Richmond Hill beat Effingham County 53-45 on Thursday to advance to the Region 2-AAAA semifinals. The win qualifies the Wildcats for the state playoffs for the first time in eight years.

D'Angelo Johnson led RHHS with 18 points. Vernon Jackson added 13 for the Wildcats, who improved to 18-9.

Richmond Hill plays Greenbrier tonight. The winner plays Saturday against the winner of Brunswick and Statesboro.

In Portal at the Region 3-A tourney, the No. 4 Bryan County Lady Redskins beat Savannah Country Day 62-51 behind 17 points from Olivia Melvin and 10 from Tiffany Howard. The win clinched a return spot in the Class A playoffs for the Lady Redskins (23-3), who play in the semifinals at 4 p.m. against Savannah Christian.

Patrick Donahue contributed to this report.