By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

It was a rare weekend off for the unbeaten LaGrange Grangers (20-0), who haven’t played since Tuesday’s win over Kendrick.

They didn’t have a game Friday or Saturday, giving the players and coaches a chance to catch their breath before the frantic final stretch of the season.

“It was a great time for a break,” said LaGrange head coach Mike Pauley, who hit the road Friday and Saturday to get some scout work in.

It’ll be back to work Tuesday night when the Grangers (20-0, 8-0 in Region 2-AAA), who are five games away from a perfect regular season, host the Northside Patriots (2-13, 1-7).

If the Grangers win, they’ll sew up the top seed for the Region 2-AAA tournament.

The biggest perk for finishing No. 1 is the right to host the region tournament.

“We have to win that one to clinch, which is just one phase of our goals,” Pauley said.

Also Tuesday, LaGrange’s girls’ team has a key game with Northside.

The Lady Grangers (13-6, 6-2 in region play) need a win to stay in second place in the region.

Pauley is hoping a big crowd turns out for what will be an important couple of games.

He said the fans have been incredible supportive all season, and he doesn’t expect that to change now.

Pauley said the student section has been especially vocal during home games.

“They’re yelling and cheering, and they’re having a ball,” he said. “They’re just a factor.”

As well as the Grangers have played this season, and they’ve been good enough to rise to the top of the rankings in Class AAA, Pauley said no one is satisfied.

He said a key focus during practice has been tightening things up on the defensive side of the ball.

“We’re going to work on our defensive prowess, our defensive fundamentals,” he said. “We have put in a few wrinkles that will help isolate players and help with specific situations.”

LaGrange and Northside have played once this season, with the Grangers rolling to a 75-55 win in Columbus.

In the earlier girls’ meeting between the two schools, Northside won 60-58.

If the Lady Grangers (13-6, 6-2 in region play) win tonight, they’ll have a firm grasp on second place in the region.

If the Lady Patriots (5-3) win, they’ll move into a tie for second, and they will have swept the season series from LaGrange.

The team that finishes second in the region will earn a bye into the semifinals of the region tournament and earn an automatic invitation to the state tournament.

The Lady Grangers haven’t played since Tuesday’s one-sided loss to unbeaten Kendrick.

Beating Kendrick is hard enough at full strength, but LaGrange had to play with one of its best players hobbled with an ankle injury, and a few other players were sick.

“We just have to move past this and take it as a learning experience,” LaGrange head coach Jan Jones said.

LaGrange’s teams host region foe Columbus Friday before traveling to Heard County on Saturday for a non-region test.

At Callaway High, the Cavaliers (11-6 overall) have fallen to 6-5 in Region 5-AA after Saturday’s loss to Macon County.

The Cavs have dropped four of their past five games, and they’ve gone from leading the region to fourth place, three games behind Spencer and Manchester.

Callaway will try to break out of its recent doldrums Tuesday when it visits a Heard County (9-9, 5-6) team that is also struggling.

The Braves have dropped four of their past five region games, including a 70-62 loss to Callaway last week.

The Lady Cavaliers (1-17, 0-11), meanwhile, are still looking for their first region win of the season.

In last week’s game against Heard, Callaway hung tough most of the way before falling 38-32.

Callaway’s teams have two other region games this week.

Callaway hosts Jordan on Friday and Crawford County on Saturday.

The Troup Tigers play just one game this week, and it’ll be an important one.

The Tigers (7-9 overall), thanks to back-to-back one-point victories, are 5-3 in Region 2-AAA, a half-game behind Shaw (6-3).

Friday night, Troup and Shaw will play at Troup, with the winner getting a leg-up in the race for second.

The Lady Tigers, meanwhile, will try to improve on their 1-7 region record when they host Shaw.