No. 2 Norcross 79, Walnut Grove 42: Dalvin White put in 16 points for Norcross, followed closely by the 15 points of Kyle Sturdivant and Brandon Boston’s 12. RJ Selman led Walnut Grove with 14 first-half points before an injury prematurely ended his night.
No. 10 Collins Hill 82, Heritage-Conyers 63: Chris Parks notched a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Mandarius Dickerson (23 points), Justin Lee (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Elijah Wilson (11 points) all contributed in the win for Collins Hill. Trelan Scott led a balanced scoring night for Heritage with 16 points, followed closely by Adrian Boykin’s 15 and Josh Guilford’s 14.
Mill Creek 64, West Forsyth 53: Jayden Marshall made five three-pointers en route to 23 points on the night. Noah Kenney followed up with 21 of his own.
Campbell 76, Marietta 69: Junior Donovan Grant set up camp behind the arc, going 7-for-11 from three-point range and scoring 27 points total. Point guard Terrell Burden added 20 points, 8 assists and 3 steals, while senior Kiya Randolph pitched in 17 points.
Class AAAAAA
No. 10 Cambridge 67, Walton 55: Kamar Robertson and David Banks each scored 18 points to lead the Bears. Robertson added 7 assists as well. Bryce Boutelle chipped in 14 points.
Douglas County 83, No. 4 Tri-Cities 77 OT: Cam Copeland pumped in 24 points and Rickey Clark scored 17 points to pace the Tigers. Malik Battle netted 14 points and Ernest Randle triple-doubled with 11 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks to sneak past the Bulldogs and open up Region 5 play with a bang. Unsigned lefty wing Eli Lawrence poured in 25 points in the loss. DaMarcus Johnson and Jon Young each had 12.
North Atlanta 66, Lovett 29: Messiah Thompson stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.
Class AAAAA
Flowery Branch 71, Chestatee 49: Justin Quick double-doubled with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals. JJ Greene added 17 points and 6 rebounds, Devon Wainer had 10 points and 4 rebound while Joey Nidoy chipped in 7 points and 6 rebounds.
Class AAAA
Blessed Trinity 64, Centennial 49: In a balanced team effort, the Titans pushed past the Knights. Ben Shappard led the charge with 21 points, buoyed by Andy Swade’s 15 and Will Marin’s 14 points.
Class AAA
No. 4 Greater Atlanta Christian 61 4ANo. 8 Woodward Academy 35: Hunter McIntosh led all scorers with 28 points for GAC, 23 of which came in the first half, whereas Walker Kessler led Woodward Academy with 8 points.
Dawson County 61, Jefferson 41: Cullen Reed led the Tigers with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremiah Crumley added 13 points and 8 rebounds. Campbell Reed scored 10 points and Ryan Gallekamp grabbed 8 rebounds. Jefferson was led by Jasper Gibson’s 24 points and Jacob Radaker’s 12.
Class AA
No. 5 Thomasville 70, 4A No. 7 Westover 56: Behind Mississippi State-signee Reggie Perry’s 25 points and Titus Wright’s 11, the Bulldogs secured an early statement victory over Class AAAA No. 7 Westover in a battle of two of South Georgia’s best. Kris Gardner (21 points) and Cameron Weston (16 points) contributed offensively to Westover in a losing effort.
Class A-Private
No. 5 Wesleyan 77, Hebron Christian Academy 67: Christian McLean led the Wolves with 34 points, followed by Stevie Crawford’s 19 and Grant Summers’s 13 points.
GIRLS
Class AAAAAAA
Mill Creek 58, West Forsyth 24: Kayla Mulkey led the Hawks with 14 points, aided by Bridget Mukasa and Madison Riley, who both broke double digits in the point column (13 and 10).
Class AAAAAA
No. 6 Douglas County 88, Tri-Cities 33: Preseason All-State selection Amari Robinson led the Douglas County Tigers with 18 points.
Centennial 52, Blessed Trinity 39: Florida Gulf Coast-commit Shekinah Guthrie dropped in 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to power the Knights past the Titans. Divine Guthrie added 9 points and 11 rebounds. Bailey Herbermehl netted 7 points.
Class AAAAA
No. 2 Flowery Branch 69, Chestatee 38: Caroline Wysocki filled up the stat sheet for Flowery Branch with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Carly Shaw added 14 points and 7 rebounds and Lexie Sengkhamee added 12 points in the win. University of Alabama-signee Taniyah Worth eclipsed 1,000 career points tonight with 9 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.
Class AAAA
Class AAA
No. 8 Dawson County 68, 4ANo. 4 Jefferson 56: Dawson County led by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter and was able to weather a comeback bid by Jefferson that trimmed the deficit to eight. Calli Watson led Dawson County with 16 points off of five three-pointers; Kaylee Sticker had 15 points and Anna Lowe scored 10 points. Emma Brown chipped in 9. The Dragons received 16 points from McKenzie Tyner and 11 from Jazmin Allen. Akera Benton and freshman Livi Blackstock chipped in 7 apiece.
Class AA
Class A-Private
GISA Trinity Christian 66, Our Lady of Mercy 64: A career-high 51 points to go along with 17 rebounds, 6 steals and 3 blocks from Florida State-signee & 2016 Class A-Private Player of the Year Morgan Jones wasn’t enough to overcome Trinity Christian. The Lions were powered by Catherine Skebo’s 29 points and 8 rebounds. Abby Bragg flirted with a triple-double collecting 19 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Chan Hendrix snagged 11 rebounds.
Fayette County and Sandy Creek went down to the wire
It’s still a week until Thanksgiving, but the menu for early season GHSA basketball games has whetted our appetite for the season ahead. One such game was the cross-county rivalry between two Final Four teams from last year, the Sandy Creek Patriots from AAAA and Fayette County from AAAAA. Playing before two huge student sections, the game stayed within six points the entire night. The ending was dramatic, as the Tigers would score the winning basket on their last possession for the 67-65 win.
Coach Andre Flynn is back on the Tiger bench, he has coached there for over 20 years, but the players that took them to the Final Four in Columbus have moved on. He is working with a clean slate, but because of his consistency and the system he employs, the new players know exactly how they fit in. This year’s group is built around athleticism and discipline. For Sandy Creek, they brought back much of the talent that took them to Augusta last year for the semifinals but have welcomed a new coach, Jon-Michael Nickerson. Coach Nickerson, who comes with an impressive resume as a player, high school coach and college coach, brings a more defensive mindset than the past. He has a deep, talented roster with height and leadership.
On this night, there was a buzz before the tip that lasted until the final whistle, both coaches and players would say it’s early, this is a non-region game, it is not that important in the grand scheme of things, but actually, it was important to them and their play proved that. In a game that was crisp and full of athleticism and sportsmanship, Sandy Creek took a two-point lead to half. You could tell the defensive energy that both coaches were looking for was there which kept the game low scoring.
The fourth quarter, which started with Fayette County ahead 48-45 was almost a blur. It felt like the first three quarters were warm up and this was for real. Josh Dupree and Rickey Knight would hit back-to-back threes to give the Tigers the largest lead of the night at six, only to see Sandy Creek come back. Jarred Godfrey would hit two threes himself within 15 seconds of each other and with 2:50 remaining, the Patriots were up 60-59. Ultimately, it came down to a tie game with under a minute. Fayette County point guard JeKobe Coleman, an ELCA transfer, worked from the top of the key as the Tigers waited patiently for their opportunity. With 9 seconds remaining, Coleman found Jordan Brown who had snuck in behind the Patriot zone defense for the game winning shot.
Sandy Creek had eight seconds, but Josh Dupree stole the basketball and ended the night
Afterwards Flynn said, “Our guys are so young, you don’t know how they will compete until the game starts, we did not play well on Saturday in a loss to East Coweta, but I am proud of how they fought tonight. We want to see how they respond when they get beat up because it gives you an indication of the growth. We will need to continue to grow as the year goes on.”
Takeaways
JeKobe Coleman threw the pass to Brown for the winning score just like he did this season for the Fayette County football team as their QB. He was very calm and collected, the moment was not too big for the sophomore. It is always great to see the two sport athletes play.
Jarred Godfrey has bought into Coach Nickerson’s philosophies on the court. Godfrey has developed into a true leader, the college watching last night loved his performance.
Patriot Kameron Miller has one speed – wide open; he scored, he passed, he rebounded and he was everywhere.
The Tigers are young and are liable to have a bad game from time to time, but they are good and will get better.
The Patriots lineup of Miller, Godfrey, TJ Bickerstaff, Xavier Brewer and Julian Alexander has a good mix of height and quickness.
Look for both teams to make noise in the post season.
No. 6 Mountain View 68, Archer 48: Future Troy Trojan Spencer Rodgers drilled six threes in the first half en route to finishing with a game-high 22 points. Kevin Kayongo scored 12 points and Naheim Allenye added 10 for the Bears.
No. 7 Newton 74, North Oconee 30: Tyrease Brown continued his lights out shooting, pouring in 24 points – 21 in the first half – as the starters played just three quarters. Ashton Hagans finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists and 6 steals. Armani Harris posted 9 points and 8 rebounds while a healthy Dre Butler went for 12 points and 5 rebounds.
No. 8 Duluth 70, South Gwinnett 57: The balanced backcourt of Duluth led the Wildcats to a strong non-region win. Adam Flagler netted 18 points while Lamont Smith scored 13 and Will Huzzie double-doubled with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
No. 9 Meadowcreek 57, Rockdale County 13: The Mustangs absolutely suffocated the Bulldogs in a defensive masterpiece. Jamir Chaplin finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Duquesne-signee Amari Kelly went for 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks while twin tower, Detroit-signee Cory Hightower, ended with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Emmanuel Collier scored 8 points and Dequarious Nicholas tallied 5 points and 6 assists.
No. 10 Collins Hill 73, Osborne 59: Northern Illinois-signee Justin Lee had 18 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Chris Parks added 15 points and 9 rebounds. Elijah Wilson chipped in 15 points and Mandarius Dickerson netted 10.
Discovery 70, Central Gwinnett 52: Old Dominion-signee Kalu Ezikpe posted a 15-point 15-rebound double-double. Jaylen Bussey had 15 points and the Titans got 14 from Jaden Walker. Ian Hardy contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds.
Berkmar 76, Forsyth Central 47: Tony Johnson went for 26 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Soumahoro added 12 points and 6 rebounds while Taj Anderson finished with 14 points and 6 assists. William Griffin scored 13 points in the loss.
Woodstock 50, Northview 42: Columbus State-signee Dylin Hardeman scored 23 points to power the Wolverines past Northview after heading into the fourth quarter tied at 34. Joe Jones had 12 for the Titans. Matt Davis had 14 in defeat.
Lakeside-DeKalb 84, McNair 51: Damon Davis scored 19 points and James Hall had 13 as the Vikings marched past the Mustangs.
Roswell 66, South Forsyth 51: Miles Herron netted a game-high 16 points for the Hornets. Taylor Drury scored 11 points and Santhosh Saravanan had 10 in the loss.
East Coweta 69, Union Grove 66: Tied 60-60 late, the upstart Indians found a way past the Wolverines. Wesley Simpson led Union Grove with 16 points in the loss while AJ Dutrevil had 15 and Alan Moss scored 11.
Class AAAAAA
River Ridge 56, Hiram 55: Jameel Ndiaye drained five threes and finished with 19 points as the Knights secured a huge road win for the young team. Chris Williams added 9 points and 5 rebounds. Verzel Randall scored 6 points and blocked 5 shots.
Sprayberry 77, Kell 69: Micah McCuen double-doubled with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Giles did the same with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Matt Jenkins had 19 points and 4 assists while Jaylon Simpson had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
Drew 103, North Clayton 65: Will Black and Demetrius Rives poured in 24 points apiece in an eye-opening win over North Clayton. James Brown had 21.
Mundy’s Mill 55, Clarkston 50: The Tigers slipped past the Angoras behind Kirshon Thrash’s 12 points and David Crawford’s 10. Clarkston was led by Anthony Lawrence’s game-high 17 points.
Class AAAAA
No. 9 Lithonia 56, Heritage-Conyers 48: The Bulldogs bounced back from a heartbreaking season opening loss against Greenforest to score an 8-point win over the Patriots. Tasim Sims scored 16 points and had 5 assists in the victory. Ziven Alexander had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Heritage was led by Adrian Boykin’s 10 points.
Fayette County 67, 4ANo. 3 Sandy Creek 65: Jordan Brown hit a game-winner with 8 seconds left to stun the Patriots. Rickey Knight led the Tigers with 20 points. Josh Dupree dumped in 15 points and Terrell Bradley had 14 points and 6 rebounds. Jarred Godfrey powered the Patriots with 22 points while TJ Bickerstaff went for 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Arabia Mountain 71, Hampton 52: Jordan Sterling pumped in 28 points as the Rams advanced to 2-0. TaKari Rogers-Olive added 16 points in support and Cameron Robinson scored 9 points.
Stockbridge 87, Riverside Military 58: Georgia State-signee Kavonte Ivery had 16 points and 12 rebounds while Ola-transfer Terryance Jackson netted a team-high 17. Trillis Brown and Elijah Austell scored 14 apiece while Kaelon Hinton tossed in 10.
Harris County 66, Shaw 63: Lincoln Smith collected 31 points and 12 rebounds for the Raiders in the loss.
Class AAAA
No. 2 St. Pius 67, Blessed Trinity 41: Matt Gonzalo and Troy Stephens scored 13 apiece to lead the Golden Lions in The X-Dome.
Chestatee 85, Pickens 77: Cameron Gwyn erupted for 33 points as the War Eagles soared past the Dragons in a high-scoring affair. Cooper Wilson tacked on 19 points and Daniel Briseno added 12. Pickens received 26 points from Joseph Gossett and 19 from Seth Bishop. Keinyuan Hooks chipped in 14.
West Hall 81, Jackson County 62: Datavian Buffington powered the Spartans with 20 points. Iaises Risher had 20 points in the loss.
Class AAA
Class AA
No. 7 Jeff Davis 66, Telfair County 32: Ja’Queze Kirby, the reigning Class AA Freshman of the Year, posted 23 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks. Chandler Davenport scored 15 followed by Tae Thomas’ 13 points. Kirese Manley and Nate King scored 6 apiece.
Washington County 69, Cross Creek 59: Sophomore Jeremiah Gundy had 13 points and 8 rebounds to help the Golden Hawks to victory. Fellow sophomore Jarden Maze added 9 points and 3 assists. Keith Foster had 11 points and 8 rebounds. Ivory Williams and Shemor Robinson scored 7 apiece.
Class A-Private
Savannah Christian 56, Bulloch Academy 37: Justin Anderson had 15 points as Savannah Christian took care of Bulloch Academy. Gavin Jeffries scored 13 and Aly Keys had 8 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Class A-Public
GISA
Trinity Christian 65, Glenwood 27: Erick Valdez posted 18 points and 8 rebounds followed by Daevon Platt’s 17 points. Jamir Williams had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Braden Burnett chipped in 10 points and 4 rebounds.
GIRLS
Class AAAAAAA
South Forsyth 71, Roswell 62: The War Eagles got a 35-point outburst from Zoe Maisel to get past the Hornets. Sara Idris, a North Florida-signee, had 17 points.
Forsyth Central 44, Berkmar 28: Elizabeth Pruitt scored 14 points and Ansley Carver added 10 in the Bulldog win.
Class AAAAAA
No. 1 Northview 61, Woodstock 51: Northview held a 34-27 halftime lead before ripping off a 13-0 run to open the third quarter to gain a 54-38 lead behind a full court press defense, but sophomore Sophia Singer was up to the task of keeping the Wolverines afloat. Singer scored 10 of Woodstock’s 11 third quarter points and finished with a game-high 21 points and 7 rebounds. Freshman guard Kayden Montgomery added 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The Lady Titans were powered by sophomore point guard Asjah Inniss. The shifty guard had 13 points and 9 steals. Ashlee Austin posted 16 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Freshman Eden Sample netted 16 points in her high school debut and Maya Richards added 7 points and 7 rebounds.
River Ridge 58, Hiram 24: Faith Arthur scored 12 points and Savannah Samuel netted 11 to carry the Knights. Lexi Palmer added on 10 points in the win.
Dunwoody 52, Towers 25: Ariel Lawrence dropped 23 points to power Dunwoody.
Drew 51, North Clayton 38: Imoni Compton scored 16 points and ShaTara Johnson added 15 as Drew took advantage of a rebuilding North Clayton program.
Mundy’s Mill 46, Clarkston 15: Jayla Carter nearly outscored the Angoras with her 13 points in the Tigers’ rout.
Class AAAAA
Fayette County 58, Sandy Creek 32: Maegan Barkley and Trinity Brown both contributed 15 points and 3 rebounds apiece to help the Tigers blow past a rebuilding Sandy Creek team. Sidney Sims had 8 points and 9 rebounds while Naomi Franco went for 9 points and 9 rebounds. Sandy Creek was led by Daija Powell’s 14 points and 8 rebounds. Paris Thompson had 10 points and 3 rebounds in the loss.
Union Grove 50, East Coweta 30: India Smith led the Lady Wolverines with 12 points.
Class AAAA
No. 5 Luella 71, Griffin 48: Keely Brown poured in 21 points while Zaria Bankston finished with 19 points and 5 assists to push the Lions to 2-0.
No. 8 West Hall 56, Jackson County 49: Anna McKendree scored 24 points to open up the season. Jackson County got 13 points from Carlie Anderson.
Pickens 54, Chestatee 49: Coach Brandon Thomas returned to the Pickens sidelines as a winner behind Torie Williams’ 16 points, Mykenzie Weaver’s 14 and Shelby Cook’s 10.
St. Pius 52, Blessed Trinity 24: A balanced attack led the Golden Lions to victory. Emma Drash (11), Nina Burwell (10), Mai Vy Madden (8) and Macey Carson (8) shared the load. Blessed Trinity received 8 points from Jessica Castillo.
Class AAA
Class AA
Hapeville Charter 42, WD Mohammed 29: Freshman Ashley Eberhart made a major impact with a team-high 14 points. Cherry Reeves scored 11 and Ja’dah Thomas added 9.
Class A-Private
No. 9 Pinecrest Academy 66, Tallulah Falls 26: Regina Metz poured in 31 points to pace the Paladins. Molly Dankowski had 15 and JoJo Clark scored 11.
Athens Academy 56, Oglethorpe County 16: Gabby Mastandrea hung 24 points as the Spartans blew out Oglethorpe County. Maddie McCleary finished with 8 points and 6 assists. Kate Williams produced 7 points and Greer Moseley battled for 5 points and 10 rebounds.
2016-17 Record: 5-19 Head Coach: Karen Frady – 1st Season
Coach Frady sharing the challenges of culture change of East Coweta girls program.
Coach Frady will be the Lady Indians’ third head coach in three years. She is an East Coweta alumni with deep ties to the community. She envisions the beginning of a long process, but is excited about the challenge.
“When we first started, the girls did not know how to play man-to-man defense, they are just so used to losing. We are starting the process, we are challenging the girls to get a little better each day. It’s all about learning fundamentals. We need to stress fundamentals all day, every day. We will set some small goals for the season and try to achieve those first. Honestly, I’m not that concerned about wins and losses — my main thing is I want the girls to be better than they were at the start of the season, and it begins with getting the fundamentals down.”
In terms of this current squad, she said “We have six seniors, we have quickness, and the ladies are quick learners. We are going to focus on defense and on slowing the game down. That will be the best way for us to learn and follow the process.”
They are in one of the toughest regions in the state, Region 2, and the lessons are going to be painful, but look for Coach Frady to add some stability and take a few steps forward in the process. Alex Colton, London Fowler, Aja Manning and Haley Davis will be the players Frady will count on.
East Coweta Indians
2016-17 Record: 14-12 Head Coach: Royal Maxwell — 3rd Season
East Coweta boys looking to continue building a tradition.
Assistant Coach Ty Townsend introduced the Indians team leaders; Derrick Emory, Brandon Stroud, Jamir Williams, Rhet Reynolds and Isaiah Richardson. The challenge for the upcoming season is to replace their big man that graduated last season, Elafayette Stone. Coach Townsend said it would be “a next man up mentality. There are a lot of returning players and we expect to be more disciplined. There is not a whole lot of tradition here, but we are looking to continue to build on last year and our expectations are higher this year.”
With the sting of last year’s season ending loss to Campbell in overtime, the players said, “This year, we have broken the season down into chapters, and we intend to read the whole book.”
Look for the Indians to improve on last seasons’ record and be a factor in the region tournament. They have already started an impressive resume with a solid win against a Fayette County team that made the Final Four last year in their opener.
Starr’s Mill Lady Panthers
2016-17 Record: 12-13 Head Coach: Emily Sweeney – 1st Season
Starr’s Mill first year coach Emily Sweeney and junior leader Alyssa Angelo
At Starr’s Mill, the ladies coach from last season, Shane Ratliff, was promoted and assistant Emily Sweeney has stepped into the top spot; it has been a big year from Sweeney who now has the head coaching job and just got married as well. She has implemented a motion offense and is currently working in more press defense looks. With the graduation of their post player from last season, the team will be built around the guard play of Alyssa Angelo and Alice Anne Hudson. Also key will be senior and returning starter Emily Nieuwstraten and freshman Ali Rumpel, in the middle, who adds height.
Angelo and Nieuwstraten have just made the transfer over from softball and have not missed a beat. Sweeney said, “Alyssa is like having a coach on the floor, she keeps everyone where they are supposed to be, and she is tough as nails.”
Their goal is make it back to the state playoffs, which will depend on how quickly the freshman gets up to speed and how the team jells to the new systems.
Starr’s Mill Panthers
2016-17 Record: 18-11 (Sweet 16) Head Coach: Brandon Hutchins — 12th Season Preseason Class AAAAA No. 10
Starr’s Mill Head Coach Brandon Hutchins with Carson Langham, Drew Hudson and Jake Bishop
The Panthers return a large portion of the Sweet 16 team from last year that lost to Miller Grove in the playoffs. With a roster that includes eight seniors, Coach Hutchins says, “This is the best group I have ever been around.”
One omission from the team unfortunately is three-year starter Zach Pina, who transferred before his senior season to arch-rival McIntosh. Hutchins on the loss, “We miss Zach of course, he was a big part of this program, but we have moved on, it is next man up. Fortunately for us, everyone on the roster can handle the ball.” Senior Jake Bishop will take over the point guard duties in the Panther offense.
Starr’s Mill has a lot of height up front in 6-foot-7 Nate Allison, 6-foot-5 Drew Hudson and 6-foot-6 Chase Sands and Coach Hutchins indicted that junior Julian Lynch has opened some eyes in the preseason camp. Senior Drew Hudson said, “We went to a couple of college camps this summer and had success, we are excited.”
If Bishop can run the offense, look for the Panthers to make a state playoff return.
McIntosh Lady Chiefs
2016-17 Record: 20-9 (Sweet 16) Head Coach: Jessica Carlyle — 1st Season
First-Year coach Jessica Carlyle with Juniors Kennedy Miller and Rylee Calhoun
When longtime McIntosh Lady Chief Head Coach David Dowse left after a successful 2016/17 campaign to take the Lumpkin County job, the Chiefs reached out to former Landmark Christian Head Coach Jessica Carlyle. Her first impression of the team was that the core players were serious about basketball. She said “My philosophy is very much different from what the players are used to. We have a very small roster, very short and we are going to play very serious in your face defense.”
Her leaders include Junior Kennedy Miller and Rylee Calhoun. Per Carlyle, “Kennedy is a phenomenal point guard and in the past her role was to distribute the ball, we will be asking her to take on more of the scoring responsibility this year. And Rylee, she seems to always have a basketball in her hand. She has a nice shot as well.”
At the college summer camps, Miller said “They taught us more about being a leader on the floor.”
You can bet that Carlyle’s new emphasis on defense will catch hold of her quick athletic team and they will be right in the middle of the playoff chase again.
McIntosh Chiefs
2016-17 Record: 12-13 Head Coach: Jason Eisele — 16th Season Preseason Class AAAAA No. 7
McIntosh Head Coach Jason Eisele with seniors Zach Pina and Cole Guenther
Head Coach Jason Eisele is the dean of the Coweta/Fayette coaches as he embarks on his 16th season. Of his current edition, he said “We will not impress you off the bus, but our entire roster of 13 players are extremely skilled and we will cause match-up problems because of our speed and depth. We will be very flexible and can play a lot of different groups.”
A roster that includes six seniors includes two potential stars in transfer guard Zach Pina and 6-foot-7 wing player Cole Guenther. Pina is an efficient scorer who can drive to the rim or hit the outside shot. When asked about the whirlwind of his transfer, he said “It just feels good to be wearing green and black.”
Guenther has a deadly outside shot and if he is on, it can be lights out. Eisele said “Cole has worked hard over the summer on his ball handling skills and taking the ball to the rim to compliment his shot.” With the versatility and the leadership of Pina and Guenther, this could turn into a special mix. Eisele summed it by saying “we have a lot of selfless players, and we will play a lot faster than we ever have.”
Spalding Lady Jaguars
2016-17 Record: 22-7 (Elite Eight) Head Coach: Tykira Gilbert — 3rd Season Preseason Class AAAA No. 2
Head Coach Tykira Gilbert with seniors Kiana Banks and Kirah Milner
Head Coach Tykira Gilbert and the defending Region 2-AAAA Lady Jaguars are preparing for a special season. Starting her third year, Coach Gilbert said, “We have completely changed the culture of girls basketball here at Spalding in just three years.” As for this year’s team, Gilbert said “We will play fast, in your face defense, we love to press, that is who we are.” A lot of that speed and athleticism comes from Region 2-AAAA player of the year Kiana Banks, who won the state track championship in the 400 meter and just signed a track scholarship with TCU.
Gilbert will look for leadership from the point guard position from senior Kirah Milner. With a deep and talented roster and the star power of Banks and Milner, look for the Lady Jaguars to make a run at the state championship. When asked about the pressure of the high preseason rankings, Gilbert summed it up perfectly, “They don’t mean anything, it only matters how you finish.” Keep your eye on these ladies this year.
Spalding Jaguars
2016-17 Record: 3-22 Head Coach: Joey Wilder — 1st Season
New Jaguar Head Coach Joey Wilder is no stranger to the court. He has coached at Sandy Creek, Fayette County and Westlake. In 12 years of coaching, he won seven region championships, with one state runner-up and two final fours, and was named the assistant coach of the year. He brings that experience to begin to build the same excitement and energy that Coach Gilbert has with the ladies program.
Even with the poor record from last year, Wilder sees the pieces to begin the process. “We have very talented kids, we are learning and implementing accountability and dealing with our egos, we are slowly growing. But our roster has talent and I have seen improvement in all players. We are going from a slow tempo offense to more movement. We need to learn to trust each other and jell as a team.”
Leading the way will be junior leaders G Josh Reddick and 6-foot-8 center Phillip Richards. There are five seniors on the roster for leadership and a very strong junior class, including some incoming freshman and sophomores who will get some playing time. When just starting out, Wilder said, “It is always good to have a big man like PR.” Look for the Jaguars to be much improved and blow past last year’s win total.
Whitewater Lady Wildcats
2016-17 Record: 13-12 Head Coach: Rashad Muhyee — 5th year
Lady Wildcat Head Coach Muhyee with Courtney Smith, Jada Claude and Maya Bryant
After an injury riddled season last year, the Lady Wildcats are once again healthy and look to get back into the playoff conversation. Coach Muhyee said the team goals this year are to win the region and make it out of the first round. To accomplish, the Lady Wildcats will rely on talented juniors Jada Claude, 6-foot with a strong inside game, Courtney Smith, a scoring guard who is coming back from injury and Maya Bryant who also has the size to play inside.
When asked where they had improved the most during the off season, Smith said, “I have worked really hard on my ball handling,” while Claude said “ball handling, it will open up my scoring and passing lanes. In talking about their toughest opponents ahead, Muhyee said, “We don’t look at our opponents, we look at ourselves, we look at how we can improve and get better, and we feel like if we continue to work and improve then the wins will take care of themselves.”
Whitewater Wildcats
2016-17 Record: 9-15 Head Coach: Fred West — 3rd Season
Whitewater assistant and senior Wildcats
The story of the Wildcats last season was close but not close enough, they played well in a lot of games but couldn’t pull them out in the end. They enjoyed a couple of big wins against region rivals and state qualifiers Starr’s Mill and McIntosh, but the losses mounted as the season went along. They bring back a strong core in guards CJ Jackson, K’won Bush and Josh Lanier. Unfortunately, their leading scorer from last season Josh Graham has transferred to Pebblebrook.
After a successful summer at a Georgia State camp, the Wildcats look to add big man 6-foot-5 Isaiah Claude and guard Julian Johnson to the rotation. Playing with a smaller line up – the Wildcats will look to play a pesky full court defense and a motion offense that will allow their guards to get open looks. Expect to see a lot of energy and movement on the court. The Wildcats should inch their way back closer to .500 for the season and give a lot of teams match-up problems with their 4-guard sets.
Sandy Creek Lady Patriots
2016-17 Record: 24-7 (Final Four) Head Coach: Janie Hodges — 2nd Season
Coach Hodges with Paris Thompson, Daija Powell and Nina Lum
In her first season, Coach Hodges used an excellent senior backcourt to win the Region 5-AAAA Championship and take a run deep into the playoffs that ended against eventual champion Columbus. Graduation hit the Lady Patriots hard and now Coach Hodges is in charge of leading somewhat of a rebuild, but by no means is the cupboard bare.
While last year’s team was centered around the guard play, this team will strong inside. Returning are inside players junior Paris Thompson and sophomore Daija Powell. Both saw extensive playing time in Coach Hodges’ rotation last year and will be counted on to step up the production this season. Powell has an incredible post game and had several high scoring games last year.
The job of running the offense falls on junior Nina Lum who played significant minutes as a reserve last season. Hodges said, “Nina has been in the program for three years, she is experienced, and she is ready to lead the team.”
The key to the season will be how quickly Coach Hodges can work the new players into the rotations. The Lady Patriots already have a game under their belts against state powerhouse Westlake. Hodges said, “I am glad we played them, it showed us where we are and what we need to work on.” In those early season games, you either win or you learn, the Lady Patriots learned they are in transition, but the future is bright. Look for them to make another run to get into the playoffs.
Sandy Creek Patriots
2016-17 Record: 23-8 (Final Four) Head Coach: Jon-Michael Nickerson — 1st Season Preseason Class AAAA No. 3
First-Year head coach Jon-Michael Nickerson with Jarred Godfrey, Xavier Brewer and Chris Porter
The Patriots caught lightning in a bottle late last season and after a disappointing region tournament loss went on a run that took them to the Final Four where they lost to St. Pius. This started a transition within the program as a leadership change brought in Coach Nickerson who brings an impressive college resume. A lot of talent returns with 6-foot-8 wing TJ Bickerstaff, 6-foot-8 stretch forward Xavier Brewer, 6-foot-4 point guard Jarred Godfrey, Chris Porter and spark plug guard Kameron Miller. Coach Nickerson brings a tenacious defensive intensity to the team that was missing in the past.
When asked about the biggest difference between then and now, Miller said, “The practices are more intense and fast paced, there is purpose to everything we do.” Nickerson added, “This was a big change for the players and they bought in, I am proud of where we are, we still have a lot to add in over time, but we are getting there. It takes time to incorporate everything we will do into our game plan, but we are getting there and are ready to play.”
For the players that got a taste of post seasons last year, anything less than a championship with be disappointing. Look for the talented Patriots make a run.
Griffin Bears
2016-17 Record: 6-21 Head Coach: Willie Reese — 2nd Season
Coach Willie Reese with Jacarlin Dennis and Darrell Evans Jr.
Former Georgia Tech star and assistant coach Willie Reese returns to Griffin for his second season with more reason for optimism. Griffin has a rich heritage in all spots and can boast of multiple state championships in basketball. His philosophy is to build and utilize multi-skill players.
Coach Reese said, “For some reason in the city of Griffin, we have a lot of 6’1 to 6’4 young men which is good because it lets us have interchangeable parts. This year, we will play nine or 10 deep, with six of those players returning from playing time last year. We are looking forward to a good season with steady improvement over last year.”
His key returners include two 2nd team all-region players from last year, point guard Jacarlin Dennis and senior guard Darrell Evans Jr. who is a four-year letterman. Coach Reese reminds his players last year when they were up on eventual Class AAAA champion Upson-Lee late in a game by four points only to see it slip away, that the talent is there, they just need to continue to work on the little things and on playing team basketball.
Reese said, “I learned from Coach Cremins and Coach Hewitt at Tech that it was about the little things, working with kids individually to continue to make small steps, that is what we are doing here at Griffin.”
The Bears will continue to improve this year and look to move up in the region standings; look for an upset or two as well.
Fayette County Lady Tigers
2016-17 Record: 21-9 (Sweet 16) Head Coach: John Strickland — 13th Season
Veteran Coach John Strickland with Maegan Barkley and Trinity Brown
Coach Strickland has been the model of success and consistency at Fayette County as head coach for 12 years and last season was no different. Strickland has gotten to the point of his career that others are envious of, it has now a legacy, not only with wins but with relationships. This is highlighted by one of his former players, Tessa Holt who played at Boston College and later coached in college, returning as an assistant for this season. That consistency builds confidence in his players that success is right there in front of them.
Lost from last year’s playoff team was leader Darryl Langford who plays at Navy now, but there is plenty of talent returning and the seniors on the roster have played together since middle school. They include guards Maegan Barkley, Trinity Brown and Rikkelle Miller. There is also height in 6-foot-2 sophomore Naomi Franco and freshman 6-foot-1 Celine Akande, both whom add a post presence. When you factor in junior guard Sidney Sims, the Tigers have a deep roster with multiple rotation possibilities.
Coach Strickland said, “To win in girls basketball, you have to make free throws and layups, it’s that simple. We know that and understand that, this team could be really good this year, we have a lot of leaders.”
The Lady Tigers will challenge for the region title and be right in the middle of the playoffs again.
Northgate Vikings
2016-17 Record: 7-18 Head Coach: Maurice Smith — 5th season
Coach Smith will lean on a bevy of seniors this season
The Vikings play in one of the toughest regions in the state, where last year both boys and the girls state champions came from, Region 5-AAAAAA. Under Coach Smith – the Vikes have improved their win total over the past three seasons and look to continue that trend this year and attempt to get over the hump and make some noise in the region tournament.
Coach Smith said, “We already know we can win, we just need to start winning those small battles within the game itself. This year’s roster is deep with 12 who will see playing time, including seven seniors. Leaders on the team include 6-foot-2 Jermarki Cunningham, 6-foot-5 Cam Ellis, 6-foot Perez McLaughlin and 6-fot-2 Devontae Johnson.”
The schedule is tough, Smith said, “from a region standpoint, there are no breaks, every game will be a battle. Our goal is to continue to prove and win two games in the region tournament. I know these guys have it in them. We are 12 deep and all of our players are similar, we have the depth to press and play fast. We don’t have a particular game circled on the schedule, we will just take them one game at a time and see where we end up.”
Look for the Vikings to ride the wave of their seniors and continue the trend of improving their win totals each season.
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Fayette County boys
Our Lady of Mercy boys
Our Lady of Mercy girls
Griffin girls
Northgate girls
Thursday night provided us with some interesting preseason scrimmage results, with a handful of teams challenging themselves before the regular season opens this Saturday. Multiple Top 10 teams locked horns to see where they measure up heading into the season including 7A No. 4 Grayson at A-Private No. 1 St. Francis, 5A No. 4 Miller Grove at 7A No. 3 Wheeler, A-Private No. 3 ELCA at 7A No. 7 Newton and many more.
