Colonels fall in region semifinals, play Friday for third

The Cass boys basketball team lost to top-seeded Villa Rica Thursday night in the semifinals of the Region 7-AAAAA Tournament, 69-45.

The loss drops the Colonels (17-10) into the third place game Friday against host Paulding County (14-13) at 5:30 p.m. The loss also means Cass will open the 2018 state playoffs on the road as either a 3- or 4-seed, pending the outcome of Friday's game.

Villa Rica (24-1) will play Hiram (19-9) for the region championship at 8:30 p.m., also at Paulding County High School.

8-AAAAA qualifiers Buford, Flowery Branch, Cedar Shoals, and Clarke Central are the potential opponents for Cass in the opening round of the state tournament.