FRIDAY NIGHT SCOREBOARD: February 20, 2026

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Trinity Lady Crusaders survived a close one to punch their Final Four ticket for a third-straight year, the East Laurens Lady Falcons captured their second-straight 2-High A crown and Southwest Macon cut this week’s remarkable run by the Dublin Irish short in the championship game as the Heart of Georgia’s Friday night basketball action resumed the GIAA state tournament, and wrapped up local region tournaments.

Full coverage will follow later this weekend, and in upcoming print editions. But here’s a quick glance how local teams fared…

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS: The East Laurens Lady Falcons receive their second-straight region 2-High A championship trophy after a 52-42 win over Northeast in Friday night’s final/CLAY REYNOLDS

GIAA AA QUARTERFINALS: Trinity girls 53, Windsor 50

The Lady Crusaders trailed for most of the first half, but used a 15-6 third quarter to flip a five-point deficit at the break into a lead of four. Three points of that margin survived a nailbiting fourth quarter as Maddy George hit two key 3-pointers, on her way to a team-high 25 points, to help get them over the finish line, and back to the semifinals for a matchup with third seed Southwest Georgia Academy next Thursday at ABAC.

REGION 2-HIGH A GIRLS FINAL: East Laurens 52, Northeast Macon 42

No single player or detail stood out for the now back-to-back region champion Lady Falcons, whose reassembled starting rotation (with five recently suspended players back from a two-game hiatus) opened the game on the rusty side, but got things to jell when it mattered down the stretch of the second half. Alasia Wiggins hit back-to-back 3-pointers at a key tipping point in the third quarter to go ahead by 12. Northeast – despite Indiasia Bell’s half-court 3 at the third-quarter buzzer and 11 free throws in the fourth quarter – couldn’t ever get the East Laurens lead down any further than nine points. Falcon scoring leaders Deanna Lowther (12) and Garyunna Mitchell (10) combined for nine buckets in the paint over the second half to keep the lead airtight.

A BIG 1-2 PUNCH: Alasia Wiggins hits her first of back-to-back 3-pointers that would double the Lady Falcons’ six-point lead at a major turning point in the second half/CLAY REYNOLDS

REGION 2-HIGH A BOYS FINAL: Southwest Macon 61, Dublin 36

A snakebit first half had the Irish trailing 34-16 at the break. But they rebounded to make it back into a game, whittling the Southwest lead down to only nine points by late in the third quarter. Dublin’s momentum, however, would fizzle out completely in a field goal-less fourth, as Southwest – led by the 20 points of Chase Dupree and 13 by C.J. Howard – pulled away on a final 14-3 run. The clutch shooting of Chris Dixon carried the Irish early, and produced their top point total of 15.

STARTING BLOCK: Southwest’s Octavius Raglin blocks an early shot attempt by Dublin’s Jaydon McRae to add to the shooting struggles that began and ended Friday’s game for the Irish. They had only one field goal in the first five minutes, and made none in the last eight/CLAY REYNOLDS

Region 4-AAA tournament…

The West Laurens girls were heartbroken by a final of 48-47 against Hephzibah, and Harlem’s boys routed the Rebels 72-49 in the consolation games. Second seeds won out in the evening finals, as Baldwin’s girls finished with four unanswered points to defeat Cross Creek 40-35. In the boys’ title game, the Razorbacks broke a last-minute tie to knock off the Braves 53-51.