The Hawks have always prided themselves on doing good work in the

Photo by Melanie Snare

community. It was no different recently as they went back to school to show their support of high school athletics.

Last week, the Hawks cheerleaders and step team traveled to South Gwinnett High School to recognize all of the winter sport senior athletes during their pep rally. The first event was a tug-of-war contest between the cheerleaders and the faculty members. Later, the step team performed to get the crowd going and there was even a mascot dance-off between the Harry the Hawk and South Gwinnett's Comet.

The National Guard was there and the South Gwinnett recruiter, Sgt. Campbell, presented South Gwinnett's principal Eric Thigpen with an autographed basketball to commemorate their honor of being the High School of the Week.

Current Hawk and South Gwinnett alum Lou Williams stopped by and congratulated the basketball team with a signed basketball. At the very end of the pep rally, Hawks cheerleaders joined the South Gwinnett cheerleaders for a group cheer.

The School of the Week program is presented by the Atlanta Hawks and the National Guard. The award recognizes schools in the area that have done good work on the courts and in the classroom.

This is not the first time the Hawks have been to the South Gwinnett campus, though. In 2012, the Hawks held an open practice at the school's gym. The practice session was all part of the NBA Cares program, which is an outreach initiative that addresses issues such as education, health and wellness.

For more information on the Hawks' work in the community, go to Hawks.com and the community section for a calendar of events, requesting appearances and learning more about the NBA Cares program. For more information on what the National Guard does or how to become part of this elite group, go to nationalguard.com

In Class AAAAAA, the Tift County boys and the Lowndes girls clinched No. 1 seeds out of Region 1 on Friday. The Brunswick boys grabbed a two seed and the Coffee boys took a No. 3 seed with a 57-47 win over Valdosta. The Lady Vikings

Photo by Ty Freeman

earned their No. 1 seed by knocking off Brunswick in the region championship 71-66. Region 1 awaits Region 3 in the opening round of the state playoffs. Tri-Cities vs. Douglas County and Westlake vs. Newnan sets up the boys semifinals matchups on Monday. 

On the girls side, Westlake and Newnan also play and Douglas County tips off a 4 p.m. with Hughes. Region 5 is in its semifinals on Monday and Tuesday will determine the region championship. Walton vs. Milton and Wheeler vs. Etowah sets up an intriguing boys semis in Region 5.

Region 2 and Region 6 have semifinal slates on Monday, but the remaining regions (Region 4, Region 7, Region 8) are all still in the quarterfinals and playoff berths are yet to be determined, besides the Pebblebrook boys and McEachern girls, which have byes into the semis.

In Class AAAAA, Region 1 will determine its seedings for the state playoffs on Monday. Northside-Columbus will take on Bainbridge in the boys championship and Northside-Columbus will take on Lee County in the girls region title game. In Region 3, Jenkins topped the Effingham County boys 72-68 on Friday to earn the top seed in the playoffs and the Effingham County girls pulled out a 43-41 win over Ware County to earn a No. 1 seed. Region 2 and Region 7 will play their semifinals on Monday and Region 4, Region 6 and Region 8 will play their quarterfinal matchups on Monday with the semifinals scheduled for Tuesday and the championships on Wednesday.

In Class AAAA, the Westover (Region 1) and Rutland (Region 2) boys clinched region titles this weekend as did Monroe (Region 1) and the Mary Persons (Region 2) girls. Region 3 will be off for Presidents Day and the semifinals will resume Tuesday with the championships scheduled for Wednesday. Region 4, Region 6 and Region 7 are still in the quarterfinals and Region 5 and 8 will play their semifinals on Monday.

The Johnson-Savannah boys and the Beach girls won the Region 1-AAA championship this weekend and playoff berths were clinched in every Class AAA region but Region 3, which plays its quarterfinals Monday.

In Class AA, the Pelham boys and girls swept the Region 1 title on Friday

Photo by Ty Freeman

and Vidalia swept boys and girls titles in Region 2. In Region 6, Greater Atlanta Christian will face Westminster in the boys championship on Monday and the Lady Spartans will face Lovett in the girls Region 6 championship. Region 8 is also in its championship round on Monday and Jefferson faces Greene County in the boys title game and Rabun County in the girls game. Regions 3-5 and Region 7 are still in the semifinals and will play their championships on Tuesday.

In Class A, Randolph-Clay and Turner County swept boys and girls region titles this weekend. Region 6 will play its championship on Monday and it will be the St. Francis boys taking on North Cobb Christian at 5:30 p.m. On the girls side, St. Francis faces Southwest Atlanta Christian in the Region 6 championship. Regions 3-5 and Regions 7-8 are in their semifinal rounds on Monday and it is worth noting that in Region 5, W.D. Mohammed upset and eliminated Mt. Vernon Presbyterian with a 58-56 victory on Saturday and advanced to the semifinals to face Landmark Christian on Monday.

FOR REGION BY REGION SCORES AND SCHEDULES GO HERE