Several basketball programs clinch first ever state berth

The Archer girls clinched the program’s first ever state title berth with a 47-45 win over Central Gwinnett in the Region 8-AAAAA tournament. The team has been playing at the varsity level for just three years. Kayla Rogers had 10 points in the third quarter to help the Tigers advance. Archer now faces top-seeded Parkview in the semifinals. The Panthers are ranked No. 2 in the latest Score poll. ...

The Veterans boys also earned the program’s first trip to the state playoffs with a 73-68 win over Mary Persons, the defending Region 2-AAA champions. Mary Persons received 31 points from standout junior Brannen Greene, but Veterans countered with 15 from Jonathan Robertson and 14 from Jabari Leggette. ...

Region tournaments give each and every team, no matter what happened during the regular season, a shot at making the state tournament, and 2012 has been kind to a few teams that struggled during the year. Benedictine, the No. 9 seed in Region 3-AAAAA, knocked off Camden County to win its fourth game of the year. Last night Benedictine faced No. 1 seed Johnson-Savannah, and it was ugly quick as Johnson won 89-54. ...

In Region 8-AAA, Lumpkin County defeated West Hall to improve to 3-23 in the play-in game Monday. Last night Lumpkin County faced North Hall, the region’s top seed, and despite a strong showing by the Indians, North Hall advanced 55-44. ...

The White County girls seek to advance to the Region 8-AAA semifinals and clinch a berth in the state tournament when the Warriors take on Oconee County. White County has not made the state tournament since 2002 when four-sport standout D.J. Galbiati, the program’s all-time leading scorer, was a sophomore guard. ...

Finally, the 2011-12 GHSA Traditional Wrestling championships get underway today at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The event has been at the venue since 2006, but next year due to scheduling conflicts, the traditional championships may be forced to move as the Arena will be hosting the circus. The GHSA has not announced if it will change the dates or the venue.