Estill fell to Bethune-Bowman 58-50 on Friday and dropped to second place in the region.
But don't count the Gators out as boys basketball region champs. They have four games left, including three region games. If they win out, there is a possibility they could still be on top in the region.
"There could be a three-way tie," said coach J.J. Orr. "It would be shocking to me if there isn't a three-way tie between Estill, Bethune-Bowman and Calhoun County."
If there is a three-way tie, then non-region games would count. If Estill beats Ridgeland on Saturday, it would have the most points in non-region games, which could in turn, make them No. 1 in Region 5-A. From now on every game counts.
Against Bethune-Bowman it was tit for tat all night. Estill was able to eek out a four-point halftime lead, but the Mohawks came on strong in the second half. With 1:59 on the clock in the third quarter the score was 38-38.
In the fourth quarter, with just over seven minutes left, Estill had taken a 41-40 lead. With 2:55 on the clock, Bethune Bowman was up 51-47. From there the Mohawks just built on their lead, ending strong with a 58-50 victory.
"I felt like the kids didn't play with the intensity they should have," said Orr. "It's a game we should have and could have won. "
Another factor in the game was that Bethune-Bowman was given more free throw opportunities than Estill and the Mohawks made the most of them. Bethune-Bowman was awarded 10 free throws in the fourth quarter and made all of them.
Jervony Hutchinson had an outstanding night for the Gators, scoring 17 points. Lamar Brown and Louis Williams from Estill each had 11 points and Trenton O'Banner scored nine.
Still it wasn't enough. The Mohawks Andrew Williams scored 31 points alone.
Earlier in the week Estill had a 70-22 region win against Branchville and wrapped up the week with a rival region win over Allendale-Fairfax, 66-54.

Estill faces Denmark-Olar (2-10, 2-6) this Friday. The team averages 62.4 points per game while Estill averages 61.2 points. Estill faces rival Ridgeland (10-7, 3-3) in a non-region game on Saturday. The team averages 58.2 points per game but Estill may not have to contend with Brenton Walker, who averages 14.7 points per game. Walker ws out with a knee injury last week. The Ridgeland game could prove to be crucial if there is a three-way tie in the region.
Estill also faces Bamberg-Ehrhardt (7-9, 1-2) next Tuesday in a region game. Bamberg-Ehrhardt averages 47.6 points per game.