Category Archives: GHSA Basketball

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 9 Pebblebrook’s 29-point third quarter surges Falcons past Shiloh at TOC Classic

Contributed by Cody Butler  (@CodeMan10x)

Sponsored by:   @sportalspace

 

No. 9 Pebblebrook 65, Shiloh 57

No. 9 Pebblebrook (8-2) rallied off a huge third quarter to capture a 65-57 win over Shiloh (3-6) at the Tournament of Champions Holiday Classic at Wheeler High School in Marietta. The Falcons exploded for 29 points in the third to take flight over the Generals. The balanced scoring attack of Mervin James, Josh Graham and Grant Howard pushed Pebblebrook out in front for good in the second half. Great ball movement with multiple scoring options left their opponent helpless in a tough third. The Falcons more than doubled their offensive output in the third quarter alone. Shiloh continued to struggle in the second half as their six-point halftime lead erased quickly out of the break.

Shiloh started the game off with a high level of intensity. In a game of this magnitude against the No. 9 team in Class AAAAAAA, Shiloh had to bring their best. Swingman Toneari Lane did just that, the game’s high-scorer with 19 points, set the early tone for a clicking General offense in the first half. Lane scored eight points in the first quarter to lead Shiloh to a 15-11 advantage after the first quarter. Lane was 8-of-10 from the field on the night and collected 8 rebounds.

A very competitive second quarter saw back and forth action the remainder of the half. Pebblebrook’s Grant Howard scored on back-to-back possessions to trim the Shiloh lead to 24-21 with two minutes left in the half. A timeout killed Falcon momentum though as Shiloh closed the first half strong capitalizing off Pebblebrook turnovers. Guard Eric Kinloch knocked down a three-pointer in the final minute to give Shiloh the 29-23 lead at halftime. Kinloch finished the first half with eight points.

Pebblebrook’s Mervin James started to take over in the third quarter. A 6-foot-6 senior forward committed to Canisius; James made the opening jumper of the second half. His And-1 three-point play tied the game 31-31 with 5:22 left in the third.  After only scoring 23 as a team in the first half, Pebblebrook exploded for 29 points in the third quarter. Pebblebrook took the lead 33-31 on a short field goal from guard Dwight Murray. The Falcons never looked back from that point as they outscored Shiloh by 18 in the period to enter the fourth quarter up 52-40. James finished the third quarter with 10 points and 17 total on the night.

The Falcons continued to move the ball well on offense and extended their lead out to 15 points at 57-42 with 3:46 in the game. Howard finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Josh Graham posted a double-double on the night 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Shiloh’s playmaker Elias King, a four-star recruit by 247sports who committed to UGA before the game, struggled to breakout. Pebblebrook limited him to 5-of-10 shooting from the field for a steady, yet unspectacular 16 points on the night. While King’s modest day is better than most, it wasn’t enough to pull off the upset over Pebblebrook.

Pebblebrook went 8-of-23 (34%) from the field in the first half. They rebounded well in the second half and shot 13-of-26 (50%) from the field in the final two quarters.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 1 McEachern captures third-place at City of Palms Classic

Contributed by Chris Kelly   (@C_KELLY99)

No. 1 McEachern 56, Simeon (IL) 54

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/944706512924172288

No. 1 McEachern lost a tough game against eventual champion University School (FL) on Friday but the Indians looked to defeat Simeon (IL) to capture third place in the City of Palms on Saturday. Simeon is a storied basketball program from the south side of Chicago who has produced a number of elite NBA players, such as Derrick Rose, Jahlil Okafor, Anthony Davis, and Nick Anderson to name just a few. Simeon, led by longtime coach Rob Smith, is always a top-notch basketball team looking to give any team a tough matchup. They played the consensus number one team in the nation, Memphis East (TN), and gave the Mustangs a game that went down to the wire. The Wolverines, led by versatile, senior wing Talen Horton-Tucker, looked to get some revenge and beat McEachern to end their trip to Florida with a third-place trophy.

The first quarter started with a slow offensive showing. Coach Mike Thompson dug into his bench early and put guards Alyn Breed and Devin Gordon onto the floor. The two juniors gave a stagnant McEachern offense some life and played with some energy. On the other end, Simeon guard KeJuan Clements controlled the pace of the game and finished well when he got into the lane. McEachern’s defense was great in the first quarter, holding the Wolverines to just 13.

The second quarter remained rather consistent with the first. Coach Thompson continued to utilize his bench. Guard Quinton McElroy got on to the floor as well to provide some fresh legs. Simeon, who lacked much size, couldn’t keep big men Babatunde Akingbola and Jared Jones off the boards. The two big men were swatting shots constantly and pulling down rebounds over the much smaller Simeon guards.

While the Wolverines lacked size, they made up for it with speed and intangibles. They were a blur in the open court and were able to adjust their defensive scheme to limit Jones’ and Akingbola’s offensive production. While Simeon was able to contain the big men, they struggled to guard the wings. Isaac Okoro and Sharife Cooper both put up good numbers in the first half, combing for 27 points. Cooper hit a few threes and had some great assists to his teammates, while Okoro got to the rim and finished over the small Simeon players. At the half, McEachern was up 35-30.

To start the second half, Okoro hit a jump shot from the right wing, but then the Wolverines blitzed the Indians and put up points in a hurry. Simeon went on a huge run fueled by guard Xavier Pinson and do-it-all wing Talen Horton-Tucker. Pinson, a senior guard, came off the bench for Coach Smith and provided a huge spark. The bouncy guard finished well above the rim and helped facilitate the ball to his open teammates. Horton-Tucker did everything on the offensive end from posting up to running pick-and-rolls.

After the initial offensive burst, the Indians settled in and Okoro started the heat up. He put constant pressure on the interior defense and got to the free throw line. He finished with seven points in the quarter and the Indians had an 8-point lead entering the fourth.

About a minute into the final quarter, Cooper picked up his fourth foul. Coach Thompson chose to keep him in and trust his savvy, young guard. Pinson continued to attack for Simeon until big man Jared Jones stepped in front of a driving Pinson and took a charge. This resulted in Pinson’s fifth and final foul as he had the watch the remainder of the game from the bench.

Simeon continued their game plan without Pinson and saw Drake-commit Messiah Jones step up. He hit some open shots to give the Wolverines a little momentum. Jones, who played out of position the entire tournament, had to battle with the posts down low.

As the game almost came to a close, Simeon fouled Okoro. He went to the line and he knocked down two free throws. The Wolverines rushed down the floor to get a shot but turned the ball over to Cooper with about 16 seconds left. Guard Devin Gordon missed the first of his two free throws but made the second one.

Simeon came down the floor and cleared out for Horton-Tucker. He got to the rim with ease but his layup rolled out.

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/944730745859379205

With two and a half seconds left and the ball under the hoop, Coach Smith drew up a great screen-the-screener play for Clements, using Horton-Tucker as a decoy, and Okoro lost his man. However, Clements wasn’t able to finish the layup, the Indians surviving 56-54.

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/944733102273855488

McEachern finished their first City of Palms appearance in 3rd place. The young team, according to Vice President of the tournament Donnie Wilkie, will be returning in 2018 and have a huge opportunity to develop over the summer and potentially win the entire tournament next year.

Chris’ Takeaways

Sharife Cooper is going to attract some national attention soon. The sophomore guard had a terrific run at the City of Palms including a 42-point outing against 5-star senior Jahvon Quinerly. 42 points is a record by any Georgia player at the City of Palms Classic. Considering some of the Georgians that have played in the tournament, MJ Walker, Collin Sexton, Lou Williams, Kobe Simmons and Malik Beasley to name a few, this is a huge accomplishment. Cooper’s play earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team, alongside some elite company.

Xavier Pinson is still a great available guard for any low or mid-major college. After decommitting from Kent State, the senior blew up on the AAU circuit. Pinson holds a handful of offers from smaller colleges, such as George Mason, Buffalo and Evansville. He is bouncy and is fearless attacking the rim and has a good-looking jump shot. Against Memphis East (TN), Pinson attacked the rim constantly and almost dunked over 7-footer, top recruit in the nation James Wiseman. No matter who’s in the middle, Pinson looks to rise up and slam it on them.

McEachern’s offense will need to improve before the playoffs start. While the Indians will not face a team that has anywhere near the talent that University (FL), Simeon, or Hudson Catholic (NJ), had, they will still face some tough teams in Class AAAAAAA. Against the last three teams McEachern faced in the City of Palms, their offense looked stagnant and struggled at times. Their first game against Ranney (NJ), McEachern’s offense looked smooth and efficient. The Indians only shot the ball 31 times against Simeon and had 21 team turnovers.

Top Performers

McEachern
Isaac Okoro – 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Sharife Cooper – 19 points (5-5 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 assists

Simeon (IL)
Talen Horton-Tucker – 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Xavier Pinson – 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Messiah Jones – 10 points, 10 rebounds

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Tye Fagan rallies No. 1 Upson-Lee to 44th straight win and City of Palms Signature Series Championship

Contributed by Chris Kelly   (@C_KELLY99)

No. 1 Upson-Lee 73, Corbin (KY) 71

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/944354515955912705

Last Friday night had both Georgia teams playing in the City of Palms. The first of the two games was for the championship of the Small-Town Signature Series between No. 1 Upson-Lee and Corbin (KY). The Knights had a huge challenge having to guard Furman bound Andrew Taylor. Going into the City of Palms, Taylor was averaging just under 30 points per game and his first game in the tournament, he had an efficient 36.

The game started with Corbin winning the tip and immediately giving it to Taylor. Taylor, like throughout much of the game, was able to get to the rim easily or knock down outside jumpers. On the other end, The Knights were aggressive early and played downhill. Tye Fagan, who looked much better this game, came out attacking and was able to get going early.

To start the second quarter, the Red Hounds knocked down threes at an extremely high rate. They would space the floor and clear out for Taylor to get into the lane. He then would find his shooters who couldn’t miss. The Knights had a tough time closing out on shooters and Corbin made them pay. Fagan and big man Travon Walker did their part to keep the Knights afloat. Fagan was scoring consistently and Walker pulled down any rebound near him. At the half, the Red Hounds were up 42-29.

To start the second half, Fagan turned it up a notch. Corbin couldn’t stay in front of him and he was making plays for himself and his teammates. The Red Hounds, who lacked size, couldn’t defend Walker inside. Walker, who finished with 21 rebounds, had his way down low, moving much smaller players around. Upson-Lee’s defense was outstanding in the third quarter.

At the beginning of the final quarter, Fagan and Zyrice Scott started to knock down some threes. The Knights opened with an 11-2 run to get themselves back into the game. The Red Hounds appeared a little tired and the Knights attacked. Coach Darrell Lockhart made the decision to press Corbin, but ended up sending the Red Hounds to the line frequently. This may have actually been a blessing in disguise for Upson-Lee because the Red Hounds had a subpar shooting percentage from the free throw line and the clock was stopped.

As Corbin continued missing free throws, Fagan was scoring from everywhere. Scott also served as a great sidekick in the fourth quarter, knocking down his open looks. With about a minute left, both teams had scored 69 and the Knights had the ball. Fagan knocked down a mid-range shot and then Taylor quickly got a layup on the other end.

With the score tied at 71, the Knights held the ball for the last shot. Fagan drove baseline but was met with baseline help. This left big man JaCorey Smith wide open near the hoop and Fagan found him. Smith laid the ball in right before the buzzer and the Knights added another win to their record by a score of 73-71.

Chris’ Takeaways

Tye Fagan is one of the most well-rounded players in Georgia. This game marked just the third time I have watched the Middle Tennessee State-signee in action and I wasn’t blown away the first two times. This game I finally saw what everyone was talking about. Fagan can score from all three levels rather well and can even put his back to the basket and find ways to score. He’s a tough guard than can rise up amongst the trees and grab boards as well, something a lot of guards don’t do nowadays.

Andrew Taylor is a steal for Furman. Taylor is a high-scoring guard that does his scoring very efficiently. In the first game of the tournament, Taylor dropped 36 points on 10-of-15 shooting and followed that up with a 26-point game on 9-of-17 shooting. He can take defenders off the dribble and find his shooters with ease. He is sneaky athletic and also gets to the free throw line at an exceptional rate. Through two games he shot 26 free throws and made 20.

Travon Walker is an extremely good basketball player, even though he’s a football player. After some research, I learned that, while an exceptional basketball player, Walker is a four-star defensive end with high major, SEC offers. This leads me to wonder how good would Walker be if he was only a basketball player? With great hands, soft touch around the rim, and great timing for jumping, Walker already has the tools to be a college basketball player. He pulled down 21 rebounds against Corbin, which puts himself on the all-time leaderboard for rebounds in tournament history.  If Walker were only a basketball player, he’d have more time to work on his rough areas and solidify himself as a D-1 recruit on the hardwood. But with Alabama and Florida State offers, to just name a few, I would say Walker has made the right decision to focus on football.

Top Performers

Upson-Lee
Tye Fagan – 34 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Travon Walker – 12 points, 21 rebounds

Corbin (KY)
Andrew Taylor – 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Chandler Stewart – 22 points (6-9 3PT)

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Spielin' & Dealin' Podcast

Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 38: Out of the Hospital and onto the Hardwood for Holiday Hoops

***SUBSCRIBE/DOWNLOAD/LISTEN ON iTUNES***
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[00:10] Introduction
[4:32] Shake up in the middle of Class AAA (G)
[7:45] Is the field still chasing Class AA No. 1 Laney? (G)
[14:46] Terrell County drops 4 spots in hotly-contested Class A-Public (G)
[16:57] Does Class AAAAAA have the most parity at the top across Georgia? (G)
[19:34] Jenkins and Johnson-Savannah battle for the No. 2 spot in Class AAA
[21:35] Is Grayson a contender or pretender amongst the well-touted Class AAAAAAA field?
[25:55] Region 5-AAAAA fills the middle of the rankings behind Warner Robins and Buford
[27:36] Tournament Preview: Tournament of Champions, Deep South Classic, Lake City Classic, Lanierland
[35:50] Tournament Recaps: City of Palms, Peach State Classic

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GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 6 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. McEachern (9-1)
  2. Grayson (8-1)
  3. Norcross (9-2)
  4. Collins Hill (11-1)
  5. Mountain View (9-2)
  6. Wheeler (6-3)
  7. Newton (8-2)
  8. Meadowcreek (9-2)
  9. Pebblebrook (7-2)
  10. Etowah (8-1) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Langston Hughes (9-2)
  2. Dacula (5-3)
  3. Brunswick (10-1)
  4. Tri-Cities (12-3)
  5. Douglas County (7-2)
  6. Gainesville (3-6)
  7. Jonesboro (7-2)
  8. Coffee (4-4)
  9. Bradwell Institute (8-4)
  10. Cambridge (12-1) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Warner Robins (8-0)
  2. Buford (6-2)
  3. Columbia (6-2)
  4. Miller Grove (7-3)
  5. Southwest DeKalb (8-3)
  6. Lithonia (11-2)
  7. McIntosh (6-0)
  8. Eagle’s Landing (8-2)
  9. Maynard Jackson (11-0)
  10. Statesboro (8-2) 

Class AAAA

  1. Upson-Lee (12-0)
  2. St. Pius X (8-2)
  3. Sandy Creek (7-2)
  4. Mary Persons (9-1)
  5. Cartersville (6-0)
  6. Westover (8-4)
  7. Baldwin (6-3)
  8. Americus-Sumter (9-1)
  9. Salem (10-4)
  10. Carver-Columbus (11-2) 

Class AAA

  1. Morgan County (9-0)
  2. Jenkins (7-2)
  3. Johnson-Savannah (8-2)
  4. Cedar Grove (5-3)
  5. Greater Atlanta Christian (7-3)
  6. Westside-Macon (5-5)
  7. Monroe Area (8-0)
  8. Windsor Forest (8-3)
  9. Dawson County (8-2)
  10. Pace Academy (4-3) 

Class AA

  1. Glenn Hills (9-0)
  2. South Atlanta (8-1)
  3. Dublin (8-1)
  4. Banks County (10-1)
  5. Swainsboro (6-2)
  6. Thomasville (10-2)
  7. Jeff Davis (7-2)
  8. Chattooga (8-1)
  9. Metter (9-1)
  10. Laney (10-3) 

Class A-Private

  1. St. Francis (8-1)
  2. Aquinas (8-1)
  3. Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (9-1)
  4. King’s Ridge Christian (8-2)
  5. Christian Heritage (9-0)
  6. Wesleyan (2-3)
  7. Landmark Christian (9-3)
  8. North Cobb Christian (6-2)
  9. WD Mohammed (6-1)
  10. Greenforest (3-6)

Class A-Public

  1. Central-Talbotton (11-0)
  2. Manchester (6-0)
  3. Lanier County (9-1)
  4. Woodville-Tompkins (11-2)
  5. Montgomery County (8-2)
  6. Pelham (8-2)
  7. Calhoun County (10-2)
  8. Wilkinson County (6-3)
  9. Wilcox County (8-3)
  10. Macon County (5-2) 

After a glucose level of 900 and an 18-hour stint in urgent care, the show must go on as Holiday Hoops are heating up the cold winter months. In Class AAAAAAA, No. 1 McEachern finished 3-1 at the City of Palms, taking home third-place after scoring wins over Ranney School, NJ (77-57), Hudson Catholic, NJ (83-81 OT) and Simeon, IL (56-54). The emergence of Sharife Cooper has officially grown to the national level, the sophomore point guard exploding for 42 points including the game-winner against Hudson Catholic. No. 2 Grayson held off Discovery 66-62, No. 3 Norcross rallied in the second half to beat Holy Spirit Prep 75-65, No. 7 Newton got its revenge against Tift County 67-45, No. 8 Meadowcreek took care of Class 4A No. 3 Sandy Creek 59-51 and No. 9 Pebblebrook survived Campbell in overtime, 83-81, to round up the rest of this week’s notable action. Duluth (8-4) exits the Top 10 after an 82-80 loss to Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis at the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic. Replacing the Wildcats is No. 10 Etowah. The Eagles have won 8-straight following their season-opening 59-48 loss to Alabama power Hoover. They next tip against Milton on Wednesday, an interesting matchup as Coach Jason Dasinger squares off against Etowah predecessor Allen Whitehart.

Region 5 reigns yet again in Class AAAAAA, as No. 1 Langston Hughes, No. 4 Tri-Cities and No. 5 Douglas County are all rolling. The Panthers overwhelmed Class A-Private No. 10 Greenforest at the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic 79-60. The Bulldogs captured the Peach State Classic Championship by beating No. 7 Jonesboro 83-67 and the Tigers cruised with wins over Mays and Northside-Warner Robins. Stephenson (9-3) bows out of the rankings after a 44-42 loss to Enumclaw, WA. The Jaguars are replaced by the Shane’s Rib Shack tournament champions, No. 10 Cambridge. The Bears outlasted Clarke Central in triple overtime 86-80 before beating Rutland in the title game 78-62.

The DeKalb County Region 5-AAAAA showed well yet again with No. 4 Miller Grove beating Allatoona 51-39, No. 5 Southwest DeKalb drilling Class 3A No. 8 Windsor Forest 90-69 and No. 6 Lithonia winning the New Manchester Toys for Tots tournament 80-68 over Kennesaw Mountain. Woodland-Stockbridge (8-3) exits the poll after a 55-50 loss to red-hot Region 4 foe No. 8 Eagle’s Landing. The Eagles stole a 57-51 win at the X-Dome against Class 4A No. 2 St. Pius after trailing by 19 points at the half, solidifying their place back in the Top 10.

It wasn’t easy, but No. 1 Upson-Lee extended its winning streak to 44 games in Class AAAA by capturing the City of Palms Signature Series championship, beating Kaukauna, WI 79-67 and Corbin, KY in the title game 73-71, rallying from a 14-point second half deficit. Middle Tennessee State-signee Tye Fagan ignited the comeback with 34 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals while Travon Walker collected 12 points and 21 rebounds. No. 4 Mary Persons went 2-0 at the War Eagle Classic, dumping Forest Park and Westminster. No. 5 Cartersville won the Rome News-Tribune championship 40-28 over Rome.

No. 2 Jenkins clocked rival No. 3 Johnson-Savannah 88-52 in Class AAA to win the Memorial Health Holiday Classic. No. 4 Cedar Grove holds onto their position after wins over Westlake (62-49) and Pinson Valley, AL (84-78) with a 68-67 loss to Class 6A No. 7 Jonesboro sandwiched in between at the Peach State Classic. No. 7 Monroe Area is up two spots after a 63-53 win at Marist. Dougherty (8-4) slips from the poll after a 91-63 loss to Class 4A No. 8 Americus-Sumter. The Trojans are replaced by the two-time defending state champion No. 10 Pace Academy Knights. Pace picked up wins over Episcopal School of Jacksonville and Lincoln, FL at the Providence School Christmas tournament, losing to Providence 44-28 to wrap up the event.

No. 1 Glenn Hills continues to hold serve in Class AA, beating No. 10 Laney 49-46 to win the Holiday Roundball Classic Championship. No. 4 Banks County is down two spots after an 84-65 loss to Apalachee. No. 2 South Atlanta went unblemished at the Nashville vs. Atlanta Challenge while No. 3 Dublin won the Kreul Classic Championship, 61-59 over Taravella, FL. Berrien (8-5) tumbles out of the statewide picture with losses at Pierce County 72-68 and at Lowndes 62-58. The Rebels are replaced by debutant No. 9 Metter. The Tigers’ only loss this season came against No. 7 Jeff Davis, 74-73.

Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis tacked on an 82-80 win over Duluth at the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic while No. 3 ELCA pounded No. 10 Greenforest 80-64. Surging five spots is No. 4 King’s Ridge Christian. The Tigers handled No. 7 Landmark Christian 79-56 and beat The King’s Academy 73-49 for the Storm Classic Championship. Freshman Sutton Smith was named MVP. Landmark Christian is without leading rebounder and only post presence Aaron Northcutt for the rest of the season with an injury. No. 5 Christian Heritage has a chance to prove themselves worthy of a Top 5 ranking as they host No. 8 North Cobb Christian next week. No. 6 Wesleyan has lost three straight games, their latest coming against GICAA juggernaut Mt. Bethel Christian, 55-46.

Class A-Public is in full mayhem mode. Outside of No. 1 Central-Talbotton, everything you thought you knew about the classification is in doubt. No. 2 Manchester’s meteoric rise continues, unranked three weeks ago to now sitting near the top after wins over Dooly County 68-53 and Treutlen 71-53.  No. 3 Lanier County flexed its muscle and beat No. 4 Woodville-Tompkins 59-55 to rise four spots. No. 7 Calhoun County plummets four more slots after losing 94-91 in overtime to No. 5 Montgomery County. However, the Cougars bounced back with an 88-63 blowout of No. 10 Macon County. No. 6 Pelham is up three spots thanks to a 69-66 win over Montgomery County.