Newton Citizen

Seven local players were named to the all-region 8-AAAA basketball team during the league's tournament last weekend at Loganville High School.

Rockdale's C.J. Wilson led the way as the junior guard was named the region's boys player of the year. Wilson helped lead the Bulldogs to a third-place finish in the region tournament, averaging 24.3 points in three games, including a 35-point outburst in a semifinal loss to Cedar Shoals.

"It's an incredible honor," Wilson said. "Especially being a junior, it shows the work we put in in the offseason."

"That's our devout leader," Rockdale coach Alvin Williams said of Wilson.

Bulldogs guard Charles Moore joined his teammate on the all-region team, as did Salem's Dedrick Turner, who averaged 19 points in three tournament games.

Ayanna Mitchell of Salem led four local players on the girls all-region team. Mitchell, just a freshman, helped lead the Seminoles to the tournament title game before injuring her knee late in the semifinal victory over Flowery Branch.

Rockdale, the regular season sub-region champions, put two players -- Breanna Richardson and Tennessee State signee Brianna Lawrence -- on the team, and the pair was joined by Heritage's Aujana Dawkins.

Three teams will open the Class AAAA state tournament this weekend.

The Salem girls, who lost to Habersham Central in the final, will host Forsyth Central on Friday in Conyers, while the No. 4 seed Salem boys head to Fulton County to play Region 7-AAAA champion Chattahoochee on Saturday. The Rockdale boys also play Saturday, traveling to Bartow County to battle Region 7-AAAA No. 2 Woodland.