonight. At 15-4 overall and 8-1 in region play, the Bulldogs have to be considered one of the top teams in all of Class AA, and they don't want to lose any momentum with a loss tonight.

Strom Thurmond at Newberry

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

The Lady Rebels are tied with Saluda for second place in Region 3-AA with a 5-2 record. Tonight's opponent is the region leader with a perfect 8-0 record. Strom Thurmond's girls have clinched a playoff spot, but they could improve their seeding if they could pull out a victory on the road tonight.

With a win over Saluda on Friday, Strom Thurmond's boys improved to 7-12 overall and 5-3 in Region 3-AA. The Rebels are tied for second place with Mid-Carolina and could actually move closer to first with a win tonight. Newberry is alone in the top spot for now with a 7-1 record. The Rebels handed Newberry its only region loss of the season on Jan. 19, winning 50-47.

Wagener-Salley at Williston-Elko

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

Wagener-Salley's girls can almost lock down a Region 4-A title with a win tonight at Williston-Elko. The Lady War Eagles improved to 10-2 in the region with a win over Ridge Spring-Monetta on Friday. H-K-T is only a game back at 9-3, but only two games remain. Williston-Elko, though, won't be an easy opponent. The Lady Blue Devils have had a good season, and they are tough to beat on their home floor. They are coming off a big win over C.A. Johnson and playing with some confidence.

The male version of the War Eagles improved to 8-14 overall and 2-9 in Region 4-A play by downing Ridge Spring-Monetta on Friday. They have won back-to-back games and are looking to end the season with a surge, although their playoff hopes are over. Williston-Elko, though, is still battling to keep its season going a little longer. The Blue Devils are 9-12 overall and 8-4 in the region, tied with both Blackville-Hilda and Hunter-Kinard-Tyler for second place.

North at Ridge Spring-Monetta

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

Ridge Spring-Monetta's girls are clinging to their playoff life at 5-7 in Region 4-A. The Lady Trojans trail C.A. Johnson only by a game, but just two contests remain on the regular season schedule. North is also right in the mix at 5-6 in region play. RS-M beat North 58-56 the last time they met.

RS-M's boys have yet to win a region game all year, and they are down to just two final chances, tonight against North and Friday against Fox Creek. North is 9-10 overall and 5-7 in the region, and it defeated RS-M on Jan. 15, winning by 20 points.

Hunter-Kinard Tyler at Fox Creek

(Girls at 6 p.m., Boys to follow)

Fox Creek's girls have only two chances left to try to pick up a Region 4-A victory. H-K-T is an unlikely source, though, as it stands 9-3 in region play and is in second place. H-K-T already beat Fox Creek 43-25 earlier this season.

The Predator boys are out of the Class A playoff race, but they are still playing some pretty solid basketball. H-K-T is playing even better and is 8-4 in the region, tied for second place.

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