Perfect endings are all that matter

You could say these three basketball teams have nothing in common.

They are boys and girls. They are public and private. They are urban and rural.

The boys team from Josey and the girls squads from Hephzibah and Briarwood Academy have absolutely nothing in common.

Zip ... zilch ... zero.

That's right ... zero. Together this season, the three area teams have combined for 73 wins and zero losses. All three took undefeated records into their respective region tournaments before the state playoffs.

That gives them each one mutual feature - at this point, anything less than perfect is unacceptable.

"Josey has a history of playing well and winning the regular season but not winning the region," Eagles coach Sam Lilly said. "This year we've got to make it a point to do better. For us to go 25-0 and not win the region tournament is a failure."

If that sentiment is coming from a first-year coach at Josey - which hasn't tipped off with a state title on the line since 1995 - imagine what the girls are thinking at Hephzibah and Briarwood. There are a bunch of seniors on those teams that haven't lost just once in state championship games, but twice. Each of them played for titles in both 2002 and 2003 and came away empty handed.

"We're loaded with six seniors, and they know how much that hurt and don't want that to happen again," Briarwood coach Clayton Parrish said.

The perfect quest adds a new wrinkle to these teams and their annual bid for championships. None of them has ever completed a regular season unbeaten.

None of them has ever had to handle the strain of mounting expectations.

And at this point, none of them can really afford the pressure relief of a meaningless loss. At this stage, nothing is meaningless. Any loss in the regionals - while not spoiling any state aspirations - would make them something less than what they hope to be.

"You know you're going to have to be perfect going in it if you want to win it all," Hephzibah coach Wendell Lofton said.

Trying to be perfect is an absurd thought when it comes to basketball. At any level, perfect is a rare thing. Championships are what matter, and all three of these coaches are familiar with vying for championships.

In his first year at Josey, Lilly knows what it takes to win titles. He's won them before with the Curtis Baptist girls and the Silver Bluff boys. Josey does as well, winning a GIA state title in 1967 and GHSA title in 1978.

But neither Lilly nor Josey have ever posted a perfect season.

"I feel the pressure because I know how important this game is to the community and the school," Lilly said on the eve of the Region 7-AA semifinals at Josey. "We need this one so bad. This team doesn't need to lose a game. We don't need a wake-up call. We need to keep winning."

With a group of seniors whose leadership has steered the Eagles through injuries and suspensions, Lilly believes his boys have the depth and the drive to finish on top.

"These boys have played excellent basketball all year," Lilly said. "I told them, 'You all deserve it.' "

That's easy to say for both unbeaten girls teams as well. Three times in its history, Hephzibah's girls have gone all the way to the state championship game. Three times they've come up just short of the ultimate prize - including back-to-back misses to Glenn Hills and Mays in 2002 and 2003.

"We just can't win that last one," Lofton said.

Having coached a few talented Hephzibah teams, Lofton wasn't deluded into thinking this class could be perfect this late in February.

"No, no, no, no," Lofton said. "I had no idea we would come together like this. We're just quicker than everybody else. ... I feel good about this team."

After a 57-point drubbing of Thomson in the Region 3-AAA opener Wednesday night at Burke County, the Lady Rebels' magic number is now at seven. That's how many more wins they need to finish 33-0 and achieve all their goals.

"That would be something outstanding for this school and for Richmond County," Lofton said. "It's a possibility. A lot of people think about fate. I'm just praying."

They're praying as well out in Warrenton, Ga., for the Lady Bucs, who are 22-0 after Thursday's semifinal victory in the GISA Region 1-AA tournament in Eatonton, Ga.

"This is the first time we've had a team play through the regular season undefeated," Parrish said. "It's a little bit of added pressure, but it has helped the girls stay pretty focused. They still have that goose egg to play for."

Like Hephzibah, the Briarwood girls have plenty of heartbreak to draw on for additional incentive. Twice in a row they reached the GISA state finals only to lose in both 2002 and 2003.

What's more, the Pinewood Academy team that beat them in their last final appearance also sent some of these same athletes home twice without state titles in softball. That Pinewood team is also currently unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the state ahead of Briarwood's No. 2.

"It would be pretty unbelievable," said Parrish, who led Briarwood's boys to a state title recently. "These girls have been runner-up so many times, they deserve to win. It would be more special because of the heartbreak these girls have been through."

It would be the perfect conclusion. At this point, it has to be.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.