Northgate Lady Vikings (14-10, 9-7 region) at Northside, Warner Robins Lady Eagles (19-10, 10-4 region), Saturday, Feb. 23

Northgate made history last week with a 38-21 victory over McIntosh in the Region 2-AAAA tournament, earning their first state playoff berth in school history. The Lady Vikings ended up taking fourth place in the region tournament. Northgate is hoping to make its first state playoff appearance a long one. It already has been a memorable season for the Lady Vikings, who have set school records for wins in a single season (14) and the longest winning streak in school history (eight) this season.

The young Lady Vikings — they have only one senior — are led by dynamic guard tandem Natalie Pluskota, a sweet-shooting, left-handed senior, and Brianna Banks, an up-and-coming freshman, and sophomore power forward Erica Albers, who is active on the boards.

Northside defeated Baldwin 64-42 to win the Region 2-AAAAA title last Saturday. It was Northside’s seventh win in its last eight games. Like Northgate, Northside’s longest winning streak this season was eight. Northside’s roster features seven upperclassmen and a 6-foot sophomore center, Tyra Jackson. The Lady Eagles are averaging more points per game than Northgate (52.8 to 41.3), but Northgate has been stingier defensively, allowing 39.6 points per game to Northside’s 42.8.

The winner of this game will face the winner of the Glynn Academy-Thomas County Central game Wednesday, Feb. 27.

East Coweta Lady Indians (6-19, 3-9 region) at Stephenson Lady Jaguars (24-3, 12-2 region), Friday, Feb. 22

East Coweta had been having a long, difficult season heading into the Region 4-AAAAA tournament last week. But that all changed with one victory, 35-31 over Hiram in the first round, which secured a spot in the state playoffs for the Lady Indians for the first time since 2004. East Coweta went on to finish fourth in the region tournament, not bad for the fifth-seeded team. The Lady Indians are led by senior small forward Areli Aguirre and junior shooting guard Christina Ezell.

The Lady Indians face a red-hot Stephenson team that has won 15 of their last 16 games, including a 63-48 victory over Douglass in the Region 2-AAAAA championship game. Stephenson has one of the most senior-laden rosters in the tournament, with 10 total. It also has wealth of size, with six players who are 5-11 or taller: senior power forward Taylor Turnbow (6-3), senior center Shelia Bradley (6-3), senior power forward Jenaelle Stephenson (6-0), senior power forward Prittany White (5-11), senior shooting guard Shyanne Halfkenny (5-11) and sophomore small forward Hiydaayah Williams (5-11). In contrast, East Coweta doesn’t have a player taller than 5-7, and it has only two seniors. Stephenson has a much higher scoring offense than East Coweta, averaging 61.5 points per game to East Coweta’s 37.4. But the teams are similar defensively; Stephenson has allowed 42 points per game, while East Coweta is giving up 47.6 per game.

The winner of this game will face the winner of the Warner Robins-Bradwell Institute game Wednesday, Feb. 27.

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