Category Archives: GHSA Basketball

Girls Recaps, Recaps

Game Night Recap 11-23

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

Denmark 55, No. 7 Cherokee 54: A day before a big showdown with No. 4 Berkmar at the Jared Cook Classic, the Warriors were upended by the Danes. Alabama-Huntsville-signee Sutton Smith was masterful providing 21 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Joseph Scott added 10 points and 7 rebounds while Jayden Hilliman had 8 points and 6 rebounds. In the loss,  Taihland Owens collected 18 points and 5 rebounds. Xavier-signee Elijah Tucker had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

No. 9 North Gwinnett 74, No. 8 Newton 62: Dylan Gary led the Bulldogs with 19 points. Thomas Allard netted 18 and RJ Godfrey had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Alabama-Huntsville-signee Brendan Rigsbee had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Newton was led by TJ Clark (20 points), Jakai Newton (19 points, 6 rebounds) and Stephon Castle (12 points).

No. 10 Etowah 56, Centennial 49: The young Eagles showed their mettle, erasing a 12-point deficit to win at the Wolverine Thanksgiving Classic. Mason Etter posted 22 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals followed by Brandon Rechsteiner’s 14 points, 8 assists and 3 steals. Jonah Milton scored 10 points. Josh Hughes added 4 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Dajaun Devonish contributed 4 points, 5 assists and 4 steals.

Peachtree Ridge 61, 6ANo. 8 South Cobb 58: At the Jared Cook Classic, Chris Green posted 20 points and 9 rebounds while Jairus Griffin scored 18 points and Deterrius Clayton pitched in 13 points and 5 rebounds. South Cobb got 17 points and 6 assists from Travis Burrus. Baqi Lecky had 12 points and RJ Dix totaled 11 points and 13 rebounds. Jens Rueckert added 10 points and 6 rebounds. Continue reading Game Night Recap 11-23 →

Rankings

Week 1 GHSA Boys Basketball State Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. Grayson (1-0)
2. Pebblebrook (1-0)
3. McEachern (1-0)
4. Berkmar (1-0)
5. Milton (0-1)
6. Norcross (1-0)
7. Cherokee (1-0)
8. Newton (0-1)
9. North Gwinnett (0-1)
10. Etowah (1-0)

Class AAAAAA

1. Wheeler (0-0)
2. Kell (0-0)
3. Lanier (1-0)
4. Buford (1-0)
5. Heritage-Conyers (1-1)
6. Douglas County (2-0)
7. Allatoona (0-0)
8. South Cobb (0-0)
9. Chattahoochee (0-0)
10. Richmond Hill (0-0)

Class AAAAA

1. Tri-Cities (1-0)
2. St. Pius X (1-0)
3. Veterans (1-0)
4. Woodward Academy (1-0)
5. Eagle’s Landing (0-0)
6. Warner Robins (0-0)
7. Chapel Hill (0-0)
8. Cass (1-0)
9. Blessed Trinity (1-0)
10. Woodland-Stockbridge (2-0)

Class AAAA

1. Miller Grove (0-0)
2. Spencer (1-0)
3. Baldwin (0-0)
4. Fayette County (0-1)
5. Westover (1-0)
6. Stephenson (0-0)
7. Jenkins (1-1)
8. Westside-Macon (0-0)
9. Monroe (1-0)
10. Mays (0-0)

Class AAA

1. Sandy Creek (1-0)
2. Windsor Forest (1-0)
3. Johnson-Savannah (1-0)
4. Hart County (0-1)
5. Salem (1-0)
6. Upson-Lee (0-0)
7. LaFayette (0-0)
8. Cross Creek (0-0)
9. GAC (0-0)
10. Monroe Area (0-0)

Class AA

1. Pace Academy (0-1)
2. Swainsboro (0-0)
3. Columbia (0-0)
4. Lovett (0-0)
5. Thomasville (1-0)
6. Butler (0-0)
7. Woodville-Tompkins (2-0)
8. Laney (0-1)
9. Vidalia (1-0)
10. Jeff Davis (0-0)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (0-1)
2. Greenforest (0-0)
3. Mt. Pisgah (1-0)
4. Providence Christian (0-1)
5. Galloway (0-0)
6. St. Anne-Pacelli (0-0)
7. Holy Innocents’ (2-0)
8. Mt. Vernon Presbyterian (0-0)
9. Trinity Christian (1-0)
10. First Presbyterian Day (0-0)

Class A-Public

1. Hancock Central (0-0)
2. Terrell County (0-0)
3. Drew Charter (2-0)
4. Manchester (0-0)
5. Lincoln County (0-0)
6. Calhoun County (0-0)
7. Lanier County (0-0)
8. Taylor County (0-0)
9. Turner County (1-0)
10. Wilkinson County (0-0)

The GHSA season has officially “tipped” or make that inbounded. There will be uncertainty now more than ever when it comes to the polls. Not only are we dealing with the usually football players absences, injuries and eligibility issues here and there, but with COVID contact tracing, players will be forced out of the lineup for potentially weeks at a time. There is no consistency with school districts either. DeKalb County has suspended winter sports indefinitely, meaning teams like Class 4A No. 1 Miller Grove and No. 6 Stephenson aren’t sure when their seasons will start. The same can be said about Class 2A No. 3 Columbia. With that being said, there will be, as always, a lot of movement in the polls throughout the season, especially if some schools aren’t allowed to play. A team can’t sit dormant at the top of the poll without playing a game for over a month into the season. We may have to adopt something similar to what has been done with the NCAA college football rankings: once your season starts, you will be eligible for the rankings. While it hasn’t come to that just yet, it is something to think about.

As far as the actual action on the court, there will be some moving and shaking as always at the beginning of the season when Top 10 opponents matchup. While it may look like seismic changes, up or down a handful of spots, remember that the rankings always find a way to sort themselves out as more results are tallied. With that being said, the OTR Tip-Off Classic, Jared Cook Classic, Sweet South Shootout and North Georgia Showcase already have us off and running in 2020-21.

Continue reading Week 1 GHSA Boys Basketball State Rankings →

Girls Recaps, Recaps

Game Night Recap 11-21

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 2 Grayson 67, A-PrivateNo. 1 St. Francis 56: Clemson-signee Ian Schieffelin posted 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks to help the Rams past St. Francis at the OTR Tip-off Classic. Robert Cowherd finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds while Tyrese Elliott had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Charleston Southern-signee Taje Kelly and Chauncey Wiggins each had 10 points. Kaden McArthur dished out 6 assists. Alabama-signee Jusaun Holt led St. Francis with 24 points followed by Seth Hubbard’s 13.

No. 3 Pebblebrook 77, 4ANo. 4 Fayette County 56: South Alabama-signee Tyler Shirley (17) and Aaron Reddish (15) paced the Falcons. Kaleb Banks had 21 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals in the loss followed by Terry Brown’s 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

No. 4 Berkmar 89, Brookwood 59: Berkmar pounded Brookwood at the Jared Cook Classic behind Malique Ewin’s 29 points and 13 rebounds. Jermahri Hill had 25 points and 8 rebounds. Recent transfers Destin Logan (11 points) and Jameel Rideout (8 points, 5 assists) also chipped in.

No. 5 McEachern 56, No. 1 Milton 55: McEachern toppled Milton, who was without LT Overton due to football. Randy Brady scored 15 points including the game-winner to lead the Indians. Braden Sparks scored 14 points and Georgia-signee Cam McDowell had 13 while Arkansas-signee Chance Moore sat out. Milton was led by Campbell-signee Broc Bidwell and Kanaan Carlyle’s 16 points apiece. Bruce Thornton scored 11.

No. 6 Norcross 65, Osborne 35: London Johnson (17) and Jahki Howard (12) led Norcross. Jaden Harris added 10 points. Osborne saw Zocko Littleton finish with 18 points and 3 assists and Christian Carroll net 9 points. Continue reading Game Night Recap 11-21 →

Game Stories

No. 7 Cherokee dunks Alexander in season opener

No. 7 Cherokee 83, Alexander 47

Heading into the season with a Top 10 ranking to their name, No. 7 Cherokee will no longer be sneaking up on anybody. After finishing 23-5 with their first-ever region title, the Warriors entered 2020-21 with a target on their back and something to prove, especially after failing to advance past the first round of the state tournament. Cherokee’s season debut went without a hitch as the Warriors outscored Alexander 65-30 over the final three quarters to race away with a highlight filled 83-47 victory.

Up against an inexperienced Alexander team, it was a back and forth first quarter as both squads traded punches. Senior guard Bennett Ulm set the tempo early for Cherokee. The unsung hero shined with his energy and defensive presence on the perimeter. He scored five of his 11 points in the first quarter and picked up steals and deflections along the way, but Alexander was game early on.

Junior Zion Fruster scored four points in the quarter including a smooth finish in transition to cut the Cherokee lead to 12-11 with just a tick under 3 minutes remaining.

Alexander would go on a 6-0 run to go ahead 15-12 after a Tayshaun Bolton transition layup.

Instead of carrying momentum into the break however, Cherokee would answer and take an 18-17 lead into the second quarter on a late Tayden Owens layup.

Turnovers became an issue in the second quarter and for the rest of the game for the visiting Cougars. Cherokee got out in transition and were energized by Richmond Hill transfer Ethan Pickett and Xavier-signee Elijah Tucker. Pickett finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, relentlessly attacking the basket and finishing with thunder and finesse on the break.

Tucker, who started out slow with his outside shot, started to get more comfortable as he got closer and closer to the basket. The future Musketeer helped spark a 13-3 run that pushed Cherokee ahead for good, taking a 29-20 lead on a tip-in that showcased Tucker’s freakish length and athleticism.

Tucker scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the stanza and finished with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals on the night.

At the half, Cherokee held a 44-33 lead with Alexander barely hanging on receiving solid first halves from Sean Ivory and Jah’Kim Payne, who both scored all 7 of their points in the first 16 minutes before going scoreless the rest of the way. The screeching halt of the offense led to a 24-6 third quarter in favor of the Warriors, a run that ballooned the Cherokee lead to 68-39 after three.

Tucker continued to be effective inside with his activity, while Cherokee’s 2-2-1 press led to multiple steals and a pair of Ulm layups to pushed the lead to 20.

Taihland Owens helped salt the game away in the fourth quarter with seven of his 14 points.

Top Performers

Cherokee
Elijah Tucker – 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Ethan Pickett – 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Taihland Owens – 14 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 3 steals
Bennett Ulm – 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Tayden Owens – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

Alexander
Sean Ivory – 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Tayshaun Bolton – 7 points, 1 assist, 3 steals
Zion Fruster – 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Jah’Kim Payne – 7 points, 1 steal

 

My Take

Continue reading No. 7 Cherokee dunks Alexander in season opener →