Previews for the 3 HS tip-off tournament games featured Friday at AugBball: Baldwin-Flora, Lakeside-AC, and Greenbrier-Josey

Kalen Williams (left) and Nate Dunlop (right), 2 of the area's best, meet tonight at Greenbrier

For Friday’s live highlights and updates from Greenbrier’s Wolfpack Tip-off Challenge and Evans’ Hoopfest Tip-off, follow the following @AugBball channels:

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Friday at the Evans Hoopfest Tip-off

Baldwin vs AC Flora at Evans at 5:30

- Buck Harris’ Braves are the defending region champs and are ranked #4 in the AJC’s preseason class AAAA rankings as well as 4th on my preseason list of this area’s best teams.

Friday at Greenbrier’s Wolfpack Tip-Off Challenge

Lakeside vs Augusta Christian at Greenbrier at 7:00

- Lakeside went 21-6 in coach Jeff Williams’ first head coaching season, complete with a 13-0 league record and the school’s first ever region championship. The Panthers return junior star Kalen Williams and a good mix of returnees and newcomers.

- Augusta Christian is finally able to play Georgia’s public schools and 6’5” 210 pound junior guard Nate Dunlop is the area’s top returning scorer and probably the top player entering the season. Dunlop averaged 28 ppg and shot 38% from 3 last season.

Josey at Greenbrier at 8:30

- Josey clocked in as the #4 ranked class AAAA team in the AJC’s poll to go nicely with the Eagles’ final 4 finish last March. Rodriguez Daggett will lead the Eagles who I hope are eager to prove me wrong for not putting them on my preseason area top 10 list.

Austin Canaday: Sr, Greenbrier

- Greenbrier’s Austin Canaday and Richard Crawford make for a dangerous backcourt. The Wolfpack will try to improve to 2-0 tonight after beating Harlem soundly Wednesday.

Last season tipped off when Crawford and Laney’s Donald Henley Jr. dueled in Friday’s Wolfpack Challenge night cap game:

In a recent text interview, Greenbrier coach Casey Heckathorn told me about the great relationships and matchups that the Challenge has fostered over its 3 year history and the neat addition of Augusta Christian:

We love having both Laney and Josey and have great relationships and cross rivals with those schools now. We did draw Laney for another tournament so we’re happy for that.

With Laney out this year and the opportunity to include private schools we thought ACS was a great fit as their fan base and population is greatly based out of the lakeside and greenbrier zones. There’s a lot of interest in them proving themselves against public schools. We thought it was a good fit.

Sounds like a great fit and a great night of area high school hoops!