Region basketball tournaments: What to watch

The longer the high school basketball postseason goes in Tennessee, the less forgiving it is.

In the district tournaments that wrapped up this week, teams could lose twice and still advance. But only the top two teams advance from the region tournaments, meaning there will be plenty of white-knuckle basketball in town over the next several days.

Here's a look at how the regions stack up. All quarterfinal games will be played at home of the higher-seeded team before moving to a central site for the semifinals and final.

Region 8-AAA

Host: Whitehaven

Boys storylines: A rematch of last year's state championship game could be on the cards with East and Southwind drawing the top seeds. The two-time defending state champion Mustangs have been playing with a renewed sense of purpose since dropping three in a row midway through the year and big-game experience won't be a problem. Southwind's only loss was against Olive Branch on Dec. 9, by one point. They have the tougher semifinal (either Germantown or Whitehaven) but if the Jags get through you can see two of the three Mr. Basketball finalists — Southwind's Mark Freeman and East's Alex Lomax — on the same floor.

Girls storylines: Houston dusted Southwind to win District 15 for the fourth time in five years as Jayla Hemingway and Destinee Wells combined for 53 points. But in order to reach the final they'll likely have to deal with Central, led by veteran standouts Jireh Washington and Johne' Stewart, in the semis. Whitehaven has an easier road to the final; the Tigers open against McDonald's All-American Elizabeth Dixon and Ridgeway before tangling with the East-Southwind winner.

Region 7-AAA

Host: Bolton

Boys storylines: Brighton and Cordova — the two No. 1 seeds — both are led by outstanding senior guards, Denver signee Taelyr Gatlin and Mr. Basketball finalist Tyler Harris respectively. The Cardinals look to have the harder draw, potentially matching up with a good Bartlett team in the semifinals. Cordova, meanwhile, will face the Bolton-Jackson Liberty Tech winner provided it doesn't lay an egg against Munford.

Girls storylines: Led by tournament MVP Lanetta Williams, Arlington rolled to the District 14 title, defeating Bartlett by 38 in the championship game Tuesday. The Tigers share the ball and get up and down the floor as well as anyone and will be hard to beat; since losing to Chattanooga Hamilton Heights on Jan. 27, Arlington has won seven in a row by an average of 46.4 points. Alabama signee Gabby Crawford and Munford are the favorites from the other side of the bracket which would mean a rematch of last year's final won by the Cougars.

Region 8-AA

Host: Trezevant

Boys storylines: The tournament is set up nicely for Will Smith's Hamilton team, which is 27-2 and has won 15 games in a row, all but one by double figures. Jordan Johnson and Martrell Brooks lead Hamilton, which could face Mitchell for the third time this season in the semis. Mitchell — which is looking to return to state for the seventh year in a row — hosts Fayette-Ware in a very good quarterfinal game, with the winner likely having to face DeMarius Boyd and Brownsville Haywood.

Girls storylines: This tournament features some terrific individual talent. Craigmont junior Akerria James dropped 35 points on Hamilton in the District 16 title game and has been consistently strong all year, as has Trezevant senior Sade Hudson (Tennessee-Martin). Brownsville Haywood's Jamirah Shutes will play at Memphis next year and she and her team should make it to the final. Craigmont should get past Fayette-Ware but will face a war against either Trezevant or Covington in the must-win semifinals.

Region 8-A

Host: Westwood

Boys storylines: Douglass lost to Cordova in the third game of the season and hasn't looked back; the Red Devils won their 24th in a row Wednesday against MASE in the District 15 final. Greg Williams' team can legitimately go 10-deep without any drop-off and is a scary sight when pressuring the length of the floor. W.E.B. DuBois is the other No. 1 seed and the Lions did not play well in losing to Douglass in the SCIAA county title game. They'd love another shot.

Girls storylines: Booker T. Washington and Oakhaven met in the SCIAA county championship game on Feb. 10 and it will be a surprise if there's not a rematch the championship. The Warriors have gotten strong play all season from Derrinesha Jackson, Carneesia Griggs and Tramesha Rogers. Oakhaven, which lost to BTW in the county final, will counter with 6-1 junior standout Chancey Jackson and Diamond Nelson, who has averaged 18.5 points and 15 rebounds in the last two games.

Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas