Category Archives: GHSA Basketball

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-30-19

BOYS

AAAAAAA

No. 3 Meadowcreek 60, Berkmar 51: USF-signee Jamir Chaplin went for 26 points and 4 rebounds. Temple-signee Damian Dunn had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. UAB-signee Jalen Benjamin and Kedrick Green scored 7 points apiece.

No. 9 Shiloh 72, No. 7 Newton 65: Toneari Lane powered in 21 points while Josiah Agnew netted 17 in the win. Armani Harris (22) and Tyrease Brown (19) paced the Rams.

Campbell 63, Newnan 55: Terrell Burden had 25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Brandon Deravine chipped in 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Drew Thomas added 8 points and 8 rebounds. Derreon Martin netted 8 points and grabbed 3 steals. Newnan was led by Tay Watson’s 20 points and Harrison Drake’s 14.

AAAAAA

No. 7 Sprayberry 103, Sequoyah 101 OT: Sequoyah closed on a 14-2 run to force overtime but the Chiefs fell short after a late Myles McGee turnover. Jaylin Galloway led Sprayberry with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Matt Jenkins had 20 points and 11 assists. Saigon Kitt scored 15 points. DJ Patrick had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals while Justin Day had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Shamar Joseph hit 4 threes en route to 12 points. Donovan Shipp led Sequoyah with 30 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. McGee had 29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals but went 2-of-9 from the foul line. Jacksen Greco dumped in 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. DJ King collected 6 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks.

Alcovy 72, Grovetown 68: Oliver Gerard had 26 points in the win. Terrel Steele netted 11.

Greenbrier 57, Heritage-Conyers 51: Josh Guilford (16) and Trelan Scott (14) led the Patriots in their upset loss.

AAAAA

No. 1 Buford 70, Loganville 54: Oklahoma State-signee Marcus Watson had 23 points and 9 rebounds. Wingate-signee Donell Nixon scored 12 points along with Bobby Miller.

Cedar Shoals 60, Johnson-Gainesville 27: Tyler Johnson (13), Quincy Canty (12) and Quintyis Dillard (11) paced the Jaguars.

Hiram 61, Cass 58: The Hornets finally won back-to-back games for the first time since December 1st behind Nathan Presnell’s 26 points, 15 rebounds and 2 steals. Javyen Brown scored 14 points. In the loss, Jacquez Fountain had 21 points. Justice Hayes and Ethan Carter scored 13 points apiece.

Stockbridge 80, Locust Grove 47: Trillis Brown and Khobe Comer scored 15 points apiece. Jasier Golatt (13) and Quinton Brown (11) both cracked double digits.

AAAA

No. 2 Sandy Creek 84, LaGrange 53: Drexel-signee TJ Bickerstaff had 26 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists while Julian Alexander had 21 points and 4 steals. DeShone Proctor added 11 points and 7 rebounds. Jabari Smith had 10 points and 9 rebounds. Keith Williams finished with 8 points and 5 assists.

No. 3 St. Pius X 69, North Oconee 48: Matt Gonzalo returned to action with 23 points.

No. 5 Americus-Sumter 73, Shaw 53: In the loss, Dylan Harris had 14 points. Greg Grant and Darnell Morgan had 8 points apiece. Brandon Murphy scored 6 points. Rod Winfrey had 5 points and 6 assists. Jhalil Parker had 4 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Cartersville 79, Chapel Hill 75: Isaac Gridley had 15 points and 16 rebounds. Perignon Dyer posted 29 points and 4 steals.

AAA

No. 7 Westside-Macon 86, Jackson 71: Javian Mosley had 24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Des Foston posted 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Kowacie Reeves Jr. scored 15 points while Zaylon Carey had 10. Rico Campbell had 7 points and 6 rebounds while Jonta Balkcom had 6 points and 5 rebounds.

Cedar Grove 51, Lovett 44: Kanaris Cummings led the Saints with 11 points. Jakeem Faulkner (8), Chris Carter (6), Jamarcus Glover (6) and Devon Barnes (5) balanced the offense. Lovett was led by Lance Beck’s 16 points and Nick Jackson’s 9.

AA

Banks County 71, Union County 63: Carl Cleveland had 29 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. Pierce Martin had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Wes Ledford (9) and Clay Gosnell (8) chipped in on offense.

A-Private

No. 4 Mt. Bethel 82, King’s Ridge 56: Coleman Boyd had 26 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. Alex Langford scored 19 points. Jordan Meka netted 15.

No. 5 Walker 91, George Walton Academy 78: Unsigned senior Brelan Holston pumped in 35 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals in the loss.

No. 9 Lakeview Academy 59, Athens Academy 56: Blake McIntyre had 21 points and 7 rebounds on Senior Night. Adam Cottrell posted 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. KJ Millwood contributed 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Bryce Blackwell had 3 points and 3 assists.

Non-GHSA

New Creation 92, Cumberland Christian 77: Alex Reives had a career-high 28 points.

 

GIRLS

AAAAAAA

No. 5 Grayson 78, South Gwinnett 27: Nyelle Lee had 12 points while Jazmin Robinson posted 11 points and 6 assists. Catherine Alben finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Marietta 57, Hillgrove 53: Charlay Conway scored 17 points while Lauren Walker and Eva Knox scored 10 apiece in the win over Hillgrove. Breah McGrady led the Hawks with 17 points while Georgia College-commit Michelle Smith scored 12.

AAAAAA

Sequoyah 72, Sprayberry 47: Brown-signee Sydney Rosant finished with 15 points. Tatum Dondanville had a season-high 14 points. Aryn Jackson contributed 11 points and 4 steals while Deja Rakestraw tabbed 5 steals.

Heritage-Conyers 65, Greenbrier 34: Sade Harrell scored a game-high 19 points while Jayla Jeffries and Ashley Roberts had 11 points apiece.

Grovetown 56, Alcovy 45: Liana Poole scored 16 points in the loss.

AAAAA

No. 2 Villa Rica 76, Rome 39: Kentucky-signee Deasia Merrill and Dekyia Cofield scored 19 points apiece. Tee Windom added 12.

Cass 63, Hiram 45: The Colonels recorded their 20th win behind Amber Brittian’s 16 points and Londaisha Smith’s 12. Sharia Wade (11), Payton Stoddard (8) and Alexis Ware (8) all chipped in.

AAAA

North Oconee 42, St. Pius X 40: Jenna Tulenko scored 14 points including the buzzer beater to edge St. Pius X. Ansley Hall had 4 assists. Tatum Thompson scored 10 points and Bella Ripley posted 7 points and 7 rebounds.

Cartersville 43, Chapel Hill 31: A’mya Davis and London Shaw scored 11 and 8 points, respectively.

AAA

No. 8 GAC 83, East Hall 43: Kayleigh Addie poured in 34 points. Liberty-signee Kennedi Williams had 11 assists and 8 steals.

AA

Union County 39, No. 8 Banks County 36: Ava Hunter scored 15 points followed by Kait McCarter’s 11 and Brooke Dockrey’s 10 in an upset of Banks County. The Leopards were led by Georgia College-signee Jaycie Bowen. Amber Williams scored 7 points while Heather Vaughan, Kennedy Smith and Pollie Simpson all added 6.

Temple 42, Heard County 37: Temple clinched their first winning season since 2006-07 under Coach Jake Shirley. Ruby Collins (11), Tori Chivers (9), Amiya McDaniel (9) led the way.

A-Private

No. 5 Lakeview Academy 72, Athens Academy 52: Eliza Snyder poured in 21 points while Joelle Snyder had 12 in the win. Maddy Towles (8), Jasmine Howard (7), Jackie Allen (6) and Savannah Kinsey (6) all chipped in. Sadie Thrailkill added 5 points and 5 rebounds. Athens Academy got 26 points and 14 rebounds from Ali Rumpel in the loss. Betul Arpinar scored 7 points.

No. 7 Mt. Paran 77, Whitefield Academy 28: Kara Dunn (20), Jasiah Washington (13) and Sydnee Brothers (11) paced the Eagles.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 7 Sprayberry survives OT shootout at Sequoyah, 103-101

No. 7 Sprayberry 103, Sequoyah 101 OT

Sequoyah Sprayberry

Following an explosive 96-88 first meeting back on January 5th, No. 7 Sprayberry (21-3, 14-1) and Sequoyah (18-6, 11-4) met in the War Lodge for an important Region 6-AAAAAA bout. With temperatures dropping to below freezing, the two offensive-minded clubs set Hickory Flat ablaze with one of the most entertaining games of the season.

The Chiefs got off to a quick start, leading 4-0 behind a Myles McGee breakaway slam, but Sprayberry saw DJ Patrick hit his first of the team’s 11 threes to get the Yellow Jackets on the board.

Sequoyah and Sprayberry traded baskets at a breakneck pace, but there was some defense sprinkled in as Patrick erased a DJ King layup attempt.

Justin Day ignited an 11-2 run with an offensive rebound and put-back which helped the Jackets push their lead to 27-19.

At the end of one, Sprayberry held a 27-21 lead as Patrick scored nine of his 14 points in the opening frame to pace the Yellow Jackets.

The Chiefs kept close as the trio of McGee, Donovan Shipp and Jacksen Greco attacked the basket, Greco floating in a shot in traffic to cut the Sprayberry lead to 42-36 with 2:28 left in the second.

But while Sequoyah slashed into the lane, Sprayberry bombed from deep with Shamar Joseph coming off the bench to nail three three-pointers in a row, building the Jacket advantage to 48-38. Sprayberry sank seven trifectas in the first half, but McGee buried a buzzer beater to send the Chiefs into the break down 50-41.

Sequoyah came out and trimmed the deficit to 52-46 but, but Sprayberry answered with a 9-2 run to extend the lead back to 61-48 at the 6:05 mark of the third quarter. 6-foot-5 sophomore Jaylin Galloway, younger brother of former Buford/Milton post Kyrin Galloway (UNCG), started to make his presence felt around the rim, balancing Sprayberry’s perimeter orientated offense by scoring eight points in the paint. Galloway’s bucket with 2:50 left gave Sprayberry a 69-56 lead before Sequoyah turned the tables.

The Chiefs ripped off an 8-0 run in a span of 1:36 to close the gap to 69-64 as Shipp and McGee carried the offense, scoring 10 and 9 points, respectively, while King brought his trademark high energy and athleticism on defense.

Sprayberry regained momentum after a defensive break down led to Joseph’s fourth three of the night as the Yellow Jackets took a 75-66 lead into the fourth.

The Yellow Jackets saw Matt Jenkins score six points in the quarter to help Sprayberry build an 85-73 lead with 4:14 remaining as the Jackets were on the verge of running Sequoyah out of the gym but over the final 254 seconds, the Chiefs’ aggressive press finally cracked Sprayberry.

A wild 14-2 run saw Sequoyah tie the game at 87 at the 1:18 mark after McGee cashed in on an And-1 but missed his free throw and saw Greco swoop in for the offensive rebound and game-tying put-back.

Sequoyah came away with a steal from McGee but he and King botched point-blank layup attempts with only one Sprayberry defender in initial position. The Chiefs missed another bunny up close but retained possession after a loose ball scramble with the arrow pointing in favor of the home team with 19.1 seconds remaining.

Shipp sliced to the basket with under 10 seconds to play and was denied by Galloway who collected the block and pitched ahead to Day who airmailed an outlet pass to a wide-open Jenkins, the ball sailing out of bounds as the Chiefs breathed a sigh of relief with 2.1 seconds left in regulation.

The Chiefs’ ensuing inbounds was stolen away but a tumbling Yellow Jacket couldn’t establish his footing and his falling down unbalanced heave at the buzzer fell well short from just 15 feet away, sending the game to overtime tied at 87.

Galloway’s interior presence loomed large in overtime as he scored seven of his team-high 27 points in the quarter to go along with his 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks on the night.

With 1:08 left to play, McGee slashed to the basket for an And-1 and knotted the game up at 99, but again, missed the free throw as the Chiefs failed to take the lead.

McGee got momentary redemption, hitting a tough shot in the lane for his 29th point of the night to tie the game at 101, but the Chiefs failed to get back in transition after the made bucket as the Yellow Jackets tossed ahead to Day for a layup to make it 103-101 with 14.1 seconds remaining.

The Chiefs had a final possession to tie the game and got the ball down low to McGee on a cutting post up, but as he pivoted toward the middle of the lane he was met with traffic and fumbled the ball away allowing Sprayberry to collect it and clear the ball out of harm’s way and tick off the final 3 seconds to secure the number one seed in Region 6-AAAAAA as No. 6 South Cobb fell to Allatoona 69-63.

My Take

It was a wildly entertaining game to watch. Both teams put on a good show offensively but lack state championship caliber defense. Sprayberry seems to have a higher ceiling than Sequoyah with their envious offensive depth as six players scored 12 points or more, five of them knocking down at least one three. When they are hot, Sprayberry can do damage from deep but it was the emergence of 6-foot-5 sophomore Jaylin Galloway who really carried the Yellow Jackets in the second half scoring 17 of his game-high 27 in the final three periods. He has nice length and a calm touch around the rim in traffic. He and 6-foot-5 senior DJ Patrick killed Sequoyah on the glass combining for 21 rebounds, dominating their matchup with 6-foot-4 Ayden Watson who grabbed just two rebounds for the Chiefs.  Shamar Joseph provided instant offense off the bench with four threes while Saigon Kitt and Justin Day chose their spots when to attack the defense. Senior Matt Jenkins was the engine for Sprayberry finishing with 20 points and 11 assists. Sprayberry has the guard play to play extremely fast but defensively, they have a lot of work to do if they want to make a deep run at state.

Donovan Shipp and the Chiefs sliced up Sprayberry’s on-ball defense, getting into the paint at an alarming rate. In fact, it was the most aggressive I’ve seen Shipp play in three years, attacking the basket at will finishing with a game-high 30 points and 6 assists. Shipp has grown tremendously over his first three seasons and should be a D-II target for schools looking for a heady assist-man that can score when he needs to. Myles McGee had 29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, but his night ended on a sour note with his 2-of-9 free throw shooting and turnover to end the game. Even with his shortcomings tonight, his gladiator mentality on the floor paired with the football toughness of gridiron teammate DJ King makes the athletic duo the most important pieces to Sequoyah’s full court press. King netted just 6 points but had 5 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks, making his biggest impact defensively. Jacksen Greco had a strong 25-point outing, nailing 3 threes and collecting 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the process. His passing has improved year to year as he is developing into a well-rounded player breaking the mold of just a three-point specialist. Ayden Watson disappointed tonight against Sprayberry’s frontline. Watson has been integral to the Chiefs’ success this year providing size, energy and athleticism in the paint but he was a non-factor with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block. While Sprayberry struggled defending drives, Sequoyah’s bugaboo was poor rotations leading to too many wide-open three-point shooters. Both teams showed their strengths and weaknesses and in a classification void of a true favorite, both teams could see an Elite Eight berth as a real possibility depending on how the brackets and region tournaments play out.

Top Performers

Sprayberry
Jaylin Galloway – 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
Matt Jenkins – 20 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal
Saigon Kitt – 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
DJ Patrick – 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
Justin Day – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Shamar Joseph – 12 points (4 threes), 1 rebound

Sequoyah
Donovan Shipp – 30 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
Myles McGee – 29 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Jacksen Greco – 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
DJ King – 6 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 blocks

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 11 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (22-0)
2. East Coweta (23-1)
3. Meadowcreek (19-4)
4. Discovery (20-3)
5. Grayson (20-3)
6. Norcross (17-7)
7. Newton (17-5)
8. Milton (16-7)
9. Shiloh (15-7)
10. Pebblebrook (15-8)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (20-2)
2. Chattahoochee (20-3)
3. Douglas County (18-5)
4. Alexander (18-7)
5. Tri-Cities (18-6)
6. South Cobb (16-5)
7. Sprayberry (20-3)
8. Lakeside-Evans (20-3)
9. Lanier (16-6)
10. Tucker (20-4)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (20-2)
2. Eagle’s Landing (18-3)
3. Fayette County (20-4)
4. Southwest DeKalb (17-6)
5. Woodland-Stockbridge (19-3)
6. Jonesboro (16-8)
7. Lithonia (16-8)
8. Kell (19-5)
9. Carrollton (14-8)
10. Harris County (15-7)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (21-1)
2. Sandy Creek (19-3)
3. St. Pius X (20-3)
4. Henry County (22-2)
5. Americus-Sumter (18-3)
6. Woodward Academy (15-8)
7. Carver-Columbus (18-5)
8. Marist (16-7)
9. Thomson (16-4)
10. Druid Hills (16-7)

Class AAA

1. GAC (19-4)
2. Morgan County (22-2)
3. Dawson County (19-4)
4. Hart County (17-6) 
5. Pace Academy (16-7)
6. Johnson-Savannah (16-6)
7. Westside-Macon (18-5)
8. Central-Macon (18-5)
9. Monroe (16-6)
10. Windsor Forest (19-4)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (23-0)
2. Therrell (19-6)
3. South Atlanta (18-5)
4. Vidalia (20-3)
5. Spencer (19-3)
6. Washington County (17-5)
7. Northeast-Macon (18-4)
8. Glenn Hills (20-3)
9. Early County (16-6)
10. Elbert County (20-3)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (19-4)
2. Greenforest (16-5)
3. ELCA (15-7)
4. Mt. Bethel (17-6)
5. Walker (16-6)
6. Holy Innocents’ (13-10)
7. Riverside Military (17-4)
8. Wesleyan (17-6)
9. Lakeview Academy (16-7)
10. Mt. Paran (13-8)

Class A-Public

1. Calhoun County (22-0)
2. Hancock Central (17-4)
3. Treutlen (21-1)
4. Terrell County (20-2)
5. Irwin County (18-2)
6. Wilcox County (18-2)
7. Wilkinson County (14-9)
8. Greene County (17-5)
9. Pelham (17-4)
10. Marion County (17-4)

Continue reading Week 11 Boys Rankings →

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Basketball, Spielin' & Dealin' Podcast

Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 65: East Coweta + Class 3A/2A Girls Breakdown

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The Sidelines

Region/State tournament requests [2:00]
No. 2 East Coweta [3:45]
No. 1 Jefferson girls climb to top [10:28]
Can someone beat Savannah’s powers in Class 3A? [13:21]
Will the Class 2A state champion come from outside of Augusta? [16:47]
Class 2A girls state bracket preview [24:40]

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 10 Boys Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (18-0)
2. East Coweta (21-1)
3. Grayson (19-2)
4. Meadowcreek (17-4)
5. Discovery (18-3)
6. Norcross (15-7)
7. Pebblebrook (14-7)
8. Newton (15-5)
9. Wheeler (15-7)
10. Berkmar (15-5)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (18-2)
2. Chattahoochee (19-3)
3. Tri-Cities (16-5)
4. Douglas County (15-5)
5. Lakeside-Evans (18-2)
6. Alexander (16-7)
7. South Cobb (14-5)
8. North Atlanta (16-5)
9. South Paulding (15-7)
10. Sprayberry (17-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (17-2)
2. Fayette County (18-3)
3. Eagle’s Landing (15-3)
4. Lithonia (15-7)
5. Southwest DeKalb (16-6)
6. Woodland-Stockbridge (16-3)
7. Kell (17-4)
8. Jonesboro (13-8)
9. Lithia Springs (15-5)
10. Carrollton (13-7)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (19-1)
2. Sandy Creek (16-3)
3. St. Pius X (18-2)
4. Henry County (21-1)
5. Carver-Columbus (16-3)
6. Americus-Sumter (14-3)
7. Baldwin (13-7)
8. Woodward Academy (12-8)
9. Marist (14-7)
10. Salem (13-6)

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (19-1)
2. GAC (15-4)
3. Dawson County (17-4)
4. Hart County (15-5) 
5. Pace Academy (14-6)
6. Johnson-Savannah (14-6)
7. Westside-Macon (15-5)
8. Central-Macon (15-5)
9. Monroe (14-5)
10. Windsor Forest (18-4)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (21-0)
2. Therrell (16-6)
3. South Atlanta (16-5)
4. Northeast-Macon (17-3)
5. Elbert County (18-2)
6. Vidalia (18-3)
7. Spencer (16-3)
8. Washington County (14-5)
9. Glenn Hills (18-3)
10. Thomasville (17-3)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (16-4)
2. Mt. Bethel (15-4)
3. Greenforest (14-4)
4. ELCA (13-6)
5. Walker (14-5)
6. Holy Innocents’ (11-9)
7. Wesleyan (15-5)
8. Lakeview Academy (15-5)
9. Riverside Military (15-4)
10. Trinity Christian (9-10)

Class A-Public

1. Calhoun County (20-0)
2. Hancock Central (16-3)
3. Treutlen (19-1)
4. Terrell County (17-2)
5. Wilcox County (17-2)
6. Irwin County (14-2)
7. Greene County (15-5)
8. Wilkinson County (11-9)
9. Pelham (13-4)
10. Marion County (14-3)

 

Class AAAAAAA dominated the country again to prove the best basketball in the nation from top to bottom is played in Georgia, with Class 7A possibly being the deepest classification in the United States. No. 1 McEachern won the Bass Pros Tournament of Champions Championship by beating Springfield Catholic (MO) 75-42, Shadow Mountain (AZ) 73-61 and rallying to beat Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) in overtime in the title game 50-46 behind Sharife Cooper’s 20 points and Auburn-signee Isaac Okoro’s 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. No. 6 Norcross upset Roselle Catholic (NJ) 75-55 to hand the No. 11 ranked team in the nation their first loss of the season. The Blue Devils had their best week of the season and might finally be turning the corner and reaching their potential. They hammered both Parkview (80-42) and Brookwood (65-39) before winning at the Spalding HoopHall Classic with Brandon Boston’s 26 points leading the way. The bad news for McEachern and Norcross is that life gets much tougher back home believe it or not. No. 2 East Coweta jumps three teams and has cemented themselves as elite and a team that should garner nationwide attention. The Indians avenged their lone loss by beating No. 7 Pebblebrook 67-62 in OT before escaping Westlake, rallying from down 14 in the second half to win on the road 81-76. East Coweta finished the week with a thrilling 71-66 OT win at No. 9 Wheeler after leading 46-25 at the half before surviving a furious comeback. Outside of the vaunted Region 2, No. 8 Newton fell two spots following losses to No. 3 Grayson 70-61 and to Class 3A No. 1 Morgan County 56-51.

No. 2 Chattahoochee won their Top 3 Class AAAAAA showdown with No. 8 North Atlanta 64-56, sinking the Warriors six spots and taking control of Region 7. No. 3 Tri-Cities had a perfect week in Region 5, scoring wins over No. 9 South Paulding 66-50, New Manchester 86-71 and Langston Hughes 80-67. Sequoyah (16-5) drops out of the Top 10 after losing 78-64 to No. 7 South Cobb and nearly giving away a game to rival Cherokee, surviving 73-72. The Chiefs (9-3) are now stuck in third-place in Region 6 behind South Cobb (12-1) and returnee No. 10 Sprayberry (11-1) who blasted River Ridge 72-54 and Dalton 93-64.

In Class AAAAA, the spotlight was too bright for No. 2 Fayette County as their reign over Class 5A lasts just one week, slipping back to number two after a 62-52 loss to debutant No. 8 Jonesboro, who has now quietly won eight-straight games, allowing 42.3 points per game over their winning streak. No. 1 Buford returns to pole position after beating rival Clarke Central 67-43 and demolishing Walnut Grove 75-37. No. 5 Southwest DeKalb falls out of the Top 3 for the first time all season after losing to No. 4 Lithonia 75-62 and barely winning at Miller Grove 52-51. The Bulldogs are up three spots and have a chance to secure a No. 1 seed heading into the Region 5 tournament. Warner Robins (15-5), Statesboro (17-5) and Jones County (14-7) all slide out of the poll, giving us a new 8 through 10. The Demons were knocked off by Harris County 44-43, Statesboro was blown out by New Hampstead 67-46 and the Greyhounds were pounded by No. 3 Eagle’s Landing 77-52. Returning to the rankings is No. 9 Lithia Springs and No. 10 Carrollton. The Lions won two nail-biters against North Springs 62-61 and at Riverwood 62-57 and now have their work cut out for them against Class 6A No. 4 Douglas County who beat them 106-103 in their first meeting. Carrollton has won five-straight with their latest win coming at Cass 64-58. The Trojans will attempt to slow down Rome and prolific scorer Caleb Byrd this Tuesday.

The bottom of Class AAAA is becoming a barren wasteland with limited options worthy enough to crack the Top 10 with a handful of weak resumes. Thomson (14-4) falls out after losing 55-52 at Richmond Academy and narrowly defeating East Jackson 57-54. No. 9 Marist makes their first appearance in the Top 10 and will try to stick. The War Eagles have handled their business in an improved but still average Region 7. Last week’s three victories were highlighted by wins over White County 62-49 and Chestatee 79-40. First-place in the region is on the line at Blessed Trinity this Tuesday, who Marist beat 65-45 earlier in the season as one of their few signature wins. Marist’s respectable losses to powers Class 3A No. 5 Pace Academy (56-44), No. 3 St. Pius X (62-49) and Class 3A No. 2 GAC (64-51) are the War Eagle’s most reassuring results. Speaking of No. 3 St. Pius X, they kicked Cedar Grove from the Class 3A rankings with a 68-51 win. No. 4 Henry County is eagerly awaiting a slip up from the Top 3 as they continue to impress, beating No. 8 Woodward Academy 57-50, No. 10 Salem 66-60 and Hampton 60-40. No. 5 Carver-Columbus is playing great basketball as well, winning at Dougherty 79-71 and sweeping No. 6 Americus-Sumter in OT, 52-49.

No. 1 Morgan County and No. 2 GAC handled their business in Class AAA Top 4 bouts this past week and feel like virtual locks to meet in the state finals as they have separated themselves from the rest of the classification. The Bulldogs mauled No. 4 Hart County 70-53 on the road and then traveled to Class 7A No. 8 Newton to score a 56-51 win behind Tyrin Lawrence’s 26 points. The Spartans swept No. 3 Dawson County 72-60 with Hunter McIntosh pouring in 27 points while Clifton Baskerville (14), Belmont-signee Ben Sheppard (12) and Chris Hinton (11) combined for 37 points. No. 7 Westside-Macon climbs two spots after dropping No. 8 Central-Macon three slots with a 54-52 win over the Chargers. The Seminoles followed up with a 103-59 thrashing of Kendrick while Central-Macon lost to Class 2A No. 4 Northeast-Macon 54-52. Jefferson (13-7) is out of the poll after a 75-65 loss at Franklin County while Cedar Grove (11-7) was put out of their misery with losses to Class 4A No. 3 St. Pius X 68-51 and Redan 61-48, the Saints losing seven of their last nine games after starting 9-0. No. 9 Monroe sneaks into the Top 10 for the first time, coming out of the yucky four-team Region 1, which has a combined record of 21-36 outside of the Tornadoes’ 14-5 mark. Monroe very well may be a one-and-done candidate but a season sweep of Westover (69-36; 73-68), a 69-49 win over Early County and a tight 70-64 loss at Class A-Public No. 4 Terrell County might show that the Tornadoes aren’t just beating up on bad competition. They get their biggest test of the year on MLK Day against Class 4A No. 6 Americus-Sumter. Drama is afoot in Savannah. No. 6 Johnson-Savannah moves up a spot after beating Jenkins 65-44, but first-year Head Coach Rico Campbell will be hoping for some addition by subtraction as shot-hunter Shamar Jones has left the program after averaging a second-best 14.9 points per game. The Atomsmashers tried to load the deck with transfers but it has proven to be a combustible mix. With Jones leaving, 6-foot-6 junior Brandon Harris will likely get more shot attempts and will have to warrant all his High Major D-I offers and prove that his summer wasn’t just a flash in the pan. He holds averages of 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. No. 10 Windsor Forest breaks into the Top 10 for the first time this season and is the landing spot for Shamar Jones if he is somehow ruled eligible. At 18-4, its hard to believe the Knights still don’t have a signature win and have only beaten three teams with a winning record, their best win coming against 11-7 New Hampstead 68-47 back on December 22! 6-foot-3 senior Zim Fields averages 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals while 5-foot-10 sophomore Shamar Norman nets 15 points a night. If Jones is ruled eligible, it will be interesting to see whether he affects team chemistry as their rematch with Johnson-Savannah looms next Tuesday. Only the Atomsmashers and Knights have winning records in the nine-team Region 3.

The polar opposite of the Savannah area basketball in Class 3A is reflected in the special season that Class AA No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins is having. The Wolverines destroyed Swainsboro 81-47 and outlasted No. 6 Vidalia 53-50. No. 4 Northeast-Macon clipped Class 3A No. 8 Central-Macon 54-52. No. 10 Thomasville tumbles three spots after suffering an 83-68 loss at Class A-Public No. 9 Pelham. No. 8 Washington County moves up two positions after wins at Bleckley County 78-75 and at Class 4A No. 7 Baldwin 68-61, Jamarius Dixon (21) and Jarden Maze (20) combining for 41 points against the Braves.

The Top 5 remains unchanged in Class A-Private even after No. 2 Mt. Bethel’s 76-71 OT win at No. 1 St. Francis to split the season series, withstanding a 38-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist barrage from Xavier-commit Dwon Odom. The Knights hold onto the top spot barely thanks to a little bit stronger of a schedule and six Top 10 wins to Mt. Bethel’s five. The Eagles defeated No. 5 Walker 54-44 before taking down the Knights. No. 3 Greenforest edged No. 10 Trinity Christian 57-48, dropping the Lions two spots. No. 6 Holy Innocents’ rises three spots and have now won seven-straight games including beating No. 7 Wesleyan 59-54 on the road. Region 8 gets interesting this week as No. 8 Lakeview Academy battles No. 7 Wesleyan at the BCB MLK Showcase, but more importantly, meets the new and improved No. 9 Riverside Military Eagles on Friday. The Lions will need to play better after squeaking out a 57-56 win at Prince Avenue.

Here they come. The most feared team in Class A-Public and winners of three-straight state championships and five of the last six, No. 8 Wilkinson County is back in the Top 10 and have won six-straight games, their latest coming in a whipping of Macon County (12-5) 71-40, drilling the Bulldogs in Montezuma and knocking them out of the poll. Also out of the rankings is Georgia Military (9-5) continuing the theme of Region 7’s best being a revolving door. The Bulldogs lost at home to No. 7 Greene County 48-39 and then lost at Washington-Wilkes 58-56. Greene County turned around and were beat by Region 7 frontrunner No. 2 Hancock Central 62-55. The Bulldogs from Sparta then annihilated Washington-Wilkes 80-40. Outside of the Region 7 mayhem, No. 4 Terrell County rises two spots and are in hot pursuit of Region 1 leader No. 1 Calhoun County. The Greenwave beat Early County 67-63 and edged No. 9 Pelham 71-68 after the Hornets busted up Class 2A No. 10 Thomasvile 83-68. Pelham rebounded with a 53-50 win at Chattahoochee County. There’s a new threat in Region 2 as No. 6 Irwin County surges into the poll, winning 11-straight to debut. The Indians defended home court against No. 5 Wilcox County 71-66.