Category Archives: GHSA Basketball

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 1 McEachern dominates on national stage at City of Palms

Contributed by Chris Kelly   (@C_KELLY99)

No. 1 McEachern 77, Ranney School (NJ) 57

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/942933042091495424

No. 1 McEachern (7-0) entered their first City of Palms game against the Ranney School (NJ) as the nightcap on Monday. McEachern and Coach Mike Thompson knew they were going to have their hands full with 5-star wings Bryan Antoine and Scottie Lewis. Both wings are highly touted prospects with a handful of offers from high-major schools. The game tipped off with a total of nine juniors and a sophomore starting between the two teams. It started out as a fast pace matchup with Sharife Cooper and Isaac Okoro finishing strong at the rim. On the other end, McEachern came out in man-to-man with the long Brandon Suggs guarding Lewis, the No. 6 ranked player in 2019, and Okoro picking up Antoine, the No. 7 player in 2019. As the quarter closed out, Cooper put up a long two, looking for a foul and made it to give McEachern a four-point lead.

The second quarter began with the Indians going on a small run. McEachern’s size inside, mainly Jared Jones and Babatunde Akingbola, became a big problem for the much smaller Ranney School. The two bigs made their presence felt by continually crashing the boards and swatting shots. Towards the middle of the quarter, Cooper floated a perfect pass to Akingbola who rose up and dunked all over Lewis.

McEachern closed out the half with a string of great defensive stances and Ranney School head coach Tahj Holden getting a technical foul. At the half, McEachern was up 42-19.

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The third quarter opened up with the Ranney School sparking a brief run. Lewis got his first points off of a beautiful crossover and three. Antoine got to the free throw line a few times and both the standouts found guards Ahmadu Sarnor and Alex Klatsky for easy buckets. McEachern responded with a run of their own, fueled by Cooper’s ability to penetrate and find players on the wing. Big men Jones and Akingbola both showed their versatility by knocking down some outside shots. Lewis left part way through the third quarter with what looked like a very gross, dislocated pinky finger but quickly came back and started to make his presence felt a bit. He hit a few jump shots and did a great job finding shooters open on the wing. McEachern still closed out the quarter by a wide scoring margin and began to pull away.

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The fourth quarter started with the Ranney School losing one of their more consistent players, Sornar, to fouls and McEachern capitalized on it. Cooper turned it up a notch and got into the paint at will, finishing well with both hands. McEachern’s bench came in to give their starters a rest and provided the same level of production and consistency. Juniors Alyn Breed, Quinton McElroy and Devin Gordon were the main contributors from the bench and provided little drop off in production from the starters. As the quarter went on, the lead never dwindled and McEachern kept their foot on the gas. Towards the end of the game, both squads put in their reserve players and Lewis finished with a few big time plays, including a spin move and huge dunk.

McEachern won by 20 with the final score being 77-57. The Indians displayed their dominance on a national stage at the City of Palms. The young, Georgia team has a very tough match-up Wednesday morning against the No. 8 ranked team in the nation, Hudson Catholic (NJ). The second New Jersey squad the Indians will play, are led by a senior core consisting of Ohio State-commit Luther Muhammad, Oregon-commit Louis King, and recent Arizona-decommit Jahvon Quinerly. The game tips off at 11 AM.

Chris’ Takeaways

Sharife Cooper was one of, if not, the best player on the floor. Cooper was extremely poised and made great decisions for his team, something you do not normally see from a sophomore. He got into the paint with ease and was able to find teammates to kick the ball out to.

McEachern’s defense is the real deal. The Indians held a very good Ranney School team to just 19 points in the first half and finished with only 58, with most of those second half points coming at the end of the game. Brandon Suggs and Isaac Okoro did a great job containing Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine. The two wings combined for thirty-two points on a subpar 33% shooting.

Beating McEachern come playoff time will be no easy feat. The Indians, despite being young, limit their mistakes and played under control. McEachern is also such a deep team. Coach Thompson’s team has very little drop off in production when the second unit comes in the game.

Top Performers

McEachern
Sharife Cooper – 21 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Isaac Okoro – 15 points, 5 rebounds
Jared Jones – 16 points (6-9 FG) 7 rebounds

Ranney School
Bryan Antoine – 20 points
Scottie Lewis – 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 12-19

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

 

Class AAAAAA

No. 5 Gainesville 81, Cedar Shoals 67: KaJuan Hale scored a team-high 15 points for the Red Elephants. Bailey Minor scored 12 points while Xavier Bledson scored 12 points and added 6 assists. Jarred Rosser (9), Jarrel Rosser (8) and Maurice Hector (8) all pitched in offensively. Cedar Shoals was led by Tyler Johnson’s 15 points and 5 rebounds. Quincy Canty scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Jaiden Williams tacked on 12 points.

No. 6 Jonesboro 53, Heritage-Conyers 52: Jamari Mosley hit a free throw with 3.2 seconds left to slip past the Patriots. Mosley finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Jamari Smith collected 14 points and 10 rebounds. Quinn Thomas hit 4 threes off the bench. Meco Lucas added 4 points and 7 rebounds.

No. 7 Douglas County 71, Mays 55: Malik Battle scored 22 points, Cam Copeland 18 and Rickey Clark 12 in the Region 5 victory.

Class AAAAA

Loganville 60, Griffin 44: Jamar Moore had 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 steals and 3 blocks in the win.

Paulding County 64, South Paulding 57: Tyron Summerour netted 17 points to pace the Patriots. Keon Sedgewick had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Brown chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds. Elijah Brown finished with 6 points and 9 rebounds.

Villa Rica 52, Cedartown 29: Phillip Zachery scored 12 points for the Wildcats. Javonte Hart, Elijah Fluker and Latrell Swanigan all scored 10 points apiece.

Lithia Springs 53, Soddy Daisy (TN) 49: Omarion Smith led the way with 13 points.

Class AAAA

No. 4 Mary Persons 75, Westminster 65: Cam Holden poured in 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Tre Edge added 21 points and 5 rebounds. Desmond Williams scored 12 and Tre Slaten tossed in 8 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.

LaFayette 66, Coahulla Creek 60: Dee Southern netted 16 points. Rylan Russell hit five threes en route to 15 points. Alex Kelehear (13), Andrew Pendergrass (11) and Jon Morgan (10) all cracked double figures.

Woodward Academy 56, Fayette County 53: Kevin Powell scored 12 points followed by Spencer Felix (11), Walker Kessler (11) and JaCorrei Turner’s 10 in the win. Ricky Knight netted a game-high 18 in the loss. JaKobe Coleman had 11.

Henry County 54, KIPP Academy 41: DeAndre Rice tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds. Casey Armour netted 11.

Shaw 71, Hardaway 41: Lincoln Smith produced 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Jalen Ken notched 12 points.

Class AAA

GISATrinity Christian 62, No. 5 GAC 57: The Lions rallied from down 16 points to beat the Spartans. Jamir Williams had 25 points and 10 rebounds while Brady Burnett added 11 points.

No. 9 Monroe Area 63, Marist 53: Isaiah Glasper scored 15 points and Dabarius Partee added 12 in the win. Devin Sheets collected 11 points and 10 rebounds. Elijah Goodman scored 9 points while Quontarius Lackey and Michael Gray each added 8.

No. 10 Dawson County 58, West Hall 49 OT: Campbell Reed drilled 7 threes and finished with 31 points as the Tigers got the win in their fourth game in five days. Cullen Reed added 12 points while Ryan Gallenkamp grabbed 15 rebounds; Trey Pruitt snatched 7 boards. Noah Edmondson scored 20 and Dee Buffington added 15 in the loss.

Adairsville 60, Cass 50: Mason Bowell finished with 17 points including 5 threes to stun the Colonels. Cody Henderson (14), Ethan Belcher (13) and Hunter Hice (11) all came up big. Mark Chester netted 14 points and Ashton Burley had 13 in the loss.

Maplewood (TN) 67, Lovett 64: Crawford Schwieger had 24 points and Lance Beck scored 20 in the loss.

Union County 59, Gilmer 30: Pierson Allison put up 19 points while Sawyer Drake (12) and Patrick Baggett (11) both came up big.

Class AA

No. 2 Banks County 66, Monticello 61: Dylan Orr dumped in 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 7 blocks as the Hurricanes had no answer inside. Carl Cleveland scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while Gabe Martin netted 16 points. Darius Bonds collected 2 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists.

Dodge County 67, Wayne County 48: Nick Cummings scored 25 points and RJ Carr dropped in 21. Marcus Caines pitched in 12 in the win.

Lamar County 66, Mt. de Sales 54: Quay Parks led the way with 20 points. Rondez Fletcher and Josiah Stewart scored 14 apiece.

Elbert County 65, Social Circle 25: Kobe Goudelock had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the win,

Class A-Private

GISAMt. Bethel Christian 55, No. 4 Wesleyan 46: Jordan Meka scored 23 points inside while Staney Eze added 15 in the Eagles victory. Christian McLean fouled out with 6:30 remaining in the game for Wesleyan. He netted 13 to lead the Wolves.

Stratford Academy 76, Hawkinsville 69: The Eagles struggled to put away Hawkinsville. Devin Butts finished with 28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Nathan Hunt scored 24 and Jaden Harris added 7.

Class A-Public

No. 2 Woodville-Tompkins 76, McIntosh County Academy 50: Deante Green led all scorers with 17 points. Preston Crisp had 15 points and AJ Hassel netted 15.

Bowdon 79, North Murray 73: Zach Ledbetter dropped in 24 points and Christ Parker added 21 in the win. Scott Cunningham chipped in 16.

Green County 79, Prince Avenue Christian 61: DJ Wright tallied 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the win.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 5 Cherokee 61, Marietta 49: Sydne Watts posted 18 points. Olivia Herrera and Kate Johnson scored 10 apiece. Lacie McCoy netted 8.

Rockdale County 55, McNair 39: Kourtlan Carter posted 19 points to pace the Lady Bulldogs.

Class AAAAAA

Pope 49, North Atlanta 29:  Abby McKinley and Talia Cloud led the Lady Greyhounds with 13 points apiece.

Class AAAAA

No. 2 Flowery Branch 49, Edison (VA) 46: Down at the KSA Tournament in Orlando, the Lady Falcons received 13 points from Caroline Wysocki and 12 from Taniyah Worth in the win. Lexie Sengkhammee and Ashlee Locke scored 8 apiece.

No. 4 Harris County 68, Fayette County 59: At the Crescom Bank Holiday Invitational, Mississippi State-signee Jessika Carter poured in 16 points, 19 rebounds and 3 blocks. Taziaha Fanning posted 19 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks inside while Ny’Azjha Carter put up 15 points and 7 rebounds. Fayette County was led by Maegan Barkley’s 12 points and 4 assists. Rikkelle Miller had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while Naomi Franco had 8 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.

No. 6 Villa Rica 70, Cedartown 35: Deasia Merrill finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 9 steals. Kyndal Coleman went for 15 points and 3 assists while Aliyah Hindsman put up 13 points and 4 steals. Jaila Orozco had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

No. 7 Maynard Jackson 67, Whitewater 36: Tamaria White scored 21 points and Jamilah Mitchell added 12.

Cass 58, Adairsville 34: Kyla Michienzi led the Lady Colonels with 14 points while Payon Stoddard added 13. Amber Brittian scored 9 points followed by Aaliyah Curtis (7) and Alexis Ware (6).

Class AAAA

No. 10 Jefferson 60, Columbia 20: Livi Blackstock finished with 14 points followed by Mariah Starks’ 13 and Jazmin Allen’s 12.

West Hall 61, 3ANo. 9 Dawson County 45: Anna McKendree dropped 24 points in the win.

Class AAA

Sonoraville 56, Pepperell 41: Maliyah Parks and Alexa Geary had 12 apiece in the Lady Phoenix win. Sandi McMullin chipped in 11 points and Harleigh Chastain, Grace Darnell and Abby Chambers each scored 7. Pepperell was led by Kaylee Mansell’s 20 points.

Union County 68, Gilmer 61: Bailey Daniel pumped in 19 points while Brooke Dockery and Kait McCarter added 17 apiece.

Class AA

No. 5 Putnam County 82, No. 2 Rabun County 53: Jashanti Simmons dropped 25 points, Hailey Hyman had 22 and Rykia Pennamon netted 18 in the massive statement game for the Eagles. Georgia Stockton scored a career-high 38 in the loss.

No. 6 Banks County 62, Monticello 37: Allison Smith scored 20 points and Jaycie Bowen added 16 in the Region 8 win. Amber Williams and Morgan Lyons each scored 6 points.

No. 7 Dodge County 52, Wayne County 51: The Squaws rallied in the fourth quarter to stun Wayne County, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 32-11 in the fourth. Zanessia Mitchell scored 14 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter. Destanee Wright had 12 points, 10 coming in the final quarter. Europe Brown finished with 11 points.

Rockmart 69, Mt. Zion-Carrollton 23: Freshman Keyarah Berry hung 26 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Cambree Stanley added 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Madison Davis collected 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.

Bryan County 49, Long County 31: Olonna Rawls pumped in 22 points and 8 rebounds. Jay Black added 9 points and 11 rebounds. Kelsey Leggett scored 8 points as did Alicia Fabin.

Class A-Private

No. 2 Wesleyan 96, Miller Grove 40: AC Carter tallied 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals. Amaya Register pitched in 18 points and 5 assists. Alyssa Phillip scored 12 points and Sutton West finished with 11 points and 7 steals.

Athens Academy 54, Oglethorpe County 22: Gabby Mastandrea posted 11 points followed by Maddie McCleary’s 10 and Greer Moseley’s 9. Reagan Hatch had 6 points and 7 rebounds while Rose Bone collected 6 points and 6 rebounds.

Prince Avenue Christian 40, Greene County 30: Madison Britt scored 16 points to pace the Lady Wolverines. Ansley Hall and Janie Henderson added 10 apiece.

Class A-Public

No. 1 Telfair County 86, Treutlen 26: India Wells (23), NyAsia Howard (20), Tanajawa Graham (20) and Brandy Mackey (10) led an overwhelming attack for the Lady Trojans.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Peach State Stops of the Week (12/17-12/23)

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

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

WEDNESDAY

No. 3 Calhoun County at No. 4 Montgomery County

Coming off an upset loss to No. 6 Manchester 53-49, No. 3 Calhoun County (8-1) has no time to wallow in self-pity. They turn around and face a tough No. 4 Montgomery County (7-1) team with a star scorer of their own. Senior guard Daveaun Coglin piles in buckets at a high rate and will be asked to carry the Eagles past an angry group of Cougars led by South Florida-signee Rashun Williams.

Campbell at No. 9 Pebblebrook

At 6-2, Pebblebrook has seen a plethora of high level talent before entering Region 2-AAAAAAA play. They kicked off their region schedule with a come from behind 71-68 win to stun No. 6 Wheeler. The backcourt of Dwight Murray, Grant Howard, Jalen Harper and Khalil Hawkins has powered the Falcons offense, with Canisius-signee Mervin James and Josh Graham doing the dirty work in the front court. As potent as the Falcons are when they are clicking, they will have their hands full with Campbell. Without all the D-1 stars that he usually coaches against night in and night out in Region 2, Coach James Gwyn always gets the most out of his players and seemingly always pushes his high-profile opponents to the limit. Junior point guard Terrell Burden is flourishing this year, the 5-foot-9 playmaker averaging 17.2 points, 6.6 assists and 3.2 steals. 6-foot-5 junior wing Donovan Grant is a knock-down shooter averaging 15 points and 5.6 rebounds while Kiya Randolph (12.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Brandon Deravine (11.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.6 bpg) are also tough covers.

FRIDAY

No. 7 Greenforest at No. 3 ELCA

To reestablish themselves as a true title contender in Class A-Private, the two-time defending state champion Eagles (3-4) will have to play well against ELCA (8-1). The Chargers have hit their stride and have left no doubt against their opponents. Greenforest is the start of a challenging stretch of games. 6-foot-8 Malachi Rhodes will need to stay out of foul trouble to keep ELCA playing to their potential. He is averaging 14.3 points and 10.9 rebounds. Power forward Jamaine Mann is a physical and explosive sophomore posting 9.8 points and 8.7 rebounds. A balanced backcourt consists of Trevon Reddish, KJ Jones, Kamari Smith and Mekhi Cameron. Greenforest will have to handle the Charger press. Turnovers have crippled the Eagles against top competition. With a completely new team full of transfers, chemistry has lacked early in the season and may still take some time to jell. Jaylyn Clark leads the team at 18 points per game while Christian Jackson pitches in 16.1 a night. The Eagles have raw size inside. It will be interesting to see if 6-foot-8, 215-pound Ibrahim Jarjou and 6-foot-10, 260-pound Bright Okongwu can slow down Rhodes around the rim.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY

Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic

The first annual Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic at Norcross has good games galore. There are a couple grudge matches on the docket that provide the best storylines, if not the best games. On Thursday, Allatoona gets a 2015-16 state championship rematch with No. 4 Miller Grove, Coach Sharman White’s final high school game, beating the Bucs 50-48 during the Macon Centreplex debacle. The night cap on Friday features No. 10 Duluth vs. No. 1 St. Francis. Coach Cabral Huff brought a 2014 state championship to St. Francis before leaving for the college ranks and returning last year to take over the reins at Duluth. Saturday night at 6 PM pits Tift County against No. 7 Newton. The Blue Devils ended the Rams’ season last year in the Elite 8, stunning the home crowd at Newton. The defending Class AAAAAAA state champions don’t have the fire power they had last year, but still are a thorn in opponents’ sides. Expect Ashton Hagans’ Rams to come out uber-motivated for revenge.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 5 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. McEachern (6-0)
  2. Grayson (7-1)
  3. Norcross (8-2)
  4. Collins Hill (9-1)
  5. Mountain View (7-2)
  6. Wheeler (6-3)
  7. Newton (7-2)
  8. Meadowcreek (7-2)
  9. Pebblebrook (6-2)
  10. Duluth (7-3)

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

 

Hold on tight, Week 5 has the most movement we’ve seen all year. Top teams couldn’t avoid upsets and now heading into region play, the best of the best are starting to square off. In Class AAAAAAA, No. 1 McEachern held off No. 10 Duluth 82-66 at the SEBA Hoop Festival. The Wildcats ran out of gas after trailing 51-47 heading into the fourth quarter. Isaac Okoro couldn’t be stopped, posting 32 points and 11 rebounds while super sophomore Sharife Cooper added 26 points and 5 assists. The Indians’ size gave Duluth some issues with Babatunde Akingbola collecting 11 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks. Adam Flagler paced the Wildcats with 18 points followed by Will Huzzie’s electric 15 points and 7 rebounds. No. 3 Norcross was stunned in overtime by Lakeside-DeKalb (4-5) by a score of 56-55, Damon Davis hitting the game-winner and finishing with 17 points. No. 2 Grayson rises three spots after handling their business, knocking off No. 7 Newton 74-73, Archer 68-49 and Class 6A No. 5 Gainesville 65-63 in overtime. Vaulting up six spots is red-hot No. 4 Collins Hill. The Eagles scored wins over No. 5 Mountain View 49-48 and Duluth 54-50. The Bears of Mountain View still rose two spots thanks to their nail-biting wins over Discovery 46-45 and Newton in overtime, 66-65. No. 6 Wheeler slips three spots after a 71-68 home loss to No. 9 Pebblebrook, who rejoins the Top 10 replacing Peachtree Ridge (9-1) who suffered their first loss of the season to Etowah 49-46, the Eagles sneaking up the list of valid contenders at 8-1.

In Class AAAAAA, no one is playing better than the defending state champs, No. 1 Langston Hughes. If you didn’t believe me when I said Virginia Tech-signee Landers Nolley is the state’s most unstoppable scorer, maybe you’ll believe me now. He hung 51 on Mays in a 75-66 win and followed up with 40 points and 8 rebounds in an outstanding 63-58 win over Holy Spirit Prep. No. 2 Dacula hasn’t clicked on all cylinders just yet, but the Falcons picked up a pair of wins over South Gwinnett in overtime 61-54 and Pope 68-53 at the SEBA Hoop Festival. Dr. Russ Triaga has stepped down as head coach, leading to assistant Byron Wilson sliding over a seat to take over his dream job. No. 3 Brunswick rises a spot after beating No. 10 Coffee 64-61. The Trojans are out of excuses now with their football players finally back on the court. If they don’t take off right away, they will have to work their way back into the Top 10. They had a heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss to Tift County 54-52, courtesy of the Blue Devils’ Marquavius Johnson. In the loss, Jayce Moore dumped in 20 points, matching Montae Terrell’s 20 for Tift. No. 4 Tri-Cities creeps up three spots after wins over New Manchester (83-71), South Paulding (73-59), Eagle’s Landing (68-56) and Marietta in overtime (74-70). No. 5 Gainesville is down two more spots, desperately trying to finish out their brutal 9-game stretch to start the season. Battling suspensions, the Red Elephants nearly escaped Class 7A No. 2 Grayson, but lost in overtime 65-63. Sitting at 2-5 overall, Gainesville is 0-4 vs. GHSA opponents; their only wins coming at the Memphis vs. Atlanta Roundball Classic. Tucker (7-3) falls out of the poll following a 54-40 loss to debutant No. 9 Stephenson. The Jaguars have now won 8-straight games behind their dynamic guard play of Bryce Latimer and Drevion Evans.

Though they might not have a state title favorite right now, Region 5-AAAAA is loaded with potential Final Four teams. No. 3 Columbia moves up a spot after losing to No. 6 Lithonia 53-52, but beating rival No. 4 Miller Grove 60-58. Lithonia jumps four spots thanks to their win. No. 5 Southwest DeKalb sees no movement after beating Class 6A No. 3 Brunswick 58-44, but losing to Class 3A No. 2 Johnson-Savannah 62-55 at the Memorial Health Holiday Classic. Elsewhere in the classification, No. 8 Maynard Jackson remained undefeated by helping knock Lithia Springs (7-3) out of the rankings, surviving on the road in overtime 69-64. The Lions have now lost three straight games, suffering losses at Banneker 88-82 and to Cass 52-48. Leading scorer Anthony Hardy has missed the last two games with an injury. Replacing Lithia Springs is No. 10 Woodland-Stockbridge. The Wolfpack make their first appearance in the Top 10. They hold wins over Stockbridge 67-66 and Class 6A’s newly ranked Stephenson 70-65. The junior backcourt of Curtis Perdue and Jalen Mason is leading the way. Perdue is averaging 15.3 points while Mason, the Miller Grove transfer, is tallying 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night.

No. 1 Upson-Lee is winning by an average of 40.8 points per game in Class AAAA. They trashed Taylor County 69-11 and at one point had allowed only four points deep into the third quarter. They will finally get their first test of the season on Wednesday down at the City of Palms. The Knights meet Kaukauna High School out of Wisconsin. Jordan McCabe, a West Virginia-signee and YouTube sensation, will likely be the best player Upson-Lee has ever played against in a high school game. No. 2 St. Pius trounced Stephens County (7-1) and dropped the Indians from the Top 10. It wasn’t just their 79-65 loss to the Golden Lions that forced the Indians out, but it was their lackluster 60-57 win over 2-7 Habersham Central that sealed their fate. They had beaten the Raiders 91-48 at Stephens County on December 1.  The Indians however aren’t the only team that struggled this week. Region 1’s No. 9 Americus-Sumter and No. 10 Carver-Columbus are down four and six spots, respectively. Carver suffered a bad 56-52 loss to Class 2A Spencer (4-4) while Americus-Sumter was defeated by Northside-Columbus 58-56. No. 5 Cartersville benefits and jumps up three spots to their preseason position after finally opening the season and doing so with two impressive wins over Paulding County (76-54) and at Calhoun (54-27).  No. 6 Westover is hot on their tail, moving up four spots with wins over Early County (81-72), Class 5A No. 9 Statesboro (69-51) and Glynn Academy (68-59). Replacing the aforementioned Stephens County Indians is preseason No. 6, No. 8 Salem. The Seminoles have finally found their groove, having to do so without Heritage-Conyers transfer Avante Lederer who is lost for the season with an injury. Seniors Tehjuan Powell and Tabias Long are carrying the load. Powell is averaging 17.9 points per game while Long is totaling 11.4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals on average. Junior point guard Montez Swann is providing 10 points per game and is the team’s leading three-point shooter.

Savannah is rising in Class AAA. No. 2 Johnson-Savannah beat Class 5A No. 5 Southwest DeKalb 62-55 while No. 3 Jenkins beat up Class 6A No. 8 Bradwell Institute 75-47 and edged No. 7 Windsor Forest 72-62, the Knights still moving up two spots in the process. No. 5 Greater Atlanta Christian is down three spots as they continue to struggle how to solve Coach Joe Dix’s East Hall Vikings. The Vikes are only 2-4 but they have now won three-straight games dating back to last season against GAC following their 88-74 victory in Valhalla. Perennial powers Calhoun (1-2) and Pace Academy (2-2), the defending two-time state champs, exit the Top 10. The Yellow Jackets suffered a bad loss at Model 62-53 and then were outmatched by Class 4A No. 5 Cartersville 54-27 at home. Pace Academy faces a tough stretch ahead and will need to find a leader to carry them through their early two-game losing streak which has been prolonged due to snow postponements. Into the poll is No. 9 Monroe Area and No. 10 Dawson County. The Hurricanes are 7-0 under long-time legend Bolling Dubose, who coached for over 40 years at Jefferson before landing the job in Monroe. Their last three wins have come against Social Circle (61-38), at Apalachee (61-60) and Winder-Barrow (73-60). 6-foot-7 senior forward Elijah Goodman is averaging 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.3 blocks. Juniors Isaiah Glasper (14.3 ppg) and Michael Gray (9.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.7 bpg) are playing well along with senior stat sheet stuffer Devin Sheats, the 6-foot-4 wing averaging 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Dawson County has rebounded nicely after blowing a 17-point halftime lead against Blessed Trinity and have now won three in a row behind Cullen Reed, Jeremiah Crumley and Campbell Reed.

In Class AA, No. 8 Jeff Davis is down four spots following a 62-59 loss at Vidalia and a 66-54 loss to No. 6 Swainsboro. No. 4 Dublin is rolling, heading to the championship game at the Kreul Classic. Monticello (5-3) and Washington County (4-2) are rolling, but in the wrong direction following the Hurricanes’ losses to Thomson 71-66 and at Elbert County 75-64. The Golden Hawks were tripped up by Northeast-Macon 52-51. Into the poll are familiar faces No. 9 Laney and No. 7 Chattooga. Laney pushed No. 1 Glenn Hills to the brink 62-61 while Chattooga has blasted their opponents in North Georgia. The Indians are led by 5-foot-5 junior point guard “Nuk Nuk” Adams. The speed merchant is averaging a team-high 19 points per game off the bench, pacing Chattooga’s relentless attack.

Class A-Private is seeing No. 1 St. Francis and No. 3 ELCA start to rack up the quality wins. The Knights drilled Southwest Atlanta Christian 93-32 and then beat No. 4 Wesleyan 62-52; the Wolves rising two spots due to No. 5 North Cobb Christian losing to Paulding County 83-74 and No. 8 Landmark Christian slipping three spots following a 97-63 drubbing at the hands of Class 3A No. 5 GAC. Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy took care of No. 9 King’s Ridge Christian 77-54 and stomped Drew Charter 88-35. They will host defending two-time state champion No. 7 Greenforest on Friday. The Eagles are back in the Top 10 after beating No. 10 WD Mohammed 64-50. Jaylyn Clark is averaging 17.3 points to pace Greenforest while Christian Jackson is netting 16.7 points and grabbing 6 rebounds a night. Exiting the poll is Stratford Academy (2-3) and Mt. Vernon Presbyterian (4-2). Stratford took two tough losses in Florida while the Mustangs faltered against Whitefield Academy 54-46. Making their first appearance in the Top 10 is North Georgia’s No. 6 Christian Heritage. The Lions haven’t played the toughest schedule in Dalton, but they have handled their business thus far. If they can get out of Chickamauga with a win on Friday at Gordon Lee, they will likely have a Top 10 showdown with North Cobb Christian on January 5. 6-foot-7 forward Christian Koneman is the star of the Lions. He played his travel ball with the Atlanta All-Stars, seeing elite competition over the spring and summer months. The veteran group turns to Zach Gentry at point guard and three-point threat Sam Dindoffer on the wing. AJ Kent brings some athleticism at the swingman spot while freshman Evan Lester is a post presence.

Stop the presses. We have a new No. 1 in Class A-Public. No. 1 Central-Talbotton has been a juggernaut this year and now get the No. 1 title to go along with it. The Hawks beat Dooly County 75-68 behind Tayne Smith’s 29 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists and ZyTavian Hill’s 29 points and 14 rebounds. No. 3 Calhoun County loses their grip on Class A-Public after getting upset by No. 6 Manchester 53-49. JahNile Hill took it to USF-signee Rashun Williams, pouring in 23 points while the Blue Devils held Williams to 11. Manchester jumps four spots. No. 2 Woodville-Tompkins’ rise continues following their 64-39 win over Beach. No. 4 Montgomery County bumps up one spot after an impressive 92-74 thumping of Vidalia behind Daveuan Coglin’s 31 points. No. 8 Macon County is reeling, tumbling five spots after losing to No. 5 Wilkinson County 69-61. Keep an eye on No. 7 Lanier County. The Bulldogs are quietly putting together a nice resume, adding wins over Turner County (59-41), 3A Islands (53-46) and 5A New Hampstead (58-51). Hancock Central (5-4) departs from the poll after a 67-56 loss to Greene County. No. 9 Pelham is back thanks to a 79-76 win over Terrell County.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Etowah makes statewide statement with upset of undefeated No. 9 Peachtree Ridge

 

Contributed by Cody Butler  (@CodeMan10x)

Sponsored by:   @sportalspace

Etowah 49, No. 9 Peachtree Ridge 46

Etowah (8-1) closed the door late on Peachtree Ridge in a 49-46 win Saturday at the Gwinnett Daily Post Metro Atlanta Challenge. Etowah made plays down the stretch to escape Gwinnett County with a Top 10 win over the previously unbeaten Lions (8-1). 6-foot-5 wing Adrian Cohen delivered the game winning three for the Eagles with under a minute left in regulation.  Etowah executed their game-plan of defending Florida State-signee Devin Vassell for most of the night, holding him well below his 25-point per game averaging, scoring just 11 points. Vassell went scoreless in the first and fourth quarters, the two pivotal periods Peachtree Ridge struggled to knock down shots as a team.

Etowah took a 12-3 lead in the first after the sensational play of 6-foot-4 junior wing Jaxon Etter. Etter scored eight points quickly setting the Eagles out front of a struggling Lions offense.

Peachtree Ridge head coach Keith Arrington was critical of his team’s shot selection during a timeout, citing too many missed threes and not enough penetration. Etowah guard Nick Nagy frustrated Vassell most of the game leaving no room for separation, making the future Seminole work for every basket.

Peachtree Ridge went on a run of their own as the score tightened to 16-12 with 5:26 to go in the half. The plan to feed Vassell in the second quarter became more successful as he scored six of his 11 total points in the next few minutes.  An Etowah timeout created adjustments though as the Eagles put themselves in control again up 27-19 at halftime.

Cohen, a Tusculum-signee, made his presence known in the second quarter with six consecutive Etowah points. Cohen possesses combo guard skills to drive the basketball and knock down the open shot.

The undefeated Lions wanted no part of losing their first game as they turned up the intensity down eight in the third quarter. Constant pressure on the ball forced Etowah into mistakes.  Back-to-back three-pointers from Vassell and guard Devon Higgs cut the Etowah lead to 32-31 with 2:18 left in the third. The Eagles scored only eight points in the quarter as momentum flipped to the Lions heading to the fourth.

Peachtree Ridge took their first lead of the game on a Hirum Maxey three-pointer making it 36-35 with 5:05 remaining. While Vassell struggled to find open looks in the final frame, Maxey stepped up and made shots to keep the Lions in it. The 6-foot-1 guard finished the game with 12 points, six in the final minutes down the stretch.

Etowah remained poised and answered the Lions run with key three-pointers from Nagy and Cohen to close out the game. Peachtree Ridge led 40-38 with less than four minutes left before Nagy caught and released a three from downtown to regain the lead, 41-40. Peachtree Ridge went back in front 45-44 on a Maxey turnaround with 1:15 remaining but the celebration was short lived.

After a quick timeout and whiteboard session with Etowah head coach Jason Dasinger, the Eagles made the biggest play of the night and proved to be the better team on this Saturday.  Cohen called for the ball and sank the game winning three with 40 seconds left to put Etowah up for good. Cohen finished the game with 16 points and five rebounds.  Etowah kept the ball out of Vassell’s hands down the stretch and left Gwinnett County with the Lions stunned.

Top Performers

Etowah
Adrian Cohen – 16 points, 5 rebounds
Jaxon Etter- 10 points
Nick Nagy – 9 points

Peachtree Ridge
Hirum Maxey – 12 points
Devin Vassell – 11 points