Area high school basketball teams are starting to wrap up their region schedules, and a few area teams are still in the hunt for region titles and looking to be in a good spot going into their region tournaments

The Statesboro Blue Devil boys have won their last three games, all of which were region contests. Their most recent victory was a Tuesday night 74-54 triumph over South Effingham. The Blue Devils were led by Ja’Caiden Cone, who scored 15 of his game-high 37 in the first half. Shyterrious James added 10 points.

“Our senior leaders including Ja’Caiden Cone, Shyterrious James and Xavier Spells have really stepped up,” said coach Keith LeGree. “We are just in a good space right now and playing hard on both ends of the floor.  Hopefully we can keep this momentum going and carry it into the region tournament.”

The Blue Devils are now 15-4 and 5-2 in region play. The Lady Blue Devils lost their seventh straight, as they couldn’t overcome a 30-8 free throw disparity, falling to South Effingham 51-47. The Blue Devils were led by Kennedy Myers with 16 points. Up next, Statesboro travels to Screven County Thursday for a 6:00 start.

The Portal Panther boys are currently ranked eighth in the state and are 15-4 overall and 7-3 in region play. The Panthers knocked off Jenkins County 64-50 on Friday and beat Claxton 82-47 Tuesday. The Lady Panthers are now 6-12 overall and 3-7 in region play, having lost their last three games. Up next Portal will be at McIntosh Friday at 6:00.

The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets were swept by Screven County and Liberty County in their last two games. Up next SEB is at Windsor Forest on Saturday with the girl’s game starting at 6.

The Bulloch Academy Gator boys have won two of their last three with two of those being important region games. Friday the Gators outdueled Westminster in a game that went down to the wire. Senior J.B. Roach hit a three-pointer at the buzzer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. In overtime, Roach added another three, while A.K. Watkins finished with 29 points and Jack Neal had 22 points.

“I thought we almost let that one slip away but credit to our team for finding a way to claw back and J.B. hit that clutch shot,” said coach Zach Brackett. “It’s important for us to continue to gain momentum into the region tournament and finish the season on a good note.”

The boys improve to 12-8 overall and 3-3 in region play. The Lady Gators dropped two of their last three games, but earned a forfeit victory over Pinewood Tuesday to improve to 14-9 and 3-3 in region play. Up next the Gators will be at Westminster Feb 3 at 6.