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No. 7 Sprayberry survives OT shootout at Sequoyah, 103-101

No. 7 Sprayberry 103, Sequoyah 101 OT

Sequoyah Sprayberry

Following an explosive 96-88 first meeting back on January 5th, No. 7 Sprayberry (21-3, 14-1) and Sequoyah (18-6, 11-4) met in the War Lodge for an important Region 6-AAAAAA bout. With temperatures dropping to below freezing, the two offensive-minded clubs set Hickory Flat ablaze with one of the most entertaining games of the season.

The Chiefs got off to a quick start, leading 4-0 behind a Myles McGee breakaway slam, but Sprayberry saw DJ Patrick hit his first of the team’s 11 threes to get the Yellow Jackets on the board.

Sequoyah and Sprayberry traded baskets at a breakneck pace, but there was some defense sprinkled in as Patrick erased a DJ King layup attempt.

Justin Day ignited an 11-2 run with an offensive rebound and put-back which helped the Jackets push their lead to 27-19.

At the end of one, Sprayberry held a 27-21 lead as Patrick scored nine of his 14 points in the opening frame to pace the Yellow Jackets.

The Chiefs kept close as the trio of McGee, Donovan Shipp and Jacksen Greco attacked the basket, Greco floating in a shot in traffic to cut the Sprayberry lead to 42-36 with 2:28 left in the second.

But while Sequoyah slashed into the lane, Sprayberry bombed from deep with Shamar Joseph coming off the bench to nail three three-pointers in a row, building the Jacket advantage to 48-38. Sprayberry sank seven trifectas in the first half, but McGee buried a buzzer beater to send the Chiefs into the break down 50-41.

Sequoyah came out and trimmed the deficit to 52-46 but, but Sprayberry answered with a 9-2 run to extend the lead back to 61-48 at the 6:05 mark of the third quarter. 6-foot-5 sophomore Jaylin Galloway, younger brother of former Buford/Milton post Kyrin Galloway (UNCG), started to make his presence felt around the rim, balancing Sprayberry’s perimeter orientated offense by scoring eight points in the paint. Galloway’s bucket with 2:50 left gave Sprayberry a 69-56 lead before Sequoyah turned the tables.

The Chiefs ripped off an 8-0 run in a span of 1:36 to close the gap to 69-64 as Shipp and McGee carried the offense, scoring 10 and 9 points, respectively, while King brought his trademark high energy and athleticism on defense.

Sprayberry regained momentum after a defensive break down led to Joseph’s fourth three of the night as the Yellow Jackets took a 75-66 lead into the fourth.

The Yellow Jackets saw Matt Jenkins score six points in the quarter to help Sprayberry build an 85-73 lead with 4:14 remaining as the Jackets were on the verge of running Sequoyah out of the gym but over the final 254 seconds, the Chiefs’ aggressive press finally cracked Sprayberry.

A wild 14-2 run saw Sequoyah tie the game at 87 at the 1:18 mark after McGee cashed in on an And-1 but missed his free throw and saw Greco swoop in for the offensive rebound and game-tying put-back.

Sequoyah came away with a steal from McGee but he and King botched point-blank layup attempts with only one Sprayberry defender in initial position. The Chiefs missed another bunny up close but retained possession after a loose ball scramble with the arrow pointing in favor of the home team with 19.1 seconds remaining.

Shipp sliced to the basket with under 10 seconds to play and was denied by Galloway who collected the block and pitched ahead to Day who airmailed an outlet pass to a wide-open Jenkins, the ball sailing out of bounds as the Chiefs breathed a sigh of relief with 2.1 seconds left in regulation.

The Chiefs’ ensuing inbounds was stolen away but a tumbling Yellow Jacket couldn’t establish his footing and his falling down unbalanced heave at the buzzer fell well short from just 15 feet away, sending the game to overtime tied at 87.

Galloway’s interior presence loomed large in overtime as he scored seven of his team-high 27 points in the quarter to go along with his 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks on the night.

With 1:08 left to play, McGee slashed to the basket for an And-1 and knotted the game up at 99, but again, missed the free throw as the Chiefs failed to take the lead.

McGee got momentary redemption, hitting a tough shot in the lane for his 29th point of the night to tie the game at 101, but the Chiefs failed to get back in transition after the made bucket as the Yellow Jackets tossed ahead to Day for a layup to make it 103-101 with 14.1 seconds remaining.

The Chiefs had a final possession to tie the game and got the ball down low to McGee on a cutting post up, but as he pivoted toward the middle of the lane he was met with traffic and fumbled the ball away allowing Sprayberry to collect it and clear the ball out of harm’s way and tick off the final 3 seconds to secure the number one seed in Region 6-AAAAAA as No. 6 South Cobb fell to Allatoona 69-63.

My Take

It was a wildly entertaining game to watch. Both teams put on a good show offensively but lack state championship caliber defense. Sprayberry seems to have a higher ceiling than Sequoyah with their envious offensive depth as six players scored 12 points or more, five of them knocking down at least one three. When they are hot, Sprayberry can do damage from deep but it was the emergence of 6-foot-5 sophomore Jaylin Galloway who really carried the Yellow Jackets in the second half scoring 17 of his game-high 27 in the final three periods. He has nice length and a calm touch around the rim in traffic. He and 6-foot-5 senior DJ Patrick killed Sequoyah on the glass combining for 21 rebounds, dominating their matchup with 6-foot-4 Ayden Watson who grabbed just two rebounds for the Chiefs.  Shamar Joseph provided instant offense off the bench with four threes while Saigon Kitt and Justin Day chose their spots when to attack the defense. Senior Matt Jenkins was the engine for Sprayberry finishing with 20 points and 11 assists. Sprayberry has the guard play to play extremely fast but defensively, they have a lot of work to do if they want to make a deep run at state.

Donovan Shipp and the Chiefs sliced up Sprayberry’s on-ball defense, getting into the paint at an alarming rate. In fact, it was the most aggressive I’ve seen Shipp play in three years, attacking the basket at will finishing with a game-high 30 points and 6 assists. Shipp has grown tremendously over his first three seasons and should be a D-II target for schools looking for a heady assist-man that can score when he needs to. Myles McGee had 29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, but his night ended on a sour note with his 2-of-9 free throw shooting and turnover to end the game. Even with his shortcomings tonight, his gladiator mentality on the floor paired with the football toughness of gridiron teammate DJ King makes the athletic duo the most important pieces to Sequoyah’s full court press. King netted just 6 points but had 5 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks, making his biggest impact defensively. Jacksen Greco had a strong 25-point outing, nailing 3 threes and collecting 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the process. His passing has improved year to year as he is developing into a well-rounded player breaking the mold of just a three-point specialist. Ayden Watson disappointed tonight against Sprayberry’s frontline. Watson has been integral to the Chiefs’ success this year providing size, energy and athleticism in the paint but he was a non-factor with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block. While Sprayberry struggled defending drives, Sequoyah’s bugaboo was poor rotations leading to too many wide-open three-point shooters. Both teams showed their strengths and weaknesses and in a classification void of a true favorite, both teams could see an Elite Eight berth as a real possibility depending on how the brackets and region tournaments play out.

Top Performers

Sprayberry
Jaylin Galloway – 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
Matt Jenkins – 20 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal
Saigon Kitt – 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
DJ Patrick – 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
Justin Day – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Shamar Joseph – 12 points (4 threes), 1 rebound

Sequoyah
Donovan Shipp – 30 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
Myles McGee – 29 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Jacksen Greco – 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
DJ King – 6 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 blocks

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 11 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (22-0)
2. East Coweta (23-1)
3. Meadowcreek (19-4)
4. Discovery (20-3)
5. Grayson (20-3)
6. Norcross (17-7)
7. Newton (17-5)
8. Milton (16-7)
9. Shiloh (15-7)
10. Pebblebrook (15-8)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (20-2)
2. Chattahoochee (20-3)
3. Douglas County (18-5)
4. Alexander (18-7)
5. Tri-Cities (18-6)
6. South Cobb (16-5)
7. Sprayberry (20-3)
8. Lakeside-Evans (20-3)
9. Lanier (16-6)
10. Tucker (20-4)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (20-2)
2. Eagle’s Landing (18-3)
3. Fayette County (20-4)
4. Southwest DeKalb (17-6)
5. Woodland-Stockbridge (19-3)
6. Jonesboro (16-8)
7. Lithonia (16-8)
8. Kell (19-5)
9. Carrollton (14-8)
10. Harris County (15-7)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (21-1)
2. Sandy Creek (19-3)
3. St. Pius X (20-3)
4. Henry County (22-2)
5. Americus-Sumter (18-3)
6. Woodward Academy (15-8)
7. Carver-Columbus (18-5)
8. Marist (16-7)
9. Thomson (16-4)
10. Druid Hills (16-7)

Class AAA

1. GAC (19-4)
2. Morgan County (22-2)
3. Dawson County (19-4)
4. Hart County (17-6) 
5. Pace Academy (16-7)
6. Johnson-Savannah (16-6)
7. Westside-Macon (18-5)
8. Central-Macon (18-5)
9. Monroe (16-6)
10. Windsor Forest (19-4)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (23-0)
2. Therrell (19-6)
3. South Atlanta (18-5)
4. Vidalia (20-3)
5. Spencer (19-3)
6. Washington County (17-5)
7. Northeast-Macon (18-4)
8. Glenn Hills (20-3)
9. Early County (16-6)
10. Elbert County (20-3)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (19-4)
2. Greenforest (16-5)
3. ELCA (15-7)
4. Mt. Bethel (17-6)
5. Walker (16-6)
6. Holy Innocents’ (13-10)
7. Riverside Military (17-4)
8. Wesleyan (17-6)
9. Lakeview Academy (16-7)
10. Mt. Paran (13-8)

Class A-Public

1. Calhoun County (22-0)
2. Hancock Central (17-4)
3. Treutlen (21-1)
4. Terrell County (20-2)
5. Irwin County (18-2)
6. Wilcox County (18-2)
7. Wilkinson County (14-9)
8. Greene County (17-5)
9. Pelham (17-4)
10. Marion County (17-4)

Continue reading Week 11 Boys Rankings →

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Basketball, Spielin' & Dealin' Podcast

Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 65: East Coweta + Class 3A/2A Girls Breakdown

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The Sidelines

Region/State tournament requests [2:00]
No. 2 East Coweta [3:45]
No. 1 Jefferson girls climb to top [10:28]
Can someone beat Savannah’s powers in Class 3A? [13:21]
Will the Class 2A state champion come from outside of Augusta? [16:47]
Class 2A girls state bracket preview [24:40]

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 10 Boys Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (18-0)
2. East Coweta (21-1)
3. Grayson (19-2)
4. Meadowcreek (17-4)
5. Discovery (18-3)
6. Norcross (15-7)
7. Pebblebrook (14-7)
8. Newton (15-5)
9. Wheeler (15-7)
10. Berkmar (15-5)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (18-2)
2. Chattahoochee (19-3)
3. Tri-Cities (16-5)
4. Douglas County (15-5)
5. Lakeside-Evans (18-2)
6. Alexander (16-7)
7. South Cobb (14-5)
8. North Atlanta (16-5)
9. South Paulding (15-7)
10. Sprayberry (17-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (17-2)
2. Fayette County (18-3)
3. Eagle’s Landing (15-3)
4. Lithonia (15-7)
5. Southwest DeKalb (16-6)
6. Woodland-Stockbridge (16-3)
7. Kell (17-4)
8. Jonesboro (13-8)
9. Lithia Springs (15-5)
10. Carrollton (13-7)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (19-1)
2. Sandy Creek (16-3)
3. St. Pius X (18-2)
4. Henry County (21-1)
5. Carver-Columbus (16-3)
6. Americus-Sumter (14-3)
7. Baldwin (13-7)
8. Woodward Academy (12-8)
9. Marist (14-7)
10. Salem (13-6)

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (19-1)
2. GAC (15-4)
3. Dawson County (17-4)
4. Hart County (15-5) 
5. Pace Academy (14-6)
6. Johnson-Savannah (14-6)
7. Westside-Macon (15-5)
8. Central-Macon (15-5)
9. Monroe (14-5)
10. Windsor Forest (18-4)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (21-0)
2. Therrell (16-6)
3. South Atlanta (16-5)
4. Northeast-Macon (17-3)
5. Elbert County (18-2)
6. Vidalia (18-3)
7. Spencer (16-3)
8. Washington County (14-5)
9. Glenn Hills (18-3)
10. Thomasville (17-3)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (16-4)
2. Mt. Bethel (15-4)
3. Greenforest (14-4)
4. ELCA (13-6)
5. Walker (14-5)
6. Holy Innocents’ (11-9)
7. Wesleyan (15-5)
8. Lakeview Academy (15-5)
9. Riverside Military (15-4)
10. Trinity Christian (9-10)

Class A-Public

1. Calhoun County (20-0)
2. Hancock Central (16-3)
3. Treutlen (19-1)
4. Terrell County (17-2)
5. Wilcox County (17-2)
6. Irwin County (14-2)
7. Greene County (15-5)
8. Wilkinson County (11-9)
9. Pelham (13-4)
10. Marion County (14-3)

 

Class AAAAAAA dominated the country again to prove the best basketball in the nation from top to bottom is played in Georgia, with Class 7A possibly being the deepest classification in the United States. No. 1 McEachern won the Bass Pros Tournament of Champions Championship by beating Springfield Catholic (MO) 75-42, Shadow Mountain (AZ) 73-61 and rallying to beat Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) in overtime in the title game 50-46 behind Sharife Cooper’s 20 points and Auburn-signee Isaac Okoro’s 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. No. 6 Norcross upset Roselle Catholic (NJ) 75-55 to hand the No. 11 ranked team in the nation their first loss of the season. The Blue Devils had their best week of the season and might finally be turning the corner and reaching their potential. They hammered both Parkview (80-42) and Brookwood (65-39) before winning at the Spalding HoopHall Classic with Brandon Boston’s 26 points leading the way. The bad news for McEachern and Norcross is that life gets much tougher back home believe it or not. No. 2 East Coweta jumps three teams and has cemented themselves as elite and a team that should garner nationwide attention. The Indians avenged their lone loss by beating No. 7 Pebblebrook 67-62 in OT before escaping Westlake, rallying from down 14 in the second half to win on the road 81-76. East Coweta finished the week with a thrilling 71-66 OT win at No. 9 Wheeler after leading 46-25 at the half before surviving a furious comeback. Outside of the vaunted Region 2, No. 8 Newton fell two spots following losses to No. 3 Grayson 70-61 and to Class 3A No. 1 Morgan County 56-51.

No. 2 Chattahoochee won their Top 3 Class AAAAAA showdown with No. 8 North Atlanta 64-56, sinking the Warriors six spots and taking control of Region 7. No. 3 Tri-Cities had a perfect week in Region 5, scoring wins over No. 9 South Paulding 66-50, New Manchester 86-71 and Langston Hughes 80-67. Sequoyah (16-5) drops out of the Top 10 after losing 78-64 to No. 7 South Cobb and nearly giving away a game to rival Cherokee, surviving 73-72. The Chiefs (9-3) are now stuck in third-place in Region 6 behind South Cobb (12-1) and returnee No. 10 Sprayberry (11-1) who blasted River Ridge 72-54 and Dalton 93-64.

In Class AAAAA, the spotlight was too bright for No. 2 Fayette County as their reign over Class 5A lasts just one week, slipping back to number two after a 62-52 loss to debutant No. 8 Jonesboro, who has now quietly won eight-straight games, allowing 42.3 points per game over their winning streak. No. 1 Buford returns to pole position after beating rival Clarke Central 67-43 and demolishing Walnut Grove 75-37. No. 5 Southwest DeKalb falls out of the Top 3 for the first time all season after losing to No. 4 Lithonia 75-62 and barely winning at Miller Grove 52-51. The Bulldogs are up three spots and have a chance to secure a No. 1 seed heading into the Region 5 tournament. Warner Robins (15-5), Statesboro (17-5) and Jones County (14-7) all slide out of the poll, giving us a new 8 through 10. The Demons were knocked off by Harris County 44-43, Statesboro was blown out by New Hampstead 67-46 and the Greyhounds were pounded by No. 3 Eagle’s Landing 77-52. Returning to the rankings is No. 9 Lithia Springs and No. 10 Carrollton. The Lions won two nail-biters against North Springs 62-61 and at Riverwood 62-57 and now have their work cut out for them against Class 6A No. 4 Douglas County who beat them 106-103 in their first meeting. Carrollton has won five-straight with their latest win coming at Cass 64-58. The Trojans will attempt to slow down Rome and prolific scorer Caleb Byrd this Tuesday.

The bottom of Class AAAA is becoming a barren wasteland with limited options worthy enough to crack the Top 10 with a handful of weak resumes. Thomson (14-4) falls out after losing 55-52 at Richmond Academy and narrowly defeating East Jackson 57-54. No. 9 Marist makes their first appearance in the Top 10 and will try to stick. The War Eagles have handled their business in an improved but still average Region 7. Last week’s three victories were highlighted by wins over White County 62-49 and Chestatee 79-40. First-place in the region is on the line at Blessed Trinity this Tuesday, who Marist beat 65-45 earlier in the season as one of their few signature wins. Marist’s respectable losses to powers Class 3A No. 5 Pace Academy (56-44), No. 3 St. Pius X (62-49) and Class 3A No. 2 GAC (64-51) are the War Eagle’s most reassuring results. Speaking of No. 3 St. Pius X, they kicked Cedar Grove from the Class 3A rankings with a 68-51 win. No. 4 Henry County is eagerly awaiting a slip up from the Top 3 as they continue to impress, beating No. 8 Woodward Academy 57-50, No. 10 Salem 66-60 and Hampton 60-40. No. 5 Carver-Columbus is playing great basketball as well, winning at Dougherty 79-71 and sweeping No. 6 Americus-Sumter in OT, 52-49.

No. 1 Morgan County and No. 2 GAC handled their business in Class AAA Top 4 bouts this past week and feel like virtual locks to meet in the state finals as they have separated themselves from the rest of the classification. The Bulldogs mauled No. 4 Hart County 70-53 on the road and then traveled to Class 7A No. 8 Newton to score a 56-51 win behind Tyrin Lawrence’s 26 points. The Spartans swept No. 3 Dawson County 72-60 with Hunter McIntosh pouring in 27 points while Clifton Baskerville (14), Belmont-signee Ben Sheppard (12) and Chris Hinton (11) combined for 37 points. No. 7 Westside-Macon climbs two spots after dropping No. 8 Central-Macon three slots with a 54-52 win over the Chargers. The Seminoles followed up with a 103-59 thrashing of Kendrick while Central-Macon lost to Class 2A No. 4 Northeast-Macon 54-52. Jefferson (13-7) is out of the poll after a 75-65 loss at Franklin County while Cedar Grove (11-7) was put out of their misery with losses to Class 4A No. 3 St. Pius X 68-51 and Redan 61-48, the Saints losing seven of their last nine games after starting 9-0. No. 9 Monroe sneaks into the Top 10 for the first time, coming out of the yucky four-team Region 1, which has a combined record of 21-36 outside of the Tornadoes’ 14-5 mark. Monroe very well may be a one-and-done candidate but a season sweep of Westover (69-36; 73-68), a 69-49 win over Early County and a tight 70-64 loss at Class A-Public No. 4 Terrell County might show that the Tornadoes aren’t just beating up on bad competition. They get their biggest test of the year on MLK Day against Class 4A No. 6 Americus-Sumter. Drama is afoot in Savannah. No. 6 Johnson-Savannah moves up a spot after beating Jenkins 65-44, but first-year Head Coach Rico Campbell will be hoping for some addition by subtraction as shot-hunter Shamar Jones has left the program after averaging a second-best 14.9 points per game. The Atomsmashers tried to load the deck with transfers but it has proven to be a combustible mix. With Jones leaving, 6-foot-6 junior Brandon Harris will likely get more shot attempts and will have to warrant all his High Major D-I offers and prove that his summer wasn’t just a flash in the pan. He holds averages of 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. No. 10 Windsor Forest breaks into the Top 10 for the first time this season and is the landing spot for Shamar Jones if he is somehow ruled eligible. At 18-4, its hard to believe the Knights still don’t have a signature win and have only beaten three teams with a winning record, their best win coming against 11-7 New Hampstead 68-47 back on December 22! 6-foot-3 senior Zim Fields averages 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals while 5-foot-10 sophomore Shamar Norman nets 15 points a night. If Jones is ruled eligible, it will be interesting to see whether he affects team chemistry as their rematch with Johnson-Savannah looms next Tuesday. Only the Atomsmashers and Knights have winning records in the nine-team Region 3.

The polar opposite of the Savannah area basketball in Class 3A is reflected in the special season that Class AA No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins is having. The Wolverines destroyed Swainsboro 81-47 and outlasted No. 6 Vidalia 53-50. No. 4 Northeast-Macon clipped Class 3A No. 8 Central-Macon 54-52. No. 10 Thomasville tumbles three spots after suffering an 83-68 loss at Class A-Public No. 9 Pelham. No. 8 Washington County moves up two positions after wins at Bleckley County 78-75 and at Class 4A No. 7 Baldwin 68-61, Jamarius Dixon (21) and Jarden Maze (20) combining for 41 points against the Braves.

The Top 5 remains unchanged in Class A-Private even after No. 2 Mt. Bethel’s 76-71 OT win at No. 1 St. Francis to split the season series, withstanding a 38-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist barrage from Xavier-commit Dwon Odom. The Knights hold onto the top spot barely thanks to a little bit stronger of a schedule and six Top 10 wins to Mt. Bethel’s five. The Eagles defeated No. 5 Walker 54-44 before taking down the Knights. No. 3 Greenforest edged No. 10 Trinity Christian 57-48, dropping the Lions two spots. No. 6 Holy Innocents’ rises three spots and have now won seven-straight games including beating No. 7 Wesleyan 59-54 on the road. Region 8 gets interesting this week as No. 8 Lakeview Academy battles No. 7 Wesleyan at the BCB MLK Showcase, but more importantly, meets the new and improved No. 9 Riverside Military Eagles on Friday. The Lions will need to play better after squeaking out a 57-56 win at Prince Avenue.

Here they come. The most feared team in Class A-Public and winners of three-straight state championships and five of the last six, No. 8 Wilkinson County is back in the Top 10 and have won six-straight games, their latest coming in a whipping of Macon County (12-5) 71-40, drilling the Bulldogs in Montezuma and knocking them out of the poll. Also out of the rankings is Georgia Military (9-5) continuing the theme of Region 7’s best being a revolving door. The Bulldogs lost at home to No. 7 Greene County 48-39 and then lost at Washington-Wilkes 58-56. Greene County turned around and were beat by Region 7 frontrunner No. 2 Hancock Central 62-55. The Bulldogs from Sparta then annihilated Washington-Wilkes 80-40. Outside of the Region 7 mayhem, No. 4 Terrell County rises two spots and are in hot pursuit of Region 1 leader No. 1 Calhoun County. The Greenwave beat Early County 67-63 and edged No. 9 Pelham 71-68 after the Hornets busted up Class 2A No. 10 Thomasvile 83-68. Pelham rebounded with a 53-50 win at Chattahoochee County. There’s a new threat in Region 2 as No. 6 Irwin County surges into the poll, winning 11-straight to debut. The Indians defended home court against No. 5 Wilcox County 71-66.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-19-19

BOYS

AAAAAAA

No. 1 McEachern 50, Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) 46 : The Indians rallied to win the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions championship. Sharife Cooper finished with 20 points. Auburn-signee Isaac Okoro had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.

No. 5 East Coweta 71, No. 9 Wheeler 66 OT: Up 21 points at the half, East Coweta used overtime to sweep the Wildcats. Christopher Youngblood had 24 points and Brandon Stroud scored 17. Fermandez Jones and Zac Hill netted 10 points apiece.

No. 7 Norcross 75, Roselle Catholic (NJ) 55: Brandon Boston scored 26 points in the upset.

Parkview 63, Cedar Shoals 61: In the loss, Quincy Canty had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Johnson added 14 points and 8 rebounds.

AAAAAA

No. 3 Chattahoochee 96, Dunwoody 75: AJ White (31), Cam Sheffield (21), Franklin Bailey (17) and Grant Van Beveren (16) overpowered Dunwoody.

No. 8 South Paulding 67, New Manchester 64: Sha’mi Shields finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals. Chandler Travis added 18 points and 4 rebounds. Shane Gibson tacked on 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks.

Mundy’s Mill 79, BEST Academy 40: Chris Lango (16), Rayquan Brown (15), Jordan Black (15), Demarcus Fannin (10) and Jalen Thrash (9) balanced the Tigers’ offense.

Cambridge 80, Johns Creek 50: Matt Cleveland (24), Kamar Robertson (22) and Bryce Boutelle (16) overwhelmed Johns Creek.

Pope 60, Alpharetta 51: Ross Shepherd scored 20 points while Ryan Billig had 8 points and 15 rebounds.

AAAAA

Loganville 58, George Walton Academy 46: In the loss Brelan Holston scored 11 points. Amari Gill had 11 points and 8 rebounds. Noah Hicks chipped in 8 points and 6 assists.

Paulding County 64, Woodland-Cartersville 60: Kevin Brown (18), Jervon Morris (14) and Trell Evans (10) paced the Patriots.  Woodland got 22 points from Hunter Johnson and 17 from Dawson Wilkins.

Stockbridge 61, Lovejoy 52: Trillis Brown scored 15 points, Khobe Comer 11, Jevon McDonald 9 and Davian Johnson scored 8 in the win. In the loss, Marlon Brownfield had 19 points. Fred Williams scored 10 points.

Johnson-Gainesville 51, West Hall 50: Wade Pearce scored 17 points and Jesse Harbin had 16.

Miller Grove 68, Tucker 63: In the loss, Nick Watson scored 24 points. Jermontae Hill had 15 and Dartmouth-signee Nate Ogbu had 9 points.

Rome 91, East Paulding 86: Caleb Byrd and Jaylen Nelson dropped 27 points apiece in the win. Sean Rutledge had 28 points in the loss. Azer Tidor netted 15 points and Ravon Melon had 10.

Wayne County 66, Pierce County 55: Anthony Grant exploded for 35 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Marcus Trice had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Dre Johnson added 8 points and 10 rebounds.

Cass 58, Villa Rica 50: Jacquez Fountain scored 25 points while Andrew Glaze had 14. Jeffrey Dudley led Villa Rica with 19 points. Demarcus Blount scored 7.

Lithia Springs 62, Riverwood 57: Anthony Hardy poured in 34 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Harris County 67, Manchester 63: Tailique Williams scored 18 points and AJ Spencer had 16. Marcus Dumas (12) and Calvon Harris (10) both cracked double figures.

AAAA

No. 4 Henry County 60, Hampton 40: Semaj Rice had 18 points while Lay Davis and Jaylon Stapleton scored 12 apiece. Stapleton added 4 steals.

Shaw 53, Columbus 49: Greg Grant had 13 points and 5 rebounds while Darnell Moran scored 9 points. Trey Lee and Brandon Murphy added 8 points apiece. Wason Davis tallied 6 points and 5 rebounds.

Marist 74, Flowery Branch 48: Cody Gaynes (17) and John Teanor (16) carried the War Eagles.

Cartersville 61, Cedartown 47: Isaac Gridley and Amari Orr scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Westover 69, Northside-Columbus 47: Jordan Brown finished with 18 points, 9 assists and 4 steals while Mike Isler Jr. had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. AJ Jackson chipped in 10 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.

AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 56, 7ANo. 6 Newton 51: Tyrin Lawrence scored 26 points followed by Austin Peay-signee Alec Woodard’s 15 points and Stevin Greene’s 12.

Southeast Bulloch 85, Screven County 46: The Yellowjackets had 28 assists. Ryan Swanson tossed in 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Janard Mike had 16 points and 6 assists. Khristian Clark tacked on 15 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Bryce Stephens scored 10 points.

Calhoun 56, Dalton 38: Xaxton Goodson had 13 points followed by Gage Maffetone and Davis Allen’s 12 apiece. Jake Prather scored 5 points.

AA

No. 4 Northeast-Macon 54, 3ANo. 5 Central-Macon 52: Ty’Ree Gilbert (18), Cam Cherry (17) and Darius Dunn (10) led the Raiders. The Chargers got 17 points from Quay Primas. Harold Thompkins (10), Cam Collier (8) and Tony Card (7) helped out.

No. 10 Washington County 68, 4ANo. 7 Baldwin 61: Jamarius Dixon had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jarden Maze scored 20 points. Jawan Dukes chipped in 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Ivory Williams tacked on 6 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.

Chattooga 80, Rockmart 48: Back at full strength, the Indians rolled Rockmart to get revenge after losing to the Yellowjackets without two starters. Malachi Mack scored 18 points and Nuk Adams had 17 in the win. Jamarious Mosteller (13), Malachi Jackson (12) and Clayton Johnson (10) all broke double digits.

A-Private

No. 2 Mt. Bethel 76, No. 1 St. Francis 72 OT:  In the loss Xavier-commit Dwon Odom had 38 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Jusaun Holt posted 11 points and 9 rebounds. Chase Ellis chipped in 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jordan Brown scored 7 points.

No. 5 Walker 71, Mt. Paran 41: Chandler Baker finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Chris Newell had 17 points and 4 assists. Burke Chebuhar tacked on 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Omar Cooper had 8 assists.

Darlington 51, Excel Christian 43: Tate Ratledge scored 14 points while Patrick Shelley had 12. Andrew Land (10) and Barrick Wade (9) also contributed offensively. In the loss, Rayshawn Womack scored 14 points and Josiah Mosley had 10. Evan Lee netted 8 points.

Mt. Pisgah 77, King’s Ridge 56: James Madison-signee Quinn Richey poured in 35 points. Nate Gordon scored 11 points followed by JoJo Peterson and Garrett Sutherland’s 7 points apiece.

St. Anne-Pacelli 71, Baker County 31: Ian Mathews scored 27 points.

Brookstone 48, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 45: In the defeat, Jordan Wicker chipped in 11 points and 9 rebounds. Alex Morge had 8 points and 4 rebounds.

Galloway 68, Elite Scholars 54: Will Winn scored 15 points and Anthony Arrington had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Quentin Alterman finished with 11 points and 3 assists. Mark Sguilaro collected 9 points and 7 rebounds.

A-Public

No. 10 Greene County 73, Warren County 65: DJ Wright scored 23 points. Quon Robbins had 19 and C’Darius Kelley pitched in 14 points.

Non-GHSA

The King’s Academy 48, Cornerstone Prep 45: Caden Palmer netted 18 points.

GIRLS

AAAAAAA

No. 1 Westlake 58, 5ANo. 2 Buford 51: Trailing 36-24 at the half and 42-41 after three quarters, Raven Johnson helped the Lions claw their way back at Buford. Johnson finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds (all in the second half), 1 assist, 4 steals and 2 blocks. 6-foot-3 junior post Lydia Freeman was the X-Factor with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks. Carlyse Hooks had 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks while Snoop Turnage added 6 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Casey Jones led Buford with 12 points on 4 threes. Blair Wallis (10) and Tatum Ozment (7) balanced the offense while Ebony Grant and Tate Walters scored 6 points apiece.

No. 4 Cherokee 68, Sequoyah 60: North Georgia-signee Lacie McCoy scored 17 points followed by Kate Johnson’s 14 and Ashlyn Andrus’ 10. Olivia Herrera and Sydne Watts scored 9 points apiece. Brown-signee Sydney Rosant tossed in 27 points for Sequoyah.

No. 5 Grayson 70, 6ANo. 5 Stephenson 69: Catherine Alben had 19 points and 6 assists, including the game-winning free throw. Victoria Dames netted 16 points. Nadia Howard posted 10 points, 4 assists and 5 steals.

Forsyth Central 64, Blessed Trinity 55: Jillian Brentz netted 25 points. Ansley Carver had 8 in the win.

AAAAAA

No. 3 Northview 54, North Atlanta 7: Rice-signee Ashlee Austin scored 20 points. Markiema Lancaster netted 12 and Charleston Southern-bound forward Maya Richards posted 11 points.

No. 4 Glynn Academy 64, Camden County 38: Zoesha Smith dumped in 33 points and 20 rebounds. Chmayia Miller scored 21 points.

ML King 81, Carver-Atlanta 24: Ashlynn Greene scored 18 points and Alaija Coates had 17. Daziya Hairston netted 15 points and Keke Dash scored 11 points.

Johns Creek 44, Cambridge 33: Jillian Davis scored 11 points. Ahmia Childs (9) and Wilnie Joseph (8) paced the offense.

Dalton 63, Calhoun 51: Lauren Parker posted 19 points.

Pope 59, Alpharetta 58 OT: Teya Holloman hit the game winner and finished with 18 points. Cheyenne Holloman netted 15 points. Kara McKiernan and Abby McKinney scored 11 points apiece.

AAAAA

No. 1 Villa Rica 71, Cass 47: Kentucky-signee Deasia Merrill pumped in 25 points. Dekyia Cofield scored 17 points and Aliyah Hindsman added 10.

Paulding County 56, Woodland-Cartersville 33: Rajah Drummond (14), Destine Lovejoy (12) and Faith Lovejoy (12) carried the Patriots. Madgie Robinson scored 10 points in the loss while Ansley Evans scored 7 points.

AAAA


No. 2 Henry County 67, Hampton 13: Briana Juniel scored 15 points followed by Paris Mullins’ 12. Janiya Jones and A’Maiya Jackson each scored 10 points.

No. 3 Flowery Branch 64, Marist 48: Ashley Woodroffe had 25 points followed by Ashlee Locke’s 12. Caroline Wysocki and Ashley Scott scored 11 apiece.

No. 6 West Laurens 54, East Laurens 39: MaKayla Murray went for 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals and 2 blocks. Calmela Mack tallied 13 points. Jakerra Wilbur finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. MaKayla Kemp added 4 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals.

No. 8 Harris County 58, Manchester 33: Taziaha Fanning scored 15 points. Sydney Stewart had 14 points and Jherni Carter-Ransom had 7.

North Clayton 54, Eastside 47: T’Mya Parker finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Denetra Sneed collected a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 steals.

Hardaway 65, Cairo 56: Ji’Mia Cobb netted 20 points, hitting 6 threes.

LaGrange 46, Central-Carrollton 42: Zaria Russell scored 16 points. Carmen McGhee had 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Cedartown 46, Cartersville 45: Qiana Watson scored 15 points while Keke Turner and Tamera Beeman scored 10 apiece. In the loss, Haley Johnson scored 11 points. Lehla Thomas had 9.

Southeast Whitfield 48, Adairsville 34: McKenna Lentych dropped 20 points. In the loss, Breeana Wilson scored 16 points. Nakiyah Washington added 7.

AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 68, Newton 57: Miranda Powell scored 25 points while Tamia Benford netted 22 in the win. Lou Reid scored 11.

North Murray 47, Darlington 43: Sarah Plemons scored 18 points to lead the Mountaineers while Tenley Gladson and Baylee Gable scored 12 apiece.

AA

No. 3 Fitzgerald 89, Brooks County 35: Trinity Jones finished with 20 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. Hayleigh Ross had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Melodie Freeman scored 12 points. Keyara Boone tallied 12 points, 2 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

Rockmart 71, Chattooga 59: Keyarah Berry scored 36 points. Desiree Dasani had 13 points and Megan Little scored 10.

Temple 40, Pepperell 38: Tori Chivers had 20 points and 3 steals. Ruby Collins and Esther Jacobson each had 5 points and 10 rebounds.

A-Private

No. 1 Wesleyan 70, Centennial 31:  Nicole Azar scored 23 points. Izzy Larsen had 15 points and 19 rebounds. AC Carter tallied 13 points and 3 blocks. Alyssa Phillip had 9 points and 8 rebounds while Callie Weaver dished out 7 assists.

No. 6 Mt. Paran 63, Walker 17: Kara Dunn (16), Savannah Casey (14), Katelyn Dunning (8) and Jasiah Washington (8) powered the Eagles.

Prince Avenue 40, Athens Christian 21: Karlee Armstrong scored 16 points while Maddi Britt had 7 and Noelle Hynes tacked on 6.

King’s Ridge 57, Mt. Pisgah 24: Sophie Smith had 21 points, 3 assists and 5 steals. Carly Fahey tallied 12 points, 3 assists and 9 steals. Jada Green collected 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks.