Southwest's boys are finally back in the postseason hunt

This year, the Southwest boys basketball team will achieve something it has not done since the 2009-10 season -- finish with a winning record.

But that's not the only prize on the line for the Patriots with four games remaining in the regular season. They're still in a race for a regular-season region title as they finds themselves one game behind Central in GHSA Region 2-AAA play.

After both Southwest (14-5, 10-2) and Central (17-2, 10-1) won in double-digit fashion Tuesday night, both reached 10 wins in region. But even though the Patriots are only one game back in the race for a regular-season title, the Chargers hold the tiebreaker after winning both regular-season matchups -- a 70-61 victory Dec. 8 and double-overtime 80-76 win Saturday.

Although they might have lost the tiebreaker to Central, the Patriots currently own an advantage for second place over Westside (15-4, 10-2) after their 71-59 win Nov. 24. But that may change after Friday night when the Patriots visit the Seminoles in a pivotal regional matchup.

Southwest head coach Robert Worthy said he has been "extremely happy with the season we've had thus far," even with the two losses to the region-leading Chargers.

"I'm extremely excited about where we are as a program," Worthy said. "All the other few losses we've had has been to probably a AAAA or AAAAA. We're playing against good competition, and I'm hopeful it will help us when we get to region time."

But stiff competition won't be the only aspect helping Southwest as it approaches postseason play. The Patriots boast two players -- junior Nick Hargrove and senior Justin Slocum -- who average more than 20 points per game, better than two-thirds of the Patriots' 66.3-point average per game.

"I would definitely say those two are the ones that kind of get things going for us," Worthy said of Hargove and Slocum.

Hargrove transferred to Southwest after playing for the GCAA's Bible Baptist Christian, where he averaged 30.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 6.1 steals per game. In 19 games at Southwest, the junior is averaging 20.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds.

Worthy called Hargrove a "real sparkplug" for Southwest, but he's not the only one making plays for the Patriots. Slocum, who Worthy said has played "phenomenal" on both ends, rounds out the dynamic duo, averaging a double-double on the year with 21.5 points and 12.6 rebounds.

And while Hargrove and Slocum will be valuable for Southwest in the postseason, Worthy said he believes the close games the team has been a part of this season will be beneficial, as well.

Seven of Southwest's 19 games have been decided by six points or less, with the Patriots winning six. Five of the past eight Southwest games have been decided by fewer than four points, and the Patriots' lone loss in that stretch was the double-overtime game against Central.

"One of the things we pride ourselves on is never quitting," Worthy said. "No matter whether we are down or up, our philosophy is we're going to play to win. Fortunately this year, we've been on the winning side in many of those close games."

After it travels to Westside, Southwest finishes with three more region games against Spencer, Jordan, and Kendrick, a trio with a combined 14 wins, the same as the Patriots alone on the season.

"We feel extremely good about where we are in the region at this time," Worthy said. "And one of the things we want to do is hopefully be peaking when our region (tournament) play starts. We look forward to having the opportunity to participate and hopefully advance on to the state playoffs."

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 8:59 PM with the headline "Southwest's boys are finally back in the postseason hunt ."