Canes Prepare for State Tournament

The Jasper County-Monticello High School varsity boys basketball team is going to the Class AA state tournament.

That much is known. However, at this point the opponent, game date and game time are all unknown.

The Canes compete in Region 3-AA which decided not to hold a postseason tournament. The top four teams from the regular season will move into the state tournament. Jasper County-Monticello (7-11 overall, 7-5 in 3-AA) will be the number three seed from the region.

Coach Chris Pennamon said his team’s first-round state contest will likely be February 23 or 24.

“It’s hard to prep when you don’t know your opponent,” the coach said. “We will just work on getting better.”

The Canes lost to Bleckley County 46-35 on the road in the regular season finale. With his team’s position already secured for the state tournament, Pennamon said he used the game as a chance to play his entire roster.

“We tried to get some of our players more game experience,” the coach said. “We got in early foul trouble and didn’t play Landon Bonner or Austin Cumbess as much. Both needed some rest. We could have won the game. We cut their lead to five going into the fourth quarter. A win would have made our record look better but a loss didn’t make us drop down.”

Washington County is the number one seed from Region 3-AA while Northeast-Macon is second followed by Jasper County-Monticello and Bleckley County.

The Canes will face the number two team from Region 2-AA which includes defending state champion Swainsboro.