Category Archives: GHSA Basketball

Under the Radar Seniors 2017 *UPDATE*

Seven of this June’s 18 highlighted under the radar seniors have already either committed or signed to D-I programs. Here’s a look at how everyone has done so far in their final season in the GHSA.

Mohammed Abubukar – 6’8” – Eagle’s Landing

***NORTH CAROLINA A&T***
12 GP – 10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg

Mo Merritt – 6’7” – North Cobb Christian

*Unsigned*

Avery Wilson – 6’3” – Forest Park

*Unsigned*
11 GP – 29 ppg, 9 rpg, 4 apg

Isaiah Miller – 6’0” – Newton

*Unsigned*
9 GP – 19.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2 apg, 3.2 spg

Khalil Cuffee – 6’4” – Langston Hughes

 ***SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE***
10 GP – 15 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg

Evan Cole – 6’8” – South Forsyth

***UNC-WILMINGTON***
11 GP – 20 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 bpg

Kane Williams – 6’3” – South Paulding

***GEORGIA STATE***
10 GP – 15 ppg, 8 rpg, 6 apg, 3 spg

Phlan Fleming – 6’5” – Cedar Shoals

***CHARLESTON SOUTHERN***
11 GP – 17.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 3.4 spg, 2 bpg

Trevion Lamar – 6’5” – Jenkins

*Unsigned*
10 GP – 16.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.1 bpg

Jules Erving – 6’5” – Holy Innocents’

*Unsigned*
5 GP – 13.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg

Ahmad Rand – 6’7” – Lincoln County

*Unsigned*
3 GP – 19.3 ppg, 19 rpg, 11.3 bpg

Marcal Knolton – 6’6” – Crawford County

*Unsigned*

Tyreke Johnson – 6’4” – Woodstock

*Unsigned*
12 GP – 21.6 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.8 spg

Tae Hardy – 6’3” – Miller Grove

*Unsigned*
10 GP – 20 ppg, 4 spg

Damion Rosser – 6’4” – Henry County

***NEW ORLEANS***
9 GP – 21 ppg, 8 rpg, 6 apg, 2 spg, 2 bpg

Evan Jester – 6’7” – Sandy Creek

*Unsigned*
7 GP – 19.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.9 spg, 1 bpg

Noah Gurley – 6’8” – Fayette County

***FURMAN***
10 GP – 16.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.3 bpg

Preston Horne – 6’6” – Tift County

*Unsigned*
8 GP – 23.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 steals, 1.3 bpg

Week 6 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Norcross (12-2)
  2. Newton (10-0)
  3. Wheeler (8-3)
  4. McEachern (8-0)
  5. Westlake (7-3)
  6. Collins Hill (12-1)
  7. Pebblebrook (5-5)
  8. Tift County (12-1)
  9. Berkmar (9-4)
  10. Peachtree Ridge (7-3)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Gainesville (10-0)
  2. Jonesboro (9-2)
  3. Langston Hughes (7-3)
  4. South Paulding (9-1)
  5. Brunswick (9-1)
  6. Heritage-Conyers (6-3)
  7. South Cobb (9-2)
  8. Alpharetta (12-1)
  9. Dacula (7-3)
  10. Lakeside-Evans (8-3)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (9-0)
  2. Eagle’s Landing (10-2)
  3. Miller Grove (8-3)
  4. Fayette County (10-2)
  5. Cedar Shoals (9-2)
  6. Warner Robins (10-1)
  7. Riverwood (11-1)
  8. Southwest DeKalb (9-4)
  9. Union Grove (9-2)
  10. New Hampstead (8-4)

Class AAAA

  1. Sandy Creek (5-2)
  2. Upson-Lee (12-0)
  3. LaGrange (9-1)
  4. Eastside (9-2)
  5. Richmond Academy (9-3)
  6. Henry County (9-5)
  7. Perry (10-2)
  8. Burke County (6-2)
  9. North Clayton (5-5)
  10. Americus-Sumter (9-1) 

Class AAA

  1. Westside-Macon (6-2)
  2. Greater Atlanta Christian (9-2)
  3. Liberty County (8-5)
  4. Central-Macon (8-1)
  5. Pace Academy (3-5)
  6. Morgan County (6-2)
  7. Calhoun (9-0)
  8. Islands (7-3)
  9. Johnson-Savannah (8-3)
  10. Cedar Grove (5-4) 

Class AA

  1. South Atlanta (12-1)
  2. Josey (12-2)
  3. Thomasville (4-4)
  4. Therrell (9-3)
  5. Dublin (6-4)
  6. Monticello (8-5)
  7. Callaway (3-2)
  8. Putnam County (8-2)
  9. Laney (9-3)
  10. Chattooga (8-1) 

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (7-2)
  2. St. Francis (10-0)
  3. Southwest Atlanta Christian (6-3)
  4. North Cobb Christian (7-2)
  5. Aquinas (6-1)
  6. Lakeview Academy (6-3)
  7. Holy Innocents’ (5-4)
  8. Whitefield Academy (6-3)
  9. Tallulah Falls (10-0)
  10. King’s Ridge (7-4)

Class A-Public

  1. Calhoun County (8-0)
  2. Quitman County (11-1)
  3. Taylor County (7-2)
  4. Wilkinson County (6-2)
  5. Treutlen (10-0)
  6. Clinch County (9-0)
  7. Wilcox County (9-2)
  8. Central-Talbotton (8-3)
  9. Crawford County (8-4)
  10. Montgomery County (8-2)

 

Norcross holds tight at No. 1 in Class AAAAAAA after a 2-2 showing at City of Palms, knocking off defending Class AA champion Pace Academy in the process, 53-44. The Blue Devils’ two losses came by a combined five points to IMG Academy and Brentwood Academy Wheeler has shaken off its slow start and will enter the Tournament of Champions on a four-game winning streak. The Wildcats rise four spots to No. 3 after winning the Chick-fil-A Classic American Division Championship with a 64-53 win over John Carroll, MD. No. 5 Westlake and No. 7 Pebblebrook struggled in their national tournaments. Westlake went 1-2 at the Chick-fil-A Classic while the Falcons finished 1-2 at City of Palms. Down in Tifton, No. 8 Tift County took care of business, smashing Milton 84-40 for revenge of last year’s season-ending buzzer beating loss in the Sweet 16, 56-54. At the 7th annual McDonald’s Tifton Invitational, the Blue Devils also snuck past Duluth 54-52 and hammered Westover 72-48.

There was no movement in Class AAAAAA, but No. 1 Gainesville did have a close call at the Carrollton Christmas Tournament, beating the Trojans in the championship game 53-46. Jonesboro finished City of Palms 3-1, defeating Neumann-Goretti, PA 65-53 in their final game. No. 5 Brunswick had a nice week, beating Monroe 67-52 at the McDonald’s Tifton Invitational and finishing 2-0 at the event.

Buford’s resume in Class AAAAA got stronger with a 60-45 win over Class AAA No. 10 Cedar Grove at the War Eagle Classic. The Peach State Classic helped sort out the rankings as No. 2 Eagle’s Landing fell in the title game to Class AA No. 1 South Atlanta, but beat Class AA No. 4 Therrell and Lithonia in the process. Fayette County holds on at No. 4 after a 2-1 mark at the Peach State Classic, their lone loss coming to South Atlanta. The Tigers defeated Southwest DeKalb 64-56. The Panthers had a rough go at the tournament, going 1-2 and slipping two spots to No. 8. Class AAAA No. 9 North Clayton defeated Southwest DeKalb in overtime 70-64. Warner Robins moves up a spot to No. 6 after winning the State Bank Classic Championship over Class AAA No. 4 Central-Macon, 83-62. Maynard Jackson exits the Top 10 after losing a shootout to Class AAAA No. 6 Henry County, 97-96. Back in the poll is No. 10 New Hampstead. The Phoenix scored a 54-51 victory over Nova, FL at the Memorial Health Holiday Classic in Savannah and finished third.

The merry-go-round in Class AAAA span on this past week as last week’s No. 5 Thomson, No. 6 Westover and No. 8 St. Pius all drop out. Thomson (3-4) has not played well this year yet. They went 1-2 at the Savannah River Shootout and struggled against South Carolina competition. Their 73-67 win over 2-7 Hartsville, SC wasn’t a promising outcome, considering how No. 8 Burke County handled them easily, 78-55. Westover (6-5) lost to Salem 50-47, a team fighting to crack the rankings. The Patriots also lost to Class AAA No. 6 Morgan County 57-50 and to Tift County by 24. St. Pius (6-5) has had the toughest luck thus far. The Golden Lions have loaded up on tough competition but haven’t scored more than impressive morale victories which leads me to believe they will be a tough team come February. Their latest heartbreaker came to Class AAA No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian in overtime, 61-58. Pius should be the favorite to win Region 8, but Stephens County did push them to the brink, 70-68. Back into the mix are No. 6 Henry County and No. 9 North Clayton due to their quality wins and strength of schedule. The Warhawks proved they are still dangerous, winning three in a row including two against ranked teams. They knocked Maynard Jackson out of the Class AAAAA rankings behind Javon Greene’s 46-point explosion and followed up by beating Class AA No. 6 Monticello 82-72 to win the Chuck Miller Classic Championship. North Clayton’s record isn’t pretty but they picked up two wins against ranked teams as well at the Peach State Classic. After losing to Class AA No. 1 South Atlanta 60-56, they stopped Southwest DeKalb (70-64 OT) and Therrell (39-37).  Debuting in the poll is Americus-Sumter, who just beat Class AA No. 5 Dublin 58-55 in the Phoebe Sumter Shootout Championship.

6-foot-11 Xavier-signee Kentrevious Jones has left No. 1 Westside-Macon. The Seminoles should be allowed to implement a more free flowing style of play behind Khavon Moore, Trey Foster and Samone Reed, keeping Westside a legit state title threat. Up to No. 2 is Greater Atlanta Christian, who held off St. Pius in overtime. Cedar Grove plummets from No. 3 to No. 10. The Saints went 0-2 at the War Eagle Classic, falling to Class A-Private No. 7 Holy Innocents’ (62-54) and to Buford. With 6-foot-8 Jelani Woods electing to enroll early at Oklahoma State for football, the Saints’ upside takes a major hit. Rising three spots is No. 3 Liberty County. A healthy Davion Mitchell with a budding superstar in Will Richardson is trouble for the rest of the state. No. 5 Pace Academy’s struggles in national events continued as the Knights went 0-3 at City of Palms. No. 6 Morgan County is playing good basketball, earning a victory over Westover at the McDonald’s Tifton Invitational. Jenkins exits the poll and is replaced by No. 9 Johnson-Savannah, who avenged an early loss to the Warriors and defeated Jenkins 55-53 in the Memorial Health Holiday Classic Championship.

South Atlanta is the team to beat in Class AA. They have picked up five wins against teams who have spent time in the Top 10 and even more impressively, on their march to the Peach State Classic Championship, they defeated larger schools from Class AAAA and AAAAA. They turned back Class AAAAA No. 2 Eagle’s Landing with a 14-2 run to win the title 61-47 at Clayton State. The hottest team behind the Hornets is No. 2 Josey. The Eagles have emerged as the best team out of Augusta and did so in nail-biting fashion, beating Glenn Hills 59-56 and No. 9 Laney in the Holiday Round Ball Classic Championship, 46-43. The quality wins soar the Eagles up five spots. Augusta did see a casualty however as Butler falls out after beating Class AAAA No. 5 Richmond Academy, but losing to Laney and Glenn Hills at the Round Ball Tournament. Replacing them is North Georgia power No. 10 Chattooga. The Indians have little room for error however due to their strength of schedule.

In Class A-Private, No. 2 St. Francis defeated Milton 85-81. Holy Innocents’ jumps Whitefield Academy at No. 7 after beating Cedar Grove and the Wolfpack losing to Class AAAAAAA No. 2 Newton, 82-58. Darlington drops out after tough 56-52 loss to Calhoun in overtime in the Rome News-Tribune Festival Championship. King’s Ridge Christian resurfaces at No. 10 and has won four straight.

Calhoun County still looks like the top dog in Class A-Public, blowing out Manchester 68-53. Crawford County slips to No. 9 after being upset by Southwest-Macon 63-62. Clinch County is up to No. 6 but they have a rematch looming with Turner County tonight in the Ronalda Pierce Holiday Hoopfest Championship. Twiggs County bows out of the Top 10 after a 63-51 loss at Swainsboro and is replaced by No. 7 Wilcox County, who beat No. 10 Montgomery County 68-53.

No. 1 South Atlanta stings No. 2 Eagle’s Landing with 14-2 close to capture Peach State Classic Championship

No. 1 South Atlanta 61, No. 2 Eagle’s Landing 47

The finals of the Peach State Classic Championship featured Class AA No. 1 South Atlanta (12-1) and Class AAAAA No. 2 Eagle’s Landing (8-2). Both teams fought their way to the title game by knocking off ranked teams throughout their path.

South Atlanta opened up a quick 8-2 lead behind two Devonta Pullins threes and raced out to a 20-10 lead after one. The Hornets used an active defense and 10 of Pullins’ 13 points on the night to get off on the right foot.

A reason for the Eagles’ slow start was that 6-foot-8 North Carolina A&T-commit Mohammed Abubukar didn’t touch the ball in the opening eight minutes. In the second quarter Coach Elliott Montgomery and the Eagles made it a point to get him the ball. On the first possession of the quarter, Abubukar earned a trip to the line and sank both free throws.

The inside-outside duo of Abubukar and Brandon Thomas helped Eagle’s Landing weather South Atlanta’s early scoring storm. Thomas drilled a three to make it 28-19 at the three minute mark and with 1:42 left it was 30-21.

Right before the half, the Eagles got the ball to Abubukar again and he was able to convert to make it 32-24 with the Hornets still on top.

South Atlanta stepped on the gas to begin the third quarter, using a 7-0 spurt keyed by Pullins’ third triple of the game and Tyler Thornton inside to regain a commanding 39-24 lead.


With the game starting to slip away Abubukar sparked the Eagles, powering a 9-0 run highlighted by the big man collecting a steal and going coast-to-coast for a tough lay-in. Thomas drained another three to make it 39-33 with 2:27 left in the third.

Abubukar drove for a dunk and then completed an And-1 to cut the lead to five, but the Hornets ran off the final 50 seconds of the clock and received a Dondre Barnes layup to head into the fourth up 45-38.

The Eagles’ surge continued in the final quarter, using a 7-2 run to close the lead to 47-45 at the 6:21 mark when Tarrence Evans scored his first two points from the line. With Eagle’s Landing in finally striking distance, the Hornets responded and made sure it would be as close as the Eagles were able to claw within.

South Atlanta ripped off a 14-2 streak over the final six-plus minutes to seal the game. It began with Barnes nailing a three and Jalen Stegall adding a jumper. Thornton capped South Atlanta’s 12 unanswered points with a one-handed jam to put the exclamation point on the championship.

My Take

South Atlanta has to be considered the favorite in Class AA to win it all. In fact, in this topsy-turvy season with parity at an all-time high, out of all my current No. 1 ranked teams in the state I am most confident in the Hornets. Wins over North Clayton (60-56), Class AAAAA No. 4 Fayette County (69-57) and Class AAAAA No. 2 Eagle’s Landing are as good as it gets, especially in Class AA which has seen other top programs struggle against tough competition out of the higher classifications. The majority of the Hornets have been playing together for years with a strong cohesion and a pedigree of winning which seems like it’s ready to come to fruition with a state championship. Devonta Pullins got South Atlanta off to a hot start with his three-point stroke, but it was far from a one-man show. Jalen Stegall and Dondre Barnes added 9 points apiece while Tyler Thornton was named Tournament MVP after posting 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. The 6-foot-8 unsigned lefty power forward should be on some schools’ radar. Thornton is comfortable facing up and has a nice turnaround jumper out of the low block. His motor is steady and he is active on the glass and blocking shots. He will be a nice late addition for whatever program sees him as a fit.

Eagle’s Landing’s slow start was too much to overcome. Not getting the ball to Mohammed Abubukar at all in the first quarter was a mistake. The big man nearly carried them all the way back as he posted 15 points. Mo likes to put the ball on the floor and create from the high post, using a multitude of spins to get free in the lane. He needs to make sure he doesn’t get out of control when trying to attack. I would have liked to see him get more paint touches on the low block to see what he can do there instead of relying on him to create everything starting from 15-feet out. Brandon Thomas knocked down four threes, one in each quarter. He’s a sweet shooter when he’s open but he needs to be able to make more happen off the bounce and create his own shot. Christopher Hood added on 10 points and rebounded the ball well. Tarrence Evans was too quiet with just two points on the night. He is usually a strong option on offense. Zane Walker was a tough rebounder inside for the Eagles. The undersized forward brings a football mentality to the glass and I thought he gave Coach Montgomery some quality minutes.

 

All-Tournament Team (L-R): Mohammed Abubukar, CJ Hood, *Revelle Williams*, Demontay Roberts, Devonta Pullins, Tyler Thornton (MVP)

Top Performers

South Atlanta
Tyler Thornton – 20 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks
Devonta Pullins – 13 points, 4 assists, 1 steal
Dondre Barnes – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Jalen Stegall – 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Demontay Roberts – 5 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Eagle’s Landing
Mohammed Abubukar – 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Brandon Thomas – 12 points, 3 rebounds
Christopher Hood – 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Zane Walker – 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Panthers’ comeback falls short at Day 1 of the Peach State Classic

No. 4 Fayette County 64, No. 6 Southwest DeKalb 56

Class AAAAA contenders collided at Day 1 of the Peach State Classic held at Clayton State University and hosted by Revelle Williams. No. 4 Fayette County and No. 6 Southwest DeKalb both had a chance to make a statement and shakeup the poll with a strong performance.

Darius Hogan got the Panthers off to a good start with back-to-back threes, but Fayette County didn’t blink and played an exciting brand of basketball led by Furman-signee Noah Gurley at the backend of the defense. The long and lean 6-foot-8 forward swatted away three shots in the opening period as the Tigers held a 12-9 lead heading into the second quarter.

Fayette County ran out to a 10-2 run to open the second quarter and led 22-11 following an Austin Nesmith alley-oop to Gurley. Sophomore Josh Dupree got loose in the quarter and scored nine of his 11 points, slicing to the basket and showing a deft jumper. The Tigers led 37-22 at the half using a balanced scoring attack.

Midway through the third quarter, Fayette County continued to extend its lead going up 40-24. Josh Archer and Mandarius Dickerson struck life into the Panthers and helped Southwest DeKalb close on a 15-4 run.

Nesmith drove to the basket late and didn’t get a foul call and barked at the referee which resulted in a technical with 1.2 seconds left. Hogan sank both free throws cutting the Tigers lead to 44-39 entering the fourth.

Southwest DeKalb’s steady climb back into the game rolled on. At the 4:51 mark, it looked like Gurley got a clean block on Eugene Brown III, but instead a goaltend was called and the lead was trimmed to 46-45.

The Panthers finally took their first lead of the second half off Kadarius Johnson’s offensive rebound and put-back with 4:10 left at 47-46, but the lead was short lived as Phillip Young sank a pair of free throws. Nesmith made it a three point game with 2:50 remaining on a floater.

Jaylen Holloway added on an And-1 layup, but missed the free throw, keeping it at 54-49, but Dickerson came down and drilled a three to make it a one possession game with 2:17 to play. Just six seconds later, the Panthers suffered a huge blow as Dickerson, their leading scorer, fouled out with a team-high 15 points.

With 59 ticks left after weaving around the defense and running some clock, Nesmith tossed another alley-oop to Gurley to extend the lead to 58-52.

Quincy Carter added a layup with 23.9 seconds remaining to make it 60-56 and Archer got a steal, but he missed the frontend of a 1-and-1 with 17.2 seconds left and Gurley grabbed the board and dished ahead to Young who was fouled and drained both free throws. The Tigers iced the game at the line, going 14-of-15 in the fourth quarter and 25-of-29 for the game.


My Take

This felt like an Elite Eight matchup; maybe even deeper. The Tigers look seriously poised to make a deep run at state this year with their bevy of seniors. The only question will be their depth if they get into foul trouble. Noah Gurley was dynamic defensively, blocking seven shots and flirting with a double-double. Four guys scored in double-figures for a balanced offense. Phillip Young is an active and willing rebounder from his guard position and his 12 points and 11 rebounds prove that. The lefty did a good job at getting to the foul line and converted when he was there, going 8-for-8. Fayette County’s excellent free throw shooting as a team will bode well come tournament time. Sophomore Josh Dupree was impressive with his explosiveness and jumper. He put on the quickest and tightest crossover I’ve seen all year in the first half. I would have liked to see him make more of an impact in the second half however as he was shutout over the final 16 minutes. Austin Nesmith is a clean ball handler while Jaylen Holloway brought some energy and toughness off the bench.

I feel like Southwest DeKalb is at its best when they are pressing. They used it on and off and it helped them get back into the game in the second half as they sped up the Tigers. Mandarius Dickerson played very well before fouling out. He was aggressive and it was the best I’ve seen him play in a Panther uniform. Coach Eugene Brown’s depth is fun to watch. He can throw flanks of men out there and each can contribute in their own way. Eight different players scored tonight. Tabais Long didn’t get in, but when he’s available he brings a nice physical presence to the low post. Southwest DeKalb’s aggressive defense led to 15 steals paced by four apiece from Darius Hogan and Kadarius Johnson. Offensively, I liked how the Panthers swung the ball around the perimeter which often led to open shots, even though Southwest only hit two threes outside of Hogan’s opening two from distance. The Panthers could have rolled over and took a beating when they were down 15 at the half but Coach Brown and staff does a great job of keeping them focused and not letting them give in. They fought back and took a lead in the fourth quarter, which is all you can ask for after a large early deficit.

Top Performers

Fayette County
Noah Gurley – 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 7 blocks
Phillip Young – 12 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Austin Nesmith – 12 points, 3 assists, 2 steals
Josh Dupree – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Jaylen Holloway – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Southwest DeKalb
Mandarius Dickerson – 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Josh Archer – 11 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals
Kadarius Johnson – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
Darius Hogan – 8 points, 2 rebounds, 4 steals
Quincy Carter- 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

GHSA Statewide Recap 12-20

BOYS 

Class AAAAAAA

Hudson Catholic, NJ 65, No. 4 Pebblebrook 51: Jahvon Quinerly scored 23 and Luther Muhammad had 16 to lead Hudson Catholic at City of Palms. Collin Sexton scored 22 points for Pebblebrook while Drue Drinnon added 12.

Forsyth Central 55, Blessed Trinity 52: At the Keller Williams Christmas Classic, CJ Smith scored 19 points and dished out 3 assists as the Bulldogs took down Blessed Trinity. Ethan Hester posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Grant Cloud had 6 points and 6 assists.

Class AAAAAA

No. 2 Jonesboro 65, Neumann Goretti, PA 53: MJ Walker continued to shine on the big stage of City of Palms, netting 32 points. Brandon Walker scored 15 and Jaylon Terrell added 10.

No. 5 Brunswick 66, Vidalia 31: Jalen Jackson scored 13 points for the Pirates. Marcus Scott chipped in 12.

Douglas County 58, Mays 52: Malik Battle scored 16 points and Rodney Lewis had 15 as the Tigers overcame a 21-point Reo Wright night. Clayvon Croom finished with 13 for the Raiders while Horace Wyatt had 8.

River Ridge 54, North Forsyth 43: Destin Exinor had 22 points as River Ridge edged the Raiders.

Forest Park 70, Woodward Academy 62: Sandy’s Spiel Under The Radar Senior Avery Wilson poured in 44 points to carry the Panthers.

Class AAAAA

No. 1 Buford 60, 3ANo. 3 Cedar Grove 45: Cedar Grove completed it’s rough two-day stretch at the War Eagle Classic, losing twice. Buford was led by David Viti’s 18 points and 8 rebounds and Marcus Watson’s 16 points and 9 rebounds. Alex Jones finished with 8 points and 7 assists. Jamari Dean led the Saints with 13.

No. 7 Warner Robins 70, Bleckley County 58: Nelson Phillips finished with 25 points and Jacolbey Owens tossed in 14. Bleckley County was led by Dontavian Harris’ 15 points, DJ Lemmon’s 13 and Torenio Davis’ 12.

Flowery Branch 57, Woodstock 56: The Falcons held off the Wolverines at the Keller Williams Christmas Classic at North Forsyth. Blake Coxworth hit Brannon Clark on a back cut with 19 seconds left to take the lead for good. Clark scored 14 to pace the Falcons while Coxworth added 12 and Caleb Murphy scored 11. John Mills chipped in 9. Woodstock was led by Tyreke Johnson’s 25; 22 in the first half. Dylin Hardeman added 12 and Noah Frith posted 11.

Loganville 69, Ola 67: Jamar Moore broke out with 17 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 1 block.

Walnut Grove 53, Jackson County 47: Jailen Robinson scored 16 points to pace Walnut Grove. RJ Selman added 12.

Wayne County 58, Dodge County 57: Nick Cummings scored 20 points and RJ Carr added 11 but it wasn’t enough for the Indians to earn a road win.

Class AAAA

No. 2 Upson-Lee 54, Northside-Warner Robins 46: Tye Fagan’s scoring binge rolled on as he sliced and diced his way to 25 points. Travon Walker went for another double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

No. 3 LaGrange 52, Centennial 38: Laperion Perry scored 19 points while Bryan Fanning posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

No. 4 Eastside 68, West Laurens 46: Eastside bounced back from a heartbreaking overtime loss to Class AAA No. 2 Central-Macon at the State Bank Classic at Jones County High School by dispatching of West Laurens. Keiodre Perry netted 18 points while Desmeontay Dyer had 20 and TJ Bush added 14.

Salem 50, No. 6 Westover 47: The Patriots couldn’t overcome 26 turnovers. Kris Gardner finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Jordan “Snow” Brown had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Henry County 82, 2ANo. 5 Monticello 72: The Warhawks held off Monticello to win the Chuck Miller Classic Championship. Damion Rosser finished with 36 points.

Shaw 80, Hardaway 44: Chris Hicks scored 21 points, Larrie Scott and Devan Porter-Wilson both had 12 and Lincoln Smith added 10 in the Raider victory.

McMinn County, TN 72, Northwest Whitfield 66: The Bruins couldn’t hold onto a 46-42 halftime lead at the North Murray Mistletoe Madness Tournament. Luke Shiflett finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Grant Terrell added 13 points and Paxton Pardee tallied 10 points and 5 assists.

Marist 62, East Jackson 55: Kobe Haley finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in a loss at the Lovett Classic.

Class AAA

No. 2 Central-Macon 85, Jones County 76: Antarius McCoy finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds to advance to the State Bank Classic Championship against Class AAAAA No. 7 Warner Robins. Wanya Thomas netted 15 points and Tyrice Paul pitched in 13 points and 5 assists.

No. 5 Greater Atlanta Christian 61, 4ANo. 8 St. Pius 58 OT: Charlie O’Briant had 17 points. Hunter McIntosh scored 12 with a game-tying three with under a minute left in regulation to force overtime.

No. 9 Calhoun 67, Rome 66 2OT: Calhoun used double overtime to stay undefeated and advance to the championship of the Rome News-Tribune Festival at Georgia Highlands where they will face Class A-Private No. 9 Darlington. Malik Lawrence scored 20 points and sent the game to double overtime with a three as time expired. Kaylan Aker continued his steady work with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Chapin Rierson totaled 17 points and 8 boards.

Lovett 68, Wesleyan 60: Ryan Greer dropped in 26 points and Nick Jackson tossed in 15 to help the Lions win their third straight game.

Sonoraville 66, Murray County 34: The Phoenix got hot from three to earn their eighth win of the year. Brad Wilson scored 21 points off seven threes, Casey Brooks hit four for 12 points and Trent Daniel knocked in three for 11 points for a team-record 16 threes.

Westminster 55, Mary Persons 53: Cam Holden poured in 29 points but it wasn’t enough to knock off Westminster at the War Eagle Classic. Ajay Manocha led the Wildcats with 14 points.

Class AA

No. 10 Putnam County 105, Rabun County 95: Putnam County debuted its new Top 10 ranking in style as Carl Johnson exploded for 46 points (12 threes) and in the process netted the 1,000th point of his career. D’Mario Reid added 23 points and 8 rebounds. For Rabun County, Bailey Fisher went for 39 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Hapeville Charter 56, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 39: Jamaure Ezzard scored a game-high 19 points to help Hapeville Charter over Mt. Vernon Presbyterian at the War Eagle Classic. John Traurig had 15 points for the Mustangs.

Class A-Private

No. 2 St. Francis 85, Milton 81: Duke-signee Alex O’Connell poured in 49 points, but Milton’s disappointing season continued. St. Francis’ youth carried the Knights. Sophomore CJ Riley had 28 points. Freshmen Chase Ellis and Dwon Odom both had huge nights. Ellis finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds while Odom went for 19 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.

No. 8 Holy Innocents’ 65, Decatur 58: Cole Smith scored a team-high 20 points to power the Golden Bears at the War Eagle Classic. Decatur was led by Chalin Hippe’s 14 points and Terrill Hall and Antonio Myrick’s 13 apiece.

Class A-Public

No. 1 Calhoun County 69, Manchester 53: Rashun Williams posted 30 points as the Cougars crunched a fading Manchester team. 


GIRLS 

Class AAAAAAA

Monacan, VA 58, No. 1 Norcross 57: The Lady Blue Devils suffered their first loss of the season at the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational. Vanessa Blagmon scored a game-high 25 points and added 8 rebounds. Tionna Carter and Tehya Lyons both added 8 points. Monacan got 22 points and 5 rebounds from Megan Walker.

Class AAAAAA

No. 2 Winder-Barrow 65, 1ANo. 1 Wesleyan 60: At the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational, Olivia Nelson-Ododa posted 27 points and 7 rebounds to carry the Lady Bulldoggs over Wesleyan, the Wolves’ first loss of the year. Latrice Perkins added 14, Lexi Maddox 11 and Chellia Watson 10 points. Wesleyan received 24 points and 10 rebounds from Mikayla Coombs. Amaya Register and Jameson Kavel both scored 9 points while Sutton West added 8.

No. 3 Douglas County 67, No. 5 Mays 60: In Region 5’s Top 5 showdown, Douglas County used Arsula Clark’s 26 points to win on the road. Kamiyah Street dropped a game-high 30 for Mays.

Class AAAAA

No. 3 Griffin 61, Decatur 31: Andeija Puckett scored 13 points and Niavanni Flowers added 10 as the Bears rolled at the War Eagle Classic. Decatur was led by Taylor Jones’ 14 points.

No. 5 Warner Robins 78, Chestatee 29: 13-0 Chestatee met 11-0 Warner Robins at the Jones County Christmas tournament. The Demonettes pounded the War Eagles as Chestatee’s inflated record due to a weak schedule was exposed. Victoria Brown scored 14 points and dished out 5 assists. Le’Terria Mathis scored 14 points. Kezia Holmes added 11 points and 2 blocks. Shynia Jackson flirted with a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Courtney Walker chipped in 11 points while Jordan Thomas (8) and Kishara Howard (5) also pitched in.

No. 7 Villa Rica 65, Cedartown 40: Deasia Merrill posted 18 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Jaila Orozco double-doubled with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Alexia Cooley scored 8 points and Tamya Windom had 7.

Class AAAA

Ridgeland 48, Trion 35: Sarah Meadows dropped in 24 points to power Ridgeland at Trion.

Class AAA

No. 8 Calhoun 89, Armuchee 54: Jana Johns led the Yellow Jackets with 23 points and 9 steals. Ashlyn Barnes added 16 points while Ryan Brzozoski (15) and Cassie Henderson (13) both cracked double figures.

Central-Macon 52, Jones County 22: JeNya Wilder had 20 points and 12 rebounds while Tyleia Williams had 13 points and 9 boards as the Lady Chargers advanced to the championship of the State Bank Classic.

Class AA

No. 3 Rabun County 87, Putnam County 46: 12 different players scored for Coach DeeDee Dillard while Putnam County’s nightmare season continued. Tessa Matheson scored 15 points to pace the Wildcats. Brooke Henricks and Jaden Quilliams both scored 14. Georgia Stockton added 10.

No. 4 Dodge County 50, Wayne County 45: Europe Brown scored 12 points and Jurnee Powell finished with 10 as the Indians advanced to 8-1.

Class A-Private

No. 3 Holy Innocents’ 60, LaGrange 30: Kaila Hubbard scored a game-high 20 points followed by Khayla Pointer’s 13 at the War Eagle Classic.