Midweek prep basketball preview: Teams fighting as end of regular season draws near

As we enter the final week of the regular season, some regions are still not decided. And some teams can still lock up valuable playoff positioning with wins.

Here are the games to watch for:

(Girls) Great Falls (1-16, 1-3) at Lewisville (15-3, 6-1); Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Lewisville can lock up the top spot in the region with a win over rival Great Falls on Monday night. The Lions are riding a five-game win streak and are led by senior Mariah Wallace (13.4 points per game, 5.2 steals per game). Great Falls has already secured a postseason berth.

(Girls) Blythewood (13-6, 6-2) at No. 3 Rock Hill (21-3, 8-0); Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Rock Hill can secure a region title by winning one of its two games this week. First up is this home contest against Blythewood. The Bearcats haven’t lost in this matchup since the two schools became region opponents in 2020.

(Boys) Northwestern (11-13, 2-6) at South Pointe (8-16, 2-6); Feb. 6 at 7:45 p.m.

Whichever school wins this game will receive a massive boost in securing the region’s fourth and final automatic qualifying spot for the state tournament. A win for South Pointe means the Stallions would lock up that fourth-place position, while a win for the Trojans mean that they would control their own destiny for the fourth-place spot. Senior Mason Mitchell is a key player for Northwestern, averaging 12.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

(Boys) No. 3 Catawba Ridge (21-2, 8-0) at Indian Land (18-6, 6-2); Feb. 6 at 7:45 p.m.

Catawba Ridge can secure the top spot in the region with a win over Indian Land, while the Warriors need a win to keep their region title hopes alive. Catawba Ridge won, 64-38, the first time these schools met on Jan. 19. Indian Land’s Mike Jones has been averaging 22 points per game since that loss, while Catawba Ridge’s Zyan Hager has scored double-digit points in every game this season.

(Boys) Great Falls (12-4, 5-1) at Lewisville (11-3, 3-3); Feb. 6 at 8 p.m.

If Great Falls wins each of its next three games, it would secure its sixth-consecutive region title. The first of these games is against a rival Lewisville team that is on a two-game slide. A 68-66 Lewisville win on Jan. 19 snapped an eight-game winning streak for Great Falls in the series. A win here for Lewisville would lock up fourth place and a postseason berth for the Lions.

This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 5:30 AM.