Five County teams prepare for Sweet 16 Wednesday, Thursday nights

The round of Sweet 16 of the Georgia High School

Association is here and for Houston County schools there is much to prepare

for. Five of the eight teams, both boys and girls, that qualified for the state

playoffs have advanced to Sweet 16. 

The matchups get a bit tougher for some, and for

others it will be another opportunity to play in front of a raucous home crowd.

The Warner Robins Demons and the Houston County Bears are making return visits.

So are the Veterans Lady Warhawks and Houston County Lady Bears. An opportunity

to play in the quarterfinals, the Elite 8 (The Warner Robins Demons were the

sole county team to get that far last season), await.

Who, when and where:

Demons back at it again

The Warner Robins Demons opened their new gym

Friday night and did not disappoint. The Demons (22-4) advanced to the Sweet 16

by defeating Jonesboro 67-61. The Cardinals needed overtime to beat the Demons

a month ago at Jonesboro. “Good win against a great Jonesboro team,” said

Demons head coach Jamaal Garman. “The crowd was amazing with the energy they

brought. Overall it was a good day in Demon country.” 

The Demons will be facing an unfamiliar foe in Kell

in the Sweet 16 round Wednesday. The Longhorns defeated Miller Grove, the

program Warner Robins defeated for the 5A state title in 2018, 92-91 in an

overtime thriller Friday. 

Houston County Bears and Lady Bears move on

together

The basketball fans at Houston County will have to

get themselves ready for another week of basketball as both the Bears (14-12)

and Lady Bears (18-9) have advanced to the Sweet 16. Friday night, on the road,

the Bears defeated Lakeside 53-49. The Lady Bears, playing at the friendly

confines of the Bears Den, won their first round game over visiting Greenbrier

60-44. “Being on the road and having to play in the [state] playoffs, you know

that it’s going to be a battle and it was,” said Bears head coach Don Hudson.

“The effort from the guys was paramount. They executed the game plan, played

with heart and tenacity, and played smart.” 

The Bears were playing well going into the

playoffs, having won four of their last five games. “Lakeside was a great team

and know that we will see this type of play every week now,” added Hudson.

“It’s our job is to keep matching the energy with the discipline and smart

play.” 

The Lady Bears, winners of three of their last

four, have been playing at a high level all season and that continued Friday

night at home. The Greenbrier Lady Wolfpack had won 18 games coming into the

playoffs but the Lady Bears found a way to win the game by 16 points and will

now host Johns Creek, who defeated Tri-Cities 60-51 Friday night, Wednesday in

the Sweet 16.   

Veterans Warhawks and Lady Warhawks are back in the

Sweet 16

The Veterans programs are back in the Sweet 16

simultaneously with one having to win a tough one on the road and the other

comfortably at home. The Warhawks (25-3) defeated visiting Fayette County 84-51

to give second-year head coach Brett Hardy and his staff a ticket to the Sweet

16 where they will play the winner of a Saturday match between Lithonia and

Hiram. Lithonia defeated Warner Robins at Veterans in the Elite 8 last

year. 

The Lady Warhawks (25-3) kept pace with their

brethren, winning in the road at Griffin, 47-44, Friday night. Head coach

Nicole Miranda got big games from seniors Tamia Luckey and Stacie Jones and

will need another in the Sweet 16 against the Rome Lady Wolves, who defeated

Southwest Dekalb 59-56 Friday night.

Season is over for:

The Perry Lady Panthers (8-15) lost at McDonough

66-40.

The Northside Lady Eagles (14-11) ended an up and

down season at Grovetown, losing 43-40.

Warner Robins will have to do without a doubleheader for the remainder

of the basketball season after the Demonettes (14-14) lost at Starr’s Mill

63-47. 

HHJ News