SPRINGFIELD — There’s nothing better than automatic in high school basketball.
That’s the scenario for both the Effingham County boys and the South Effingham girls in the Region 3-AAAAA Tournament at Camden County High School.
By virtue of winning their subregions, the Rebel boys and Mustang girls were assured spots in the region tournament semifinals on Thursday.
And even if both teams do not win a game in the tournament, they’ve still been guaranteed spots in next week’s Class AAAAA state tournaments.
Automatically.
“It definitely takes some of the pressure off,” SEHS girls coach Missy Roddenberry said. “(Not playing until Thursday) takes some of exhaustion out of traveling to Camden County. We’re still going to play intense but I think the girls will be a little more relaxed.”
The road to state will be more difficult for the South Effingham boys and Effingham County girls who have been involved in earlier round games (Feb. 8-11) in hopes of getting a Final Four tournament slot, which would propel them into the state tournament.
The South Effingham girls will be in action Thursday at 3:30 p.m. while the Effingham County boys end the day’s play at 8 p.m.
Effingham County’s girls began play on Monday, Feb. 8 at 3:30 p.m. against Richmond Hill. The South Effingham boys tipped off at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, against Brunswick. Both would have to win two games to get to the semifinals and a chance to play at state.
Here’s a look at how the teams have fared during the regular season.
Effingham County
The Rebel boys (21-3) finished regular-season play on a 10-game winning streak — their second 10-game win streak of the season — with an impressive 77-44 victory over rival South Effingham last Friday night.
The boys beat all nine teams in the region and went 13-0 overall in region play.
But it wasn’t easy. The Rebels, led by senior guard Deshaun Wilkenson’s 16.4 points per game, won six region games by six-points or less and needed overtime to hold off Richmond Hill and Glynn Academy.
They beat tournament host Camden County 77-63 on Jan. 8, but they had only a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
“It’s been a process all season,” Effingham coach Jake Darling said. “We’ve had to change some things and reel some people in but I think our guys are playing selfless and for the betterment of the team.”
Effingham County’s girls (16-8) will be coming into the tournament on a high note after winning three straight, including a thrilling 64-60 victory over rival South Effingham.
The girls have been competitive with the best teams in the region. They led Glynn Academy 44-39 heading into the fourth quarter before losing 59-49 and trailed powerhouse Brunswick 32-27 at halftime before falling 69-42.
Rebels guard MaKayla Robinson, who is headed to Troy University, led the region in scoring with a 21.0-point average.
South Effingham
The South Effingham girls (22-3) placed first on their side of the subregion and had their fate sealed as a No. 2 seed in the region tournament before the loss to Effingham County on Friday.
Roddenberry said the Mustangs have been competitive with the region’s top teams — Glynn Academy and Brunswick. They were tied at half with Glynn and fought back from a 20-point deficit to get within five late in the game against Brunswick.
“We came out of those games thinking we could have beaten them,” said Roddenberry, who could have included Friday’s game with Effingham County, when a 15-point, first-half lead disintegrated. “There are some things that we could have done differently. Some things that are fixable.”
South Effingham also holds a win over highly regarded Johnson — a co-champion in Region 1-AAA.
The area’s best post player, 6-foot-3 Shae Leverett (headed to the University of South Florida), leads the Mustangs while averaging a double-double (at least 10 points and 10 rebounds), Roddenberry said.
In boys play, SEHS has struggled and limps into the tournament with a 2-11 region record. Seven of those losses were by 27 or more points, including first-round opponent Brunswick 87-60 on Jan. 16.
REGION 3-AAAAA
Boys Tournament
at Camden County High School
Tuesday
Game 1: #3 Richmond Hill vs. #10 Bradwell Institute, 8 p.m.
Game 2: #7 Coffee County vs. #6 Ware County, 6:30 p.m.
Game 3: #8 Glynn Academy vs. #5 Statesboro, 3:30 p.m.
Game 4: #9 South Effingham vs. #4 Brunswick, 5 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 5: Winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2, 5 p.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. winner of Game 4, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Game 7: #2 Camden County vs. winner of Game 5, 5 p.m.
Game 8: #1 Effingham County vs. winner of Game 6, 8 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 8 p.m.
Third-place game, 5 p.m.
Girls Tournament
at Camden County High School
Monday
Game 1: #4 Effingham County vs. #9 Richmond Hill, 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: #5 Camden County vs #8 Statesboro, 5 p.m.
Game 3: #6 Ware County vs. #7 Bradwell Institute, 6:30 p.m.
Game 4: #3 Brunswick vs. #10 Coffee County, 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. winner of Game 4, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 7: #2 South Effingham vs. winner of Game 5, 3:30 p.m.
Game 8: #1 Glynn Academy vs. winner of Game 6, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 6:30 p.m.
Third-place game, 3:30 p.m.