Monthly Archives: January 2018

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Peach State Stops of the Week (1/1-1-6)

People always ask me, “What’s the best game in town this week?”

Peach State Stops of the Week will highlight some of the best basketball being played in Georgia for the current week. Whether it’s a tournament/showcase, a region rivalry, a Top 10 showdown, or a seldom heard sleeper, Peach State Stops of the Week will let you know what gym you need to get into

THURSDAY

No. 5 Northview at No. 6 Alpharetta [G]

The established Lady Titans (10-3) visit the upstart Lady Raiders (12-1) led by Mississippi Valley State-commit Sydnie Ward. The transfer from Tennessee averages over 17 points per game and has given Coach David Walden a major boost and has diversified the Raider offense, six players averaging over 5 points per game. Inside, the Maduka sisters GoGo and JuJu, will have to slow down No. 5 Northview’s Ashlee Austin and Maya Richards. Austin, 6-foot-2, is averaging over 19 points and 10 rebounds per game while Richards, 6-foot-1, averages a physical 8.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. Young guards Eden Sample and Asjah Inniss will be crucial for the Titans. Sample, a freshman, is averaging over 13 points per game while Innis, a sophomore, is producing close to 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Croix Bethune, Kendall Phillips, Jalyn Tillerson and Grace Knutsen will all be asked to attack Northview’s guards and get them in foul trouble. The winner will be in the driver’s seat in Region 7-AAAAAA.

FRIDAY

No. 4 Lithonia at No. 6 Miller Grove

No. 4 Lithonia (14-3) has a golden opportunity to push themselves atop Region 5-AAAAA if they can go into the Purple Palace and knock off No. 6 Miller Grove (8-6). The Bulldogs will have to match Miller Grove’s size inside. Kevin Paige and Jermon Clark are imposing figures but junior Justin Myles is a 6-foot-7 shot-blocking ace that protects Lithonia’s rim. Senior Ziven Alexander has been aggressive attacking the hoop while Brison Rockcliffe and Eric Gaines round out a balanced attack. Maurice Harvey has paced the Wolverine offense with 16 points per game alongside Lorenzo Anderson who has taken on the role of scoring guard, averaging 14.4 points. TJ Stargell has orchestrated the offense and will have to deal with the defensive pressures of Sydarius Stinson and Tasim Sims.

SATURDAY

No. 10 Cartersville at LaGrange

After a slow start to the season, the Grangers (10-4) have won 5-straight highlighted by a win over Class 5A No. 10 McIntosh 72-71 at the Toyota Classic. Senior guard Bo Russell has taken on the burden of scoring the ball with help from Jordan Ogletree and Daz Williams. Covan Huzzie is one of many Grangers that can stroke the three-ball. LaGrange will have a chance to earn their way into the Top 10 if they can defend homecourt against Region 5-AAAA rival No. 10 Cartersville (8-2). The Grangers swept Cartersville last year, but will have to deal with Furman-signee Jaylon Pugh yet again. The All-State guard is coming off an All-Tournament Team selection at the Lake City Classic where he poured in nine three-pointers en route to 38 points against Millbrook, NC. He is joined by TJ Horton and Perignon Dyer in the backcourt while Isaac Gridley is most productive in the paint. Expect Russell and Pugh to trade baskets all night.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-2-18

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 6 Mountain View 67, Mt. Bethel 53: Naheim Alleyne led Mountain View with 20 points, followed by Jalen Hayes with 16, Spencer Rodgers with 15, and Miles Long with 8 at the Big South Shootout. Mt. Bethel was led by Jaquez Gilbert’s five three-pointers and 22 points.

No. 8 Wheeler 59, Duluth 57: Duluth surged late in the second half but it wasn’t enough as EJ Montgomery was fed the ball in the paint and slammed it home to give Wheeler the lead with 1.7 seconds remaining in the game at the Big South Shootout. EJ Montgomery scored 24 and Austin Johnson had 20 of his own for Wheeler. Christian Kelly scored 18 points and Adam Flagler added 17 points for Duluth.

No. 10 Meadowcreek 60, Lincoln (FL) 53: At the Big South Shootout, Jamir Chaplin led Meadowcreek in the winning effort, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Emmanuel Collier went 4-for-5 from behind the arc to add 12 points, while Kedrick Green led Meadowcreek with 6 assists to bolster his 9 points on the day.

East Coweta 55, Milton 51: Fernandez Jones led East Coweta with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Chris Youngblood contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals while Brandon Stroud added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a solid AAAAAAA win for East Coweta at the Big South Shootout.

Class AAAAAA

No. 5 Gainesville 94, 5ANo. 2 Warner Robins 81: Jabo Bledson shoots 67% from the field (14-of-21) to lead Gainesville with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kejuan Hale added 16 points, Jarred Rosser 15 points, and KJ Buffen 14 points. Warner Robins was led by Jacolbey Owens’s 23 points and Nelson Phillips’s 10 points at the Big South Shootout.

No. 6 Dacula 82, North Clayton 60: Brenden Tucker scored 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Quincy Ademokoya dropped 19 points, while Arusha Hunter had 14 points for the Falcons in the Big South Shootout. Xavier Valley led all scorers with 22 points, and Joseph Wimbley added 15 points for North Clayton.

Cass 54, Woodland-Cartersville 29: Carter Hedden led Cass with 14 points, while Justice Hayes had 12 points. Jaylen Ballard led Woodland with 9 points.

Class AAAAA

Paulding County 102, East Paulding 79: Tyron Summerour had 23 points and  9 rebounds, Elijah Brown had 12 points, and KJ Shade had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Kevin Brown’s 11 points, Mike Seymour 10 points, and Jalen Sowells 10 points round out the double-digits scorers for Paulding County’s offensive showcase.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Sandy Creek 76, 5ANo. 10 McIntosh 53: TJ Bickerstaff led all scorers with 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Xavier Brewer had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks; Jared Godfrey had 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Kam Miller stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals for Sandy Creek. Chaz Hardin led McIntosh with 17 points and 4 rebounds, Cole Guenther had 8 points, and Bruce Carpenter had 6 points.

No. 4 Mary Persons 88, Veterans 48: Tre Edge led the scoring with 24 points, while Cam Holden recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Dee Morton added 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Desmond Williams added another 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Troup County 69, Chapel Hill 35: Jay Jefferson had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first half. Tristan Ware, King Mwikuita, and Andy Boykin had 8 points and a few rebounds apiece.  

Class AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 67, Franklin County 37: Tyrin Lawrence had 25 points and Alec Woodard scored 16 points in the win for Morgan County.

No. 5 GAC 82, Lumpkin County 22: Junior Hunter McIntosh scored 26 points to get him over the 1000-career point mark in the beatdown of Lumpkin County.

No. 6 Westside-Macon 60, Southwest-Macon 53: Westside-Macon was able to take care of business without Khavon Moore behind the 24 points and 11 rebounds of Greg Holloway and 14 points and 9 rebounds of Omar Jones.

No. 9 Central-Macon 67, Pike County 41: Kylan Hill led Central-Macon with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

East Jackson 73, Hart County 56: Kobe Haley led East Jackson with 22 points, Xavier Clark had 21 points, Makayl Rakestraw scored 15 points.

Long County 79, 2ANo. 8 Jeff Davis 56: Henry Blair led all scorers with 32 points, Terry Smith scored and even 10, and Stephan Hugley and Cristian Bass both contributed 9 points for Long County.

Class AA

No. 4 Banks County 81, Social Circle 63: Carl Cleveland and Dylan Orr led Banks County with 23 points apiece, the latter of whom also added 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Darrius Bonds (12 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) and Gabe Martin (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) also had solid nights to help Banks County stay unbeaten in the region.

No. 9 Elbert County 54, Putnam County 42: AJ James and Ty Hill led the charge for Elbert with 20 and 13 points, respectively.

Monticello 74, Oglethorpe County 61: Ashton Bonner accounted for more than half of Monticello’s points with 41 on the night. Malik Crawford added 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Northeast-Macon 57, Dodge County 54: DeMarcus Caines accounted for 29 of Dodge County’s points in the losing effort, followed by Nick Cummings’s 10 points and RJ Carr’s 5 points.

Class A-Private

No. 2 Aquinas 57, Creekside 47: DaJuan Hill led Aquinas with a 13-11 double-double, while Trent Bowdre added 11 points and 6 assists.

Walker 40, No. 4 King’s Ridge 35: Drew Miller led Walker with 15 points, Omar Cooper scored 10 points, and Burke Chebuhar scored 8 points.

Lakeview Academy 80, Hebron Christian 54: Blake McIntyre led Lakeview with 25 points and 8 rebounds, Adam Cottrell had 15 points and 5 assists, and Evan Pitts added an even 10 points.  

Class A-Public

No. 1 Central-Talbotton 64, Hawkinsville 52: Javares Copeland scored 21 points, ZyTavian Hill scored 17 points, and JaQuavius Smith had 12 points for Central-Talbotton.

No. 2 Manchester 71, Taylor County 45: Jah’Nile Hill had 19 points and 7 assists while Kalil Brawner had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in the win for Manchester.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

Class AAAAAA

No. 2 Lovejoy 55, 5ANo. 1 Buford 49: Lovejoy continues its streak of impressive play topping AAAAA favorite Buford behind Genesis Bryant’s 20 points and Anaya Boyd’s 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Cass 60, Woodland 24: Lyric Curtis led for Cass with 10 points, while the trio of Kyla Michienzi, Aaliyah Curtis, and Alexis Ware each had 9 points in the win.

Class AAAAA

Class AAAA

LaGrange 48, Central-Carrollton 44 OT: LaGrange opens up region play with a victory over the Central-Carrollton Lions. The Lions were led by the 17 points and 8 rebounds of Haley Fehring and Teonna Thomasson’s 10 points.

Sandy Creek 43, McIntosh 38: Da’ja Powell dominated the stat sheet with 22 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Paris Thompson helped the winning effort with 11 points, 7 steals, and 2 blocks. Rylee Calhoun led McIntosh with 19 points while Kennedi Miller dropped 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Class AAA

No. 5 Central Macon 68, Pike County 25: The Lady Chargers kicked off 2018 the right way led by Jada Clowers’s 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Central Macon had three other players in double digits: ReNesha Goolsby (15 points), JeNya Wilder (14 points, 6 rebounds), and Nakayia Greene (10 points, 5 rebounds).

No. 7 Haralson County 72, Spring Garden (AL) 50: Alexis Boykin led the Lady Rebels with 20 points, while Indiya Smith and Claire Robinson each chipped in 17 points in the victory.

No. 8 Hart County 58, East Jackson 37: Torrion Starks led Hart County with 26 points, Taniya Alexander scored 12 points, and Shakendra Grove had 11 points. Marissa Thomas led East Jackson with 16 points.

Class AA

Elbert County 54, No. 2 Putnam County 52: Niya Shumaker scored 21 points, Miya Turman had 15 points, and Maggie Campbell scored 7 in the upset win for Elbert County.

No. 4 Rabun County 75, Stephens County 55: Georgia Stockton scored 26 points and 7 rebounds, Hanna Cannon had 10 points, and Destiny Deetz was a point shy of a double-double with 9 points and 12 boards for Rabun County. Tykia Thompson scored 10 points and Tiana Teasley scored 9 points for Stephens County in the loss.

No. 6 Josey 54, Westside 43: Ebony Clark led Josey with 16 points, and Deajah Houck contributed 12 points to the winning effort.

No. 8 Banks County 80, Social Circle 34: Jaycie Bowen led the Lady Leopards with 20 points, Maddie Thomas scored 15 points, Allison Smith had 15 points, and Amber Williams had 9 points.

Class A-Private

No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian 59, Athens Christian 42: The Lady Wolverines had three scorers in double digits: Madison Britt (15 points), Ansley Hall (14 points), and Janie Henderson (11 points).

Lakeview Academy 59, Hebron Christian 34: Sadie Thrailkill scored 18 for Lakeview, followed closely by teammates Savanna Kinsey (11) and Maddie Towles (10).

Class A-Public

No. 1 Telfair County 74, Clinch County 61: India Wells exploded for 27 points, while Brandy Mackey scored 13 points, NyAsia Howard had 9, and Shalan Nelson scored 8 points in the win for Telfair.

No. 10 Athens Academy 36, George Walton Academy 30: Freshman Rose Bone dropped a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Greer Moseley contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 7 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (11-1)
  2. Collins Hill (13-2)
  3. Norcross (12-3)
  4. Newton (11-2)
  5. Cherokee (12-2)
  6. North Forsyth (11-2)
  7. South Gwinnett (12-1)
  8. Colquitt County (11-3)
  9. North Cobb (11-2)
  10. McEachern (7-4) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (10-3)
  2. Lovejoy (13-1)
  3. Winder-Barrow (9-3)
  4. Sequoyah (10-1)
  5. Northview (10-3)
  6. Alpharetta (12-1)
  7. Forest Park (12-2)
  8. Lanier (10-3)
  9. River Ridge (10-3)
  10. Northside-Warner Robins (9-2)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (9-1)
  2. Flowery Branch (11-3)
  3. Dutchtown (14-2)
  4. Harris County (10-2)
  5. Bainbridge (15-2)
  6. Villa Rica (10-0)
  7. Arabia Mountain (11-1)
  8. Ware County (8-2)
  9. Rome (8-1)
  10. Carrollton (8-4) 

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (15-1)
  2. Henry County (13-0)
  3. Spalding (11-2)
  4. Luella (11-3)
  5. Northwest Whitfield (11-2)
  6. Baldwin (11-0)
  7. Madison County (8-5)
  8. Marist (10-2)
  9. Americus-Sumter (12-1)
  10. Jefferson (10-4) 

Class AAA

  1. Greater Atlanta Christian (9-3)
  2. Beach (11-1)
  3. Johnson-Savannah (8-3)
  4. Franklin County (13-0)
  5. Central-Macon (10-2)
  6. Lovett (10-3)
  7. Haralson County (9-0)
  8. Hart County (8-4)
  9. Peach County (8-3)
  10. Tattnall County (9-4) 

Class AA

  1. Laney (13-0)
  2. Putnam County (11-0)
  3. Dodge County (10-1)
  4. Rabun County (10-2)
  5. Swainsboro (9-2)
  6. Josey (13-1)
  7. Model (10-3)
  8. Banks County (10-3)
  9. Washington County (9-3)
  10. Southwest-Macon (7-3) 

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (12-1)
  2. Wesleyan (11-1)
  3. St. Francis (8-3)
  4. Our Lady of Mercy (11-1)
  5. Calvary Day (12-1)
  6. Stratford Academy (9-2)
  7. Prince Avenue Christian (9-1)
  8. Landmark Christian (6-7)
  9. Christian Heritage (10-3)
  10. Athens Academy (9-2) 

Class A-Public

  1. Telfair County (11-1)
  2. Greenville (11-1)
  3. Pelham (9-1)
  4. Wheeler County (9-2)
  5. Macon County (8-2)
  6. Terrell County (9-2)
  7. Marion County (12-1)
  8. Georgia Military College (11-0)
  9. Turner County (7-3)
  10. Wilcox County (7-4)

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018. With national schedules in play, a handful of teams in Class AAAAAAA lost, but there is no movement in amongst the poll. No. 1 Westlake suffered their first loss of the year to nationally ranked No. 10 Mercer County, KY 77-73. No. 2 Collins Hill lost to No. 4 Riverdale, TN 70-61. No. 5 Cherokee lost in the Deep South Classic Championship to Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ by 23 while No. 7 South Gwinnett cruised past Class 3A No. 8 Hart County 70-45.

Class AAAAAA No. 5 Northview sinks three spots after losing to Hillgrove in the opening round of the Deep South Classic, 58-47. The Lady Titans rebounded with wins over Dacula (57-49) and Class 4A No. 7 Madison County (53-50). No. 1 Harrison went 2-1 at the KSA Holiday Tournament while No. 2 Lovejoy swept through the FBI Classic, posting a 3-0 mark.  No. 7 Forest Park went 2-0 at the Ball N Prep Invitational. Centennial (8-5) exits the poll after a week following a 1-2 showing out of state. The Knights are replaced by No. 9 River Ridge, who cracks the rankings for the first time. Sophomore transfer Savannah Samuel has been one of Cherokee County’s best players, dumping in 19.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game from her swingman position. The 6-foot Collins Hill transfer is a game-changer in Region 6.

No. 2 Flowery Branch romped its way to another Lanierland championship in Class AAAAA, beating East Hall for the title 64-44. No. 3 Dutchtown went 2-1 at the Holiday Basketball Classic in Palm Beach, one win coming via forfeit. No. 10 Carrollton slides two spots after a 1-2 showing at the Boo Williams Christmas Classic. Cedar Shoals’ (9-5) time in the poll was short-lived. The Lady Jaguars are out after losses to Class 3A No. 5 Central-Macon and Class 2A No. 9 Washington County. No. 9 Rome debuts in the rankings, coming off an impressive 74-71 win over Class 4A No. 4 Luella at Philips Arena.

Class AAAA front-runner No. 1 Carver-Columbus took their first loss at the Ball N Prep Invitational, losing to Alabama power Ramsay 68-46. No. 2 Henry County won the Chuck Miller Classic by besting Parkview 66-36. No. 7 Madison County has played one of the hardest schedules in the classification. They went 1-2 at the Deep South Classic, losing to Brookwood in 3OT 96-93 and to Class 6A No. 5 Northview 53-50. No. 6 Baldwin is on the move, up two spots after beating Class 3A No. 5 Central-Macon 66-62. No. 9 Americus-Sumter is hot, moving to 12-1. The Lady Panthers took out a good Tift County team 37-30 at the Ronalda Pierce Classic.

In Class AAA, No. 1 GAC dropped two games in Naples to No. 10 Mercer County, KY 84-68 and to Male, KY 74-64. No. 4 Franklin County made easy work in Augusta, going 3-0 at the Monterrey Christmas Classic, drilling Grovetown (43-19) and Cross Creek (49-23). No. 5 Central-Macon survived its gauntlet, going 2-1. The Lady Chargers defeated Class 2A No. 9 Washington County for the second time this year 53-49 and beat previously ranked Cedar Shoals 49-45 before falling to Baldwin. Dawson County (8-5) falls out of the Top 10 as the Lady Tigers await for Kaylee Sticker’s return. They finished 1-2 at the Cherokee, NC Christmas Tournament. No. 10 Tattnall County moves back into the poll.

As each week passes by, No. 2 Putnam County looks more and more like a true state title contender in Class AA. The War Eagles had a great week, beating Class 6A No. 10 Northside-Warner Robins (57-56), Upson-Lee (64-48) and Griffin (59-50). No. 4 Rabun County slips one spot after losing to undefeated Mountain Heritage, NC, 71-53. No. 9 Washington County defeated Cedar Shoals 52-47. Dublin (7-2) departs from the rankings to make way for debutant No. 10 Southwest-Macon, who beat the Irish 68-41 at home. The Lady Patriots’ only losses this season have come against ranked opponents: Central-Macon 55-31, at Washington County 61-57 and at No. 5 Swainsboro 63-52.

Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ won the Deep South Classic by beating Dacula (68-35), Hillgrove (68-48) and in the championship game, Class 7A No. 5 Cherokee 58-35. No. 2 Wesleyan went 3-0 at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational. No. 9 Christian Heritage plummets four spots after losing to Pickens 50-45 and to Coahulla Creek 56-52.  No. 8 Landmark Christian had a tough week but holds firm at No. 8 after going 0-3 in their out-of-state tournament.  Lakeview Academy (6-6) disappointed at Lanierland, going 1-2, losing to North Hall (53-46) and Chestatee (56-38), forcing the Lady Lions out of the Top 10. They are replaced by returnee and Region 8 foe No. 10 Athens Academy. The Lady Spartans earned a nice 44-37 win over Galloway.

Not much is going on in Class A-Public other than Woodville-Tompkins’ (9-5) slide out of the Top 10 after being ranked No. 6 last week following their 46-44 win over No. 6 Terrell County on Dec 22. The Lady Wolverines were upset by Emanuel County Institute 48-40. They are replaced by familiar face No. 10 Wilcox County. Elsewhere in the poll, No. 9 Turner County is getting in a grove. Outside of a bad 75-57 loss to Crisp County, the Lady Rebels dispatched of Treutlen 58-45 and more impressively, Fitzgerald 61-60.