High School Hoops Preview: Friday

Here is what to watch for at the East Cobb Patch on Friday:

Teams: Marietta vs. Wheeler

When: 6 p.m. girls; 7:30 p.m boys

Where: Wheeler High School

Girls Preview: Wheeler (10-12, 3-8) hasn’t been much of a factor in Region 5-AAAAA, but they end their regular season against a Marietta team that has nothing to gain by winning this game. That could end up being enough of an open window for the Wildcats, as they lost by just five points in the teams’ first meeting on January 18. Marietta (10-13, 8-3) is locked into the No. 2 seed for next week’s region tournament, while Wheeler will be the sixth-place team.

Boys Preview: Wheeler (18-5, 10-1) will try to put the pressure on Walton in the race for the top seed out of Region 5-AAAAA when they close their regular season against a scrappy Marietta team. Wheeler beat Marietta (9-15, 6-5) 74-66 on Jan. 18 in a game that they trailed in the third quarter. The Wildcats will be looking for their fifth straight win and at least a share of first place in the region. The top seed gets a first-round bye in the region tournament and an automatic bid to the state tournament.

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Teams: Etowah vs. Walton

When: 6 p.m. girls; 7:30 p.m boys

Where: Walton High School

Boys Preview: This game looks like a mismatch, advantage: Walton. The Raiders (16-6, 9-1) have won six straight games and 11 of their last 12 and will be motivated to keep pace with Wheeler in the race for first place in region 5-AAAAA. They beat Etowah (8-16, 2-9) 70-51 on Jan. 18. Etowah’s strength is in its backcourt with point guard Austin Miramonti, but Walton will counteract that with its one-two punch of guards Karl Cochran and Lanerryl Esters-Johnson. A win here and on Saturday against Lassiter will guarantee Walton at least a tie for first place in the region.

Girls Preview: Walton (12-10, 5-5) is trying to position itself for a potential third-place finish in the region, but they’ll have to beat an Etowah team that has already clinched the top seed in Region 5-AAAAA and has lost just once in the region all year. However, that loss came to Walton on January 18.

Please return to the East Cobb Patch after the game for scores and coverage. If you click on “Yes, keep me posted!” you’ll automatically be notified when we release the story.

Remember, Patch wants to be a community resource, so if you attend one of these games, feel free to post the final score and your reactions in the comments here or in the shout box on the home page. Also, you can share photos and videos from the game by uploading them to this article.