North Augusta is 2 seed in playoffs

A Monday night full of tie-breaker and play-in games will give way to a full slate of state playoff games tonight, as area South Carolina high school basketball teams transition into postseason mode this week.

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North Augusta's girls basketball team, though not in action Monday, was caught up in the tie-breakers and went into Monday's practice not sure of the opponent or location of tonight's Class AAAA first-round state playoff game.

"Our region is up the air, and we just have to be ready for anything," head coach Jared Adamson said Monday afternoon. "All we could do today is have a normal practice, and we'll have to talk about the scouting report tomorrow after school."

Of the many possible scenarios, the one that played out saw Dutch Fork beat Irmo to create a three-way tie for first place in Region 5-AAAA. North Augusta shared the region championship, but, at a Monday morning meeting, a coin flip determined the final tie-breaker and Dutch Fork coach Marilyn Norris won the toss to give her team the No. 1 seed. North Augusta will enter the state playoffs as a No. 2 seed and will play host to Summerville tonight.

The Strom Thurmond girls, who reached the Class AA state semifinals last year, traveled to Mid-Carolina Monday night to face Saluda on a neutral court to determine the No. 2 and 3 seeds in Region 3-AA. The winner earned a first-round home game against Columbia tonight, while the loser will travel to Keenan.

Midland Valley's boys and Silver Bluff's girls know exactly where they stand. The Mustangs finished No. 2 in Region 5-AAA and will play host to Camden tonight at 6., while the Region 5-AA champion Lady Bulldogs will play Cane Bay at home.

South Aiken's boys, who finished behind Midland Valley at No. 4 in the region, will play at Darlington.

Other area South Carolina teams will begin postseason play on Wednesday, including Silver Bluff's boys, the top seed out of Region 5-AA, and the North Augusta boys, who were ineligible for postseason play last year because of what the South Carolina High School League deemed an illegal off-season practice.