BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Northside boys win first Crosstown Showdown in five years, HoCo boys win key region contest, remain undefeated in 2-5A

Basketball is winding down and soon enough region tournaments will start, and there are plenty of Houston County programs looking to make some noise in the postseason.

Let’s recap last week’s basketball:

Houston County

Boys

Houston County (16-5, 7-0 Region 2-5A) won perhaps their most important region game to date with their 61-57 road win over Lee County on Friday.

The region has run through the Trojans for the last several years, and the Bears have not been able to capture a region championship under Buddy Bivins. This year looks like their best chance during his tenure, though they still have three regular season games and the region tournament to go.

The Bears also picked up a 79-57 win at home against Veterans on Thursday.

Girls

The Lady Bears (0-19, 0-7 Region 2-5A) have had a rough last couple of weeks, and it was capped on Friday with a 56-8 loss to Lee County.

That’s a new season-low in points for HoCo, the previous was set on Jan. 3 in there 67-9 loss to Northside. The Lady Bears also lost to Veterans 63-19 on Thursday.

They still have a chance to pick up their first win with four regular-season games remaining.

Northside

Boys

It was a big week for Northside (12-8, 2-4 Region 2-5A), who won their first Crosstown Showdown against Warner Robins since 2021 with Saturday’s 63-60 victory.

Elijah Patmon had a big game on the interior, scoring a game-high 17 points and dominating the boards to help push the Eagles over the top.

This is the first time any of Northside’s senior class has beaten Warner Robins at any level, including ninth grade and junior varsity teams.

Girls

The Lady Eagles (13-7, 4-2 Region 2-5A) were competitive in the first half of the Crosstown Showdown, until Warner Robins ran away with the game in the second half for a 63-31 victory.

Turnovers were the main separator — Northside couldn’t force enough and get out in transition to score consistently, and they gave up too many themselves.

They still have a lot to focus on in the region. The Lady Eagles are in third place at the time of writing, and they have four region rematches to go. It’s still plausible for Northside to host a playoff game.

Perry

Boys

Perry (5-15, 1-6 Region 1-4A) lost all three games last week, with Saturday’s 54-53 loss to Macon County marking their eighth straight.

Slow starts is what’s plagued them, particularly in region play, as they lost to Ware County 86-49 and Benedictine 70-39 after falling behind early last week.

The Panthers still have region games to go against Warner Robins, Wayne County and New Hampstead.

Girls

The Lady Panthers (8-12, 0-4 Region 1-4A) suffered a couple of close defeats last week, each by three points.

Their first was on Friday, 46-43 to Ware County after the offense completely froze in the second half. Perry attempted a late push, but by the time they got going it was too late.

Their second was a non-region contest and 49-46 final at home against Macon County.

Veterans

Boys

Veterans (9-13, 1-6 Region 2-5A) lost in a couple of lopsided affairs last week to the two top teams in the region: Houston County and Lee County.

The Bears hit 11 three-pointers to lift themselves over the Warhawks 79-57, and Veterans also lost 75-59 to the Trojans in Leesburg on Tuesday.

The good news for the Warhawks is that their four-game road trip is over, and they’ll look to improve their region standing with their final three regular season games.

Girls

The Lady Warhawks (6-14, 2-5 Region 2-5A) finished their four-game road trip 1-3, picking up a 63-19 win at Houston County on Thursday after losing 60-45 at Lee County on Tuesday.

Veterans has lost a couple of close region contests, most notably to Thomas County Central and Lee County by single digits.

They’re currently in fifth place, but have three region games remaining.

Warner Robins

Boys

Warner Robins (11-11, 6-1 Region 1-4A) saw their seven-game winning streak snapped by Northside in the Crosstown Showdown on Saturday, 63-60.

That wasn’t the only streak broken; The last time the Demons lost a Crosstown Showdown was 2021, and the Eagles’ 2026 senior class had never beaten Warner Robins at any level from ninth grade to varsity.

The Demons remain at the top of the region standings, with their most important game the rest of the season now a road game at Ware County on Feb. 3.

Girls

The Demonettes (18-3, 4-0 Region 1-4A) swept the Crosstown Showdown against Northside in a much more lopsided fashion than the first matchup, winning 63-31 after running away with it in the second half.

Kennedy Bradshaw hit the 1,000-point mark during the game, briefly pausing any animosity as the crowd and players celebrated her accomplishment.

Warner Robins also won against Wayne County on Tuesday, 54-21.

Westfield

Boys

Westfield (11-8, 2-2 GIAA District 5-4A/3A) had a short recess from district competition last week, splitting their two games.

The first was a road win against Tiftarea Academy, 77-61. The two-game winning streak started on Friday was broken on Saturday, as Deerfield-Windsor came out winners of a 58-40 in the Hornets’ Nest.

Now Westfield will finish out their district schedule with all of their rematches still on the slate starting with Brookstone on Jan. 27 and Calvary Christian on Jan. 30.

Girls

The Lady Hornets (15-4, 5-0 GIAA District 5-4A/3A) also played a couple of non-district games after securing their first-place standing the week prior.

Friday’s 40-34 loss at Tiftarea Academy was their first since Jan. 2 against First Presbyterian Day. Westfield has yet to lose by double digits this season.

They returned to the win column on Saturday with a win against Deerfield-Windsor that was nothing short of dominant, 75-17.