Category Archives: Rankings

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 8 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Newton (13-0)
  2. McEachern (12-0)
  3. Pebblebrook (8-5)
  4. Norcross (14-3)
  5. Wheeler (11-4)
  6. Tift County (16-1)
  7. Westlake (8-7)
  8. Berkmar (12-5)
  9. Collins Hill (13-3)
  10. Peachtree Ridge (11-5)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Gainesville (13-0)
  2. South Paulding (13-1)
  3. Jonesboro (10-4)
  4. Langston Hughes (9-4)
  5. Heritage-Conyers (10-3)
  6. South Cobb (12-2)
  7. Alpharetta (16-1)
  8. Alexander (10-4)
  9. Richmond Hill (14-3)
  10. Brunswick (13-3) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (12-2)
  2. Eagle’s Landing (10-2)
  3. Cedar Shoals (14-2)
  4. Warner Robins (12-3)
  5. Fayette County (11-5)
  6. Miller Grove (9-6)
  7. New Hampstead (10-4)
  8. Columbia (9-5)
  9. Southwest DeKalb (10-6)
  10. Union Grove (11-4) 

Class AAAA

  1. Upson-Lee (15-0)
  2. Sandy Creek (8-4)
  3. Henry County (12-5)
  4. Richmond Academy (14-3)
  5. Eastside (10-4)
  6. LaGrange (13-2)
  7. Carver-Columbus (11-3)
  8. Perry (13-3)
  9. Stephens County (11-3)
  10. Burke County (9-4) 

Class AAA

  1. Westside-Macon (10-3)
  2. Greater Atlanta Christian (11-4)
  3. Liberty County (9-5)
  4. Morgan County (10-3)
  5. Pace Academy (5-7)
  6. Islands (11-4)
  7. Jenkins (11-6)
  8. Calhoun (11-2)
  9. Cedar Grove (5-4)
  10. Central-Macon (11-3) 

Class AA

  1. South Atlanta (12-1)
  2. Dublin (10-4)
  3. Laney (11-3)
  4. Monticello (9-5)
  5. Early County (12-2)
  6. Josey (12-4)
  7. Thomasville (8-6)
  8. Chattooga (11-1)
  9. Banks County (10-4)
  10. Therrell (9-5)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (11-3)
  2. North Cobb Christian (11-3)
  3. Southwest Atlanta Christian (8-5)
  4. St. Francis (12-3)
  5. Aquinas (11-1)
  6. Holy Innocents’ (8-4)
  7. Lakeview Academy (9-4)
  8. Whitefield Academy (8-5)
  9. Tallulah Falls (14-0)
  10. Darlington (9-3)

Class A-Public

  1. Calhoun County (10-1)
  2. Quitman County (11-1)
  3. Taylor County (9-2)
  4. Treutlen (12-0)
  5. Clinch County (12-1)
  6. Wilkinson County (8-4)
  7. Randolph-Clay (8-3)
  8. Turner County (10-4)
  9. Macon County (9-4)
  10. Central-Talbotton (8-4)

 

The snow and ice slowed down the state of Georgia but games across the state were still able to be played prior to the winter weather and also down south. Pebblebrook’s is still No. 3 after an error on MaxPreps said they lost to Southwind, TN when in actuality, they were unable to play the game due to the snow.  No. 7 Westlake is in dire need of Jamie Lewis if they want to compete at the national level and repeat as state champs. The Lions are now 3-6 against out-of-state competition with their latest losses coming to IMG Academy 65-58 and to Gonzaga, DC 76-73, not bad considering their top point guard has missed nearly the entire season. Auburn-signee Chuma Okeke is making his case for Mr. Basketball in the absence of Lewis, posting a heroic 35 points and 17 rebounds in their loss to Gonzaga with a last second three-pointer rimming out. Discovery exits the poll after losing 64-54 to No. 10 Peachtree Ridge, who reenters to the picture.

Class AAAAAA No. 2 South Paulding avoided a trap game against New Manchester 70-68. Georgia State-signee Kane Williams had 25 points and seven rebounds while Ja’Cori Wilson added 20 and 12 to fend off the Jaguars led by Clint Bentley’s 19 points. The Spartans travel to No. 4 Langston Hughes this Tuesday with Region 5 first-place up for grabs. Region 5’s Alexander moves up two spots to No. 8 after No. 10 Brunswick fell at Johnson-Savannah 59-49 and Dacula was bounced from the poll after a 54-53 loss at Peachtree Ridge. Resurfacing is No. 9 Richmond Hill, who hosts Brunswick on Tuesday in a critical Region 2 showdown.

No. 1 Buford had to outscore Clarke Central 30-16 in the fourth quarter to rally for a 67-62 win on the road to remain the top-ranked team in Class AAAAA. On Friday they welcome No. 3 Cedar Shoals for a highly anticipated rematch of the Wolves’ earlier 72-66 victory. The Jags are the hottest team in the state right now, winning 10-straight since their loss at home to Buford. Not much else has gone on across the state with the weather causing havoc. Union Grove slips this week, but not because of the ice. They were upended by Stockbridge 74-67, dropping the Wolverines three spots to No. 10. They visit No. 2 Eagle’s Landing on Tuesday, fighting to stay ranked in the Top 10.

After Sandy Creek’s stunning 73-66 upset loss to rival McIntosh, Class AAAA sees a new No. 1 in Upson-Lee. On paper, the Knights have a strong chance at running the table, but No. 8 Perry looms on the schedule twice along with a rematch against Mary Persons and star guard Cameron Holden who is averaging 26 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.8 blocks as a 6-foot-5 junior. No. 4 Richmond Academy is solidifying itself as a top program in Class AAAA. The Musketeers are on top of Region 3 after earning two hard-fought victories against ranked opponents Baldwin (64-57 OT) and No. 10 Burke County (73-71). Their victory over Baldwin knocks the Braves out of the Top 10. Replacing them is No. 9 Stephens County who is 11-3 and winners of six straight. Read more about the Indians HERE.

In Class AAA, Central-Macon slides to No. 10 following a 55-43 loss to Southwest-Macon. The Patriots who are now in Class AA, also gave a scare to No. 1 Westside-Macon before bowing out 71-63. Dougherty suffered a 73-69 loss at Monroe, dropping them from the poll after one week. Monroe looked ready to take their place, but Westover clipped them the very next day, meaning Calhoun is back in the Top 10 at No. 8.  Islands sinks a spot to No. 6 after a nice 78-67 win at Johnson-Savannah and a loss to Ribault, FL 72-51. No. 9 Cedar Grove is finally back in action on Tuesday at Redan after a massive 21-day layoff according to MaxPreps.

Class AA is getting fuzzier and fuzzier outside of No. 1 South Atlanta. Josey plummets four spots to No. 6 after losing at Westside-Augusta 62-56 and at Glenn Hills 44-42. Region 4 has upwards of five teams that all could see time in the Top 10, with four that have already spent at least a week in the poll. Westside, at 4-0 in the region, is the one front runner who hasn’t cracked the rankings yet. Laney is up to No. 3 in the state thanks to Josey’s rough road week. Outside of the jumbled up Augusta-laden Region 4, Early County skyrockets to No. 5 as they make their debut. The Bobcats have won 12-straight and have now successfully avenged their only two losses by beating Class A-Public No. 1 Calhoun County 72-69 and beating Northview, AL on the road 83-74. They visit No. 7 Thomasville on Friday, a huge game for both teams as a major litmus test. The Bulldogs were drilled by Class AAAAAAA No. 6 Tift County 60-28 in their rematch this past week. Putnam County falls out after a 57-40 loss at Elbert County.

Greenforest defeated Roselle Catholic, NJ 56-51 but was crushed by IMG Academy 76-43 at the Cancer Research Classic in West Virginia. With the split, the Eagles still hold onto No. 1 in Class A-Private and will do so until a Class A-Private school can prove they can beat them. With Greenforest retaining their top spot, there was no movement in the Top 10, but that will change next week as No. 4 St. Francis visits No. 8 Whitefield Academy and scoring maven Isaiah Hart.

Class A-Public is getting wild as Calhoun County suffers their first loss of the season at Early County and three other schools drop out of the Top 10. The Cougars are still ranked No. 1 this week even with their loss, due to a tougher strength of schedule than No. 2 Quitman County as of now. Wilkinson County is down to No. 6 following a 62-52 loss at Tattnall Square Academy. Wilcox County had a rough week, losing three straight, all in blowout fashion dropping them from the poll. Also gone is Trion after a 71-51 loss to Bowdon and Crawford County, who was knocked off in overtime 89-88 by new No. 9 Macon County. Randolph-Clay makes an appearance in the poll at No. 7 and Turner County is in at No. 8 following an 86-56 beat down of Wilcox County.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 7 Boys Rankings

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Class AAAAAAA

  1. Newton (13-0)
  2. McEachern (12-0)
  3. Pebblebrook (7-5)
  4. Norcross (13-3)
  5. Wheeler (10-4)
  6. Westlake (8-5)
  7. Tift County (13-1)
  8. Berkmar (11-5)
  9. Collins Hill (13-3)
  10. Discovery (12-5)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Gainesville (13-0)
  2. South Paulding (12-1)
  3. Jonesboro (10-4)
  4. Langston Hughes (9-4)
  5. Heritage-Conyers (9-3)
  6. South Cobb (12-2)
  7. Alpharetta (15-1)
  8. Brunswick (11-2)
  9. Dacula (9-4)
  10. Alexander (10-4)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (11-2)
  2. Eagle’s Landing (10-2)
  3. Cedar Shoals (12-2)
  4. Warner Robins (11-3)
  5. Fayette County (11-5)
  6. Miller Grove (9-6)
  7. Union Grove (11-3)
  8. New Hampstead (10-4)
  9. Columbia (9-5)
  10. Southwest DeKalb (10-6)

Class AAAA

  1. Sandy Creek (8-3)
  2. Upson-Lee (15-0)
  3. Henry County (12-5)
  4. Richmond Academy (12-3)
  5. Eastside (9-4)
  6. LaGrange (11-2)
  7. Carver-Columbus (11-3)
  8. Burke County (8-3)
  9. Perry (11-3)
  10. Baldwin (8-4) 

Class AAA

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

Class AA

  1. South Atlanta (12-1)
  2. Josey (12-2)
  3. Dublin (7-4)
  4. Monticello (8-5)
  5. Laney (10-3)
  6. Thomasville (6-5)
  7. Therrell (9-5)
  8. Chattooga (11-1)
  9. Putnam County (10-3)
  10. Banks County (9-4)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (10-2)
  2. North Cobb Christian (10-3)
  3. Southwest Atlanta Christian (7-5)
  4. St. Francis (11-3)
  5. Aquinas (9-1)
  6. Holy Innocents’ (6-4)
  7. Lakeview Academy (8-4)
  8. Whitefield Academy (8-5)
  9. Tallulah Falls (13-0)
  10. Darlington (8-3)

Class A-Public

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

It was a make or break week full of holiday tournaments across the country as contenders and pretenders separated themselves from the field. Newton officially takes over the No. 1 spot in Class AAAAAAA after shutting down the best player in the country, Zion Williamson of Spartanburg Day, SC, in the second half to rally and win the Farm Bureau Classic Championship 73-64. The young Indians of No. 2 McEachern are certifiably terrifying after beating No. 5 Wheeler in the Tournament of Champions National Division Championship 77-67 behind sophomore Isaac Okoro’s 25 points and seven rebounds. Slipping to No. 4 is Norcross who lost in the Fab Four Championship of the Tournament of Champions to No. 3 Pebblebrook 77-69 after Collin Sexton poured in 32 points to fuel the Falcons. No. 9 Collins Hill had its ups and downs at the Lake City Classic, losing to Class AAAAA No. 4 Warner Robins 55-45, beating Hale County, AL and falling to Class AAAAAA No. 4 Langston Hughes at the buzzer 74-73. Peachtree Ridge drops out after a respectable 2-2 showing at The Kingdom of the Sun. Entering for the first time in school history is No. 10 Discovery. The second-year program has won seven straight including winning their own Christmas tournament, beating Monroe Area 73-55 in the championship.

No. 1 Gainesville is simply scary in Class AAAAAA. Without D-I prospect KJ Buffen still, the Red Elephants demolished the field at the 57th Lanierland, romping its way to the title in the most dominant fashion the event has ever seen. They won by an average of 37 points, highlighted by a 104-67 blowout of Class A-Private No.7 Lakeview Academy and a 88-38 destruction of East Hall in the finals. There is a new No. 2 in South Paulding. No. 3 Jonesboro has played a national schedule and have played extremely well, but the Spartans have been as consistent as it gets and they were rewarded by winning the Lake City Classic Smile Generation Bracket, getting revenge against Class A-Private No. 2 North Cobb Christian in the championship 70-64. Along the way South Paulding also stopped Hale County 46-44 and Warner Robins 62-55. Unsigned 6-foot-7 senior wing JaCori Wilson averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds and was named overall tournament MVP. As good as Wilson was, No. 4 Langston Hughes’ Landers Nolley was the best player in the gym. He averaged 28.6 points per game as the Panthers finished 2-1, losing in the first round to Auburn, AL and 6-foot-10 Mississippi State-signee Garrison Brooks 75-63, but bouncing back to beat Allatoona 62-53 and Collins Hill on a Nolley buzzer beater. No. 5 Heritage-Conyers, No. 6 South Cobb, No. 7 Alpharetta and No. 10 Alexander all took care of business, winning their respective holiday tournaments. Heritage crushed the field at the Newnan Holiday Classic. South Cobb took home the Tournament of Champions American Division Championship by beating Doral Academy, FL 47-39. Alpharetta hoisted the trophy at the Deep South Classic while Alexander won the Lake City Classic Mellow Mushroom Bracket Championship, beating Carrollton 73-56. Lakeside-Evans was replaced by Alexander after losing to Grovetown 69-66.

Buford dropped two tough games at the Arby’s Classic, but the Wolves retain the No. 1 spot in Class AAAAA. Ever since their loss to Buford, No. 3 Cedar Shoals has been red hot winning eight straight. They beat Class AAA No. 4 Morgan County for the second time this year, beating them in the Sweet South Classic at Morgan County 57-48 to win the championship. Miller Grove struggled on the big stage at Tournament of Champions and finished 1-3, dropping them three spots to No. 6. Fayette County and Warner Robins both have tough tournaments as well, but the Demons’ win over Collins Hill and close losses to South Paulding and Auburn at the Lake City Classic are stomachable. Southwest DeKalb tumbles to No. 10 following a 1-2 showing at the Tucker Shootout, losing to Brainerd, TN (53-42) and Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest (92-69). Riverwood falls out after losing both their games at the Lake City Classic. Replacing them is No. 9 Columbia. The Eagles went 3-1 at T.O.C. with a 88-86 double overtime victory over Class A-Private No. 4 St. Francis and a 86-66 victory over Grayson.

There are two clear cut front runners in Class AAAA as of now: No. 1 Sandy Creek and No. 2 Upson-Lee. The Patriots had a spectacular showing at the Arby’s Classic going 3-1 while Upson-Lee went to LaGrange and won the Toyota Classic, beating the formerly No. 3 ranked LaGrange Grangers 68-50 while taking a 61-31 lead into the fourth quarter. The loss sinks LaGrange three spots. Tye Fagan was marvelous with 31 points in the drubbing and was rewarded by taking an unofficial visit to MTSU today. Don’t look now, but No. 3 Henry County is starting to surge. They went a perfect 3-0 at the Tucker Shootout, winning three shootouts highlighted by an 86-84 win over Class AA No. 7 Therrell. Americus-Sumter and North Clayton don’t survive the week. The Eagles went 0-3 at Tucker while Americus-Sumter suffered a bad loss to Northview 66-61 and were beat by Class AAAAAAA No. 7 Tift County 71-55. Debuting are No. 7 Carver-Columbus and No. 10 Baldwin. The Tigers won back-to-back impressive games against Alabama’s Lanett (95-77) and Central (83-77). Already in just Year 2, Buck Harris has turned the Braves into statewide contender. They have scored wins over Class AA No. 9 Putnam County (65-46), Class A-Public No. 5 & defending state champs Wilkinson County (63-46) and now just won the Antebellum Christmas Classic, drilling Creekside in the finals 52-34. The Braves face their toughest stretch in region play as they visit No. 4 Richmond Academy and Thomson this week with a home game looming against No. 8 Burke County on the 10th.

No. 6 Pace Academy continued its poor play on the national circuit with a 1-2 showing at the Beach Ball Classic. The Knights slip a spot in the Class AAA poll. Islands is on the move, peaking at No. 5 after beating Pope 70-54 in the championship of the Westminster Holiday Tournament. No. 7 Central-Macon had an interesting performance at the Lake City Classic going 2-1 with an opening round loss to Hillgrove. The Chargers earned wins over Riverwood and Morrow in the later rounds. Calhoun saw its 48-game regular season winning streak snapped with a loss to King’s Ridge Christian at the Antebellum Classic 65-40. They were beat back-to-back by Maynard Jackson the following day, the first string of consecutive losses since Dec. 18 & 19 in 2014. The Yellow Jackets and Johnson-Savannah Atomsmashers both exit the poll. Johnson came up north and had a poor showing at T.O.C. going 0-3. Reentering the poll is No. 8 Jenkins who went 3-1 at T.O.C. Following them is Dougherty who debuts at No. 10.

Laney leaps four spots to No. 5 in Class AA after a 62-59 win at Thomson. Therrell and Thomasville both slip while No. 3 Dublin is hot with their second 1-point win over Wilkinson County, this time at the Palace 54-53. No. 8 Chattooga won their Christmas Tournament with a 60-57 victory over Cartersville. Callaway exits the Top 10 after a 3-3 start and a 69-66 loss to Villa Rica. Back in the mix is No. 10 Banks County who has won six straight.

Demiere Brown of No. 2 North Cobb Christian is as good as any scorer in the state and is in my opinion the toughest cover in the state in Class A-Private. He poured in 27.3 points per game as the Eagles finished second at the Lake City Classic. They defeated Allatoona in overtime 70-68 and held off Auburn 55-51 to make it to the finals where they fell to South Paulding in a SEBA Hoop Festival rematch, 70-64. No. 1 Greenforest received a scare from Holy Spirit Prep 55-52, but the Eagles went 3-0 at the Tucker Shootout. The freshmen and sophomore-laden No. 4 St. Francis Knights went 1-3 at T.O.C. with their three losses by a combined five points, losing to Columbia in 2OT 88-86, Lakewood, SC 75-74 in OT and Douglas County 60-58. King’s Ridge’s victory over Calhoun couldn’t propel them to an Antebellum Classic Championship as they sunk in their final two games losing 46-45 to Creekside and 43-41 to Marist and dropping from the poll in the process. Replacing them is No. 10 Darlington.

Calhoun County continues to roll in Class A-Public. They knocked Montgomery County out of the Top 10 with their 72-51 rout. No. 7 Clinch County took care of the Eagles as well, 71-65 after falling to Turner County in the Ronalda Pierce Holiday Hoopfest Championship 77-70. Replacing Montgomery County is No. 10 Trion, who debuts.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

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.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 5 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

  1. Sandy Creek (5-2)
  2. Upson-Lee (11-0)
  3. LaGrange (7-1)
  4. Eastside (7-1)
  5. Thomson (2-2)
  6. Westover (5-2)
  7. Richmond Academy (7-2)
  8. St. Pius X (6-4)
  9. Perry (10-2)
  10. Burke County (5-0) 

Class AAA

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

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

 

Norcross dropped its first game of the year at City of the Palms to IMG Academy 62-59 but the Blue Devils retain the top spot in Class AAAAAAA. Not much movement occurred in the poll, but we do have a new No. 9 and No. 10 as Shiloh and Meadowcreek drop out. The Generals lost a head scratcher to Archer 65-61 while Meadowcreek has battled with injuries. The Mustangs fell to No. 1 Norcross 58-46 and to Lanier 58-52. Jamir Chaplin has been out with a cracked fibula, but should return by early January. Back in the poll at No. 9 is Berkmar. The Patriots have won six straight and just beat Lee, AL 56-48 and Allatoona, 65-45, both at The King of the Bluegrass. Sliding in at No. 10 is Peachtree Ridge. The Lions are off to a 7-3 start and defeated Grayson last week 55-47 behind Devin Vassell’s 26 points.

Big games came down to the wire in Class AAAAAA. No. 1 Gainesville found a way to survive on the road at Class AAAA No. 8 St. Pius 70-65, shaking off free throw woes. No. 4 South Paulding was unable to do so, as the Spartans saw a 40-27 fourth quarter lead evaporate at the SEBA Atlanta Hoop Festival, losing to Class A-Private No. 4 North Cobb Christian 51-49. Georgia State-signee Kane Williams couldn’t close the door, going 5-of-10 from the line in the fourth quarter. Continuing their rise up the poll is No. 7 South Cobb. The Eagles have steamrolled Region 6, winning by an average of 25.6 points with junior guard Trevin Wade leading the way pouring in 17.9 points a night. Richmond Hill fell out of the Top 10 after losing to Johnson-Savannah and Class AAA No. 10 Islands, 65-45. Debuting is Lakeside-Evans. The Panthers have won six in a row and have scored wins over Josey (74-67), Laney (77-70) and Glenn Hills (88-83 OT) this season, three of Augusta’s best teams which have spent time in the Top 10. Sophomore guard Kalen Williams leads a three-pronged attack averaging 18.4 points. Senior forward Deon Berrien is posting a double-double at 15.6 points and 12.1 rebounds while senior Kre’Sean Hall is doing the same at 13 points and 10.5 boards.

Miller Grove creeps up to No. 3 in Class AAAAA. The Wolverines have righted the ship and just scored a 57-43 win over Pembroke Pines Charter, FL at the Kreul Classic. Cedar Shoals jumps Southwest DeKalb for No. 5. The Jaguars knocked off Class AAAAAA No. 6 Hertiage-Conyers 52-49. The Panthers of Southwest DeKalb have a tough slate ahead with No. 4 Fayette County at the Peach State Classic and then the following week, Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest looms at the Tucker Invitational. New Hampstead and Columbia both exit the poll. Columbia was the preseason No. 1, but the magic hasn’t quite returned yet for Dr. Phil McCrary. They were upset by Lithonia 67-53 in a Region 5 shocker. The Phoenix lost to Effingham County 63-58 and to Class AAA No. 8 Jenkins, 54-45. Making their debut are No. 9 Union Grove and No. 10 Maynard Jackson. The Wolverines are 9-2 and have shown they can hang with the big boys, losing to No. 2 Eagle’s Landing 51-47 on Nov. 29. Junior guard Wesley Simpson runs the show. He’s averaging 12.7 points and 6.1 assists. First-year head coach Travis Williams has rode JaQuavius Hayes to a 8-2 mark for the Jaguars. The 6-foot-6 senior is averaging 22.8 points and 14.1 rebounds.

Sandy Creek was upended by undefeated Rickards, FL at the Southern States Classic 77-73, but the Patriots are still No. 1 in Class AAAA. They bounced back with a 69-60 win over Bartlett, TN. No. 2 Upson-Lee took care of business, dispatching over Class A-Public No. 6 Crawford County (71-55) and No. 3 Taylor County (58-52) for the second time each this season. Slick scoring junior Tye Fagan dropped in 28 points against the Eagles and 27 against the Vikings. Travon Walker added 13 points and 23 rebounds while Zyrice Scott went for 17 points in the win over rival Crawford County. St. Pius tumbles four spots to No. 8 after a tiring week saw them fall in overtime against Gainesville, narrowly defeat Stephens County 70-68 and finally run out of gas at SEBA, losing to Hillgrove 52-39. Henry County is the second preseason No. 1 to fall out of the poll this week. The Warhawks sit at 7-5 and were bounced out by new No. 4 Eastside, who rises six spots after a 78-71 victory. Replacing Henry County is No. 10 Burke County. The Bears are 5-0 with their best win coming against Effingham County 81-63. Three seniors lead the team, all scoring in double figures. Quantavious Wilson paces the attack, the 6-foot-6 forward averaging 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

Class AAA is officially a jumbled mess outside of No. 1 Westside-Macon. Rival Central-Macon rises to No. 2 after No. 3 Cedar Grove (67-60; Monroe), No. 4 Pace Academy (76-42; Memphis-East), No. 5 Greater Atlanta Christian (62-47; Discovery) and No. 10 Islands (63-59 Nova, FL) all lost ahead of the Chargers. While the top of the poll faltered, proud programs regained their footing at the bottom. No. 6 Liberty County saw the return of Davion Mitchell and proceeded to hammer Class AAAA No. 5 Thomson, 85-66. No. 7 Morgan County stopped Class AAAAAA No. 9 Dacula 64-57 and No. 8 Jenkins knocked New Hampstead out of the Class AAAAA poll after a 54-45 win. Due to a numbers game, Monroe hasn’t been able to force their way into the Top 10 yet, but the Tornadoes are as dangerous as it gets at 7-1 with a victory over Cedar Grove already.

In Class AA, throw all your favorite Augusta area teams in a hat and pick out a name. That will be the best team that current week, as each school continues to beat each other with parity at an all-time high. No. 7 Josey debuts in the poll after beating No. 8 Butler 60-56, but the Eagles couldn’t fly higher thanks to a loss to Screven County 57-56. Even though the Bulldogs dropped five spots, all wasn’t lost for Butler. They beat No. 9 Laney 75-72 at Laney. The pieces will continue to shuffle around in the wild Region 4 which has already placed four teams in the Top 10. Glenn Hills is the casualty this week, cannibalized by the region. The Spartans lost in overtime to Laney, 61-53. Replacing Glenn Hills is Putnam County. 5-foot-7 senior guard Carl Johnson is pumping in 26.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4.1 steals per game.

Whitefield Academy picked up an impressive 79-53 win over Sacred Heart, AL to move the Wolfpack up to No. 7 in Class A-Private. No. 6 Lakeview Academy suffered two tough losses at the Southern States Classic, losing to Seffner Christian, FL 70-69 and to Rickards, FL 79-65. Tattnall Square Academy falls out after a 63-51 loss to Johnson-Savannah. Tallulah Falls sneaks in at No. 10 thanks to their hot start and veteran laden team.

Wilkinson County was drilled by Baldwin 63-46, dropping the defending champs to No. 4 in Class A-Public. No. 1 Calhoun County and No. 2 Quitman County never got a chance to play due to this ugly scene which resulted in a postponement with major statewide implications now at stake. Taylor County is now No. 3 after a strong showing against Upson-Lee, who has handed them both of their losses. No. 7 Clinch County is looking strong while No. 9 Twiggs County ran into a Putnam County buzz saw, losing twice to the Eagles this week. Montgomery County moves to No. 8 even after their 61-56 loss to Vidalia.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 4 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

 Class AAAA

  1. Sandy Creek (4-1)
  2. Upson-Lee (9-0)
  3. Thomson (2-1)
  4. St. Pius X (5-2)
  5. LaGrange (5-1)
  6. Henry County (6-4)
  7. Perry (8-1)
  8. Westover (4-2)
  9. Richmond Academy (7-2)
  10. Eastside (5-1)

Class AAA

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

Class AA

  1. South Atlanta (4-0)
  2. Therrell (6-1)
  3. Butler (4-1)
  4. Thomasville (3-4)
  5. Callaway (1-1)
  6. Dublin (2-3)
  7. Monticello (5-4)
  8. Laney (4-1)
  9. Glenn Hills (4-2)
  10. KIPP Atlanta (5-1) 

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (6-2)
  2. St. Francis (8-0)
  3. Southwest Atlanta Christian (3-3)
  4. North Cobb Christian (6-2)
  5. Lakeview Academy (6-1)
  6. Aquinas (3-0)
  7. Holy Innocents’ (3-4)
  8. Tattnall Square (2-0)
  9. Darlington (4-1)
  10. Whitefield Academy (3-2)

Class A-Public

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

Ranked No. 2 in the nation to open the season, Wheeler now finds itself No. 7 in Class AAAAAAA after the Wildcats haven’t been able to piece everything together. No. 3 Westlake greeted Wheeler rudely to Region 2 play, handing the ‘Cats a 73-67 road loss, the Lions doing it without star guard Jamie Lewis. DeMatha, MD beat Wheeler 66-58 to continue the slide. The main beneficiaries of Wheeler’s “struggles” are No. 5 McEachern and No. 6 Collins Hill. McEachern defeated a talented young Holy Spirit Prep team 50-37 while the Eagles edged Class 6A No. 5 Heritage-Conyers 74-62 at the Christmas in Commerce tournament. Atop the state, No. 1 Norcross maintained its pristine record, beating Cordova, TN 70-55. Duluth drops out after one week in the poll, losing three straight games to Mountain View (72-56), Mitchell, TN (51-44) and No. 2 Newton (68-60). Entering for the first time is No. 10 Meadowcreek. The Mustangs’ only loss came against Class 5A No. 4 Miller Grove at Holiday Hoopsgiving, 57-46. Meadowcreek beat Cartersville 73-64 this weekend at the LakePoint Showcase.

After a poor by his standards showing against Wheeler to open the season, MJ Walker has been on a tear for Class AAAAAA No. 2 Jonesboro. In their past three games, the Cardinals have hammered Tucker (69-49), Lovejoy (79-24) and Mundy’s Mill (75-30), Walker averaging 28.6 points during the stretch. No. 4 Langston Hughes has navigated Region 5 successfully thus far with wins over Alexander (72-71), Tri-Cities (68-55) and Creekside (77-58). Tri-Cities has lost three straight, with Mays and No. 3 South Paulding handing them double digit losses, dropping the Bulldogs out of the rankings along with back-to-back state runner up Allatoona, who is now 3-3 with a 54-45 loss to No. 9 South Cobb who replaces them. The Eagles are off to a quick start and added a 79-61 win over Creekview and a 69-51 victory against Campbell to their ledger. No. 10 Richmond Hill has won eight in a row and debuts in the Top 10. Read about the Wildcats’ hot start HERE. The top mover this week is No. 6 Brunswick. The Pirates rise two spots with a 57-51 win over Bradwell Institute. No. 7 Dacula and No. 8 Alpharetta were both upset this week, Dacula by a red-hot three-point shooting North Oconee 75-72 and Alpharetta by Centennial, 50-49.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Buford cemented its status as tops in the state after holding off No.6 Cedar Shoals. Last week’s No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 teams all suffered losses, leading to shakeup. New No. 2 Eagle’s Landing crushed Class AAA No. 2 Cedar Grove, 71-49. The Eagles rise three spots while No. 3 Fayette County also jumps three places. Miller Grove is on the move behind scoring machine Tae Hardy, as the Wolverines remained a thorn in the side of rival No. 5 Southwest DeKalb, beating the Panthers 51-42. Columbia drops three spots to No. 7 after losing to Du Bois, TN 58-57, but more importantly after losing Lorenzo McGhee to a broken leg. Don’t sleep on No. 9 New Hampstead in Savannah, who jumps No. 10 Warner Robins. The Phoenix beat Brunswick 62-61 and knocked off Class AAA No. 5 Islands for the second time in overtime this year, 79-77 on a buzzer beater.

Sandy Creek picked up a major resume building win in Class AAAA by knocking off Class A-Private No. 4 North Cobb Christian 86-77 at the LakePoint Showcase. The Patriots received 24 points from Evan Jester, 21 from Xavier Brewer and 17 from TJ Bickerstaff. No. 6 Henry County’s roller coaster season continued, losing to Julian Cameron and Woodward Academy 71-70 before bouncing back and stopping Salem 69-65. The Warhawks slip three spots. LaGrange jumps three spots after beating Class AA No. 5 Callaway 75-65. North Clayton exits the Top 10 after Woodward Academy defeated them 50-49. The Eagles did beat Salem 54-49, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Eastside. This group of Eagles has been flying high at 5-1, their only loss to Newton, 74-51. Eastside beat Woodward Academy 90-75, withstanding Cameron’s 42-point outburst. Keiodre Perry is averaging over 20 points per game to carry Eastside with Desmeontay Dyer posting a double-double nightly.  They host Henry County on Tuesday in a critical Region 4 matchup, a region which has been topsy-turvy.

No. 1 Westside-Macon was upset by newly ranked No. 6 Central-Macon, but the Seminoles retain their top ranking after No. 2 Cedar Grove, No. 4 Pace Academy and No. 8 Liberty County all lost. The Cedar Grove Saints made a statement, beating Pace 55-42, but were later throttled by Eagle’s Landing. Liberty County plummets four spots, but hasn’t been healthy as Davion Mitchell is still in a boot with a broken toe. Will Richardson has tried to carry the load, but Richmond Hill (58-56) and Long County (73-72) handed the Panthers losses. Richardson poured in 54 points to beat Bradwell Institute 74-69 and is now averaging 31.2 points per game while averaging over 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Islands is up to No. 5 after beating No. 10 Jenkins, 75-72. Morgan County is down to No. 9 after Greenville, SC beat them 64-56 at the Valhalla Classic. Class AAA is shaping up to be another O.K. Corral.

Even with a 65-54 loss to Class AA No. 1 South Atlanta, Therrell showed that it can play with the big boys and rises six spots to No. 2. Butler jumps four spots to No. 3 after stunning No. 9 Glenn Hills 70-69 at the buzzer. The Bulldogs head to 7-1 Josey on Tuesday. A win and a clean week for the Eagles likely guarantees a Top 10 spot for Josey. No. 6 Dublin and No. 7 Monticello had rough weeks and tumble out of the No. 3 and No. 2 spots, respectively. Monticello was upset by Banks County 57-52 and then lost to Jones County 66-59. The Irish got revenge against Class A-Public No. 8 Twiggs County, but lost to A-Public No. 5 Treutlen, 67-64. Laney debuts in the poll thanks to a 53-46 victory against Class AAAA No. 9 Richmond Academy. Surging into the Top 10 for the first time in school history is No. 10 KIPP Atlanta. 5-foot-9 senior guard Stavon Griggs is pouring in 32.6 points per game and will lead the Warriors into battle on Tuesday at No. 1 South Atlanta. Chattooga and Toombs County drop out. The Indians lost to Class AAA No. 7 Calhoun 62-47 and Toombs lost to Jeff Davis 58-48.

North Cobb Christian’s loss to Sandy Creek drops them to No. 4 in Class A-Private as No. 2 St. Francis remains undefeated and No. 3 Southwest Atlanta Christian drills No. 7 Holy Innocents’ 88-61. Our Lady of Mercy exits the rankings following losses to Landmark Christian and No. 1 Greenforest. Darlington takes over No. 9.

Class A-Public is always fun to try and wrap my brain around and by fun I mean impossible. Calhoun County looks good at No. 2 in the state and will host No. 3 Quitman County on Tuesday to test the Hornets’ legitimacy. Taylor County is hot after an early loss to Class AAAA No. 2 Upson-Lee and have ripped off four wins in a row including beating No. 6 Crawford County, 65-53. No. 5 Treutlen has handled its business in South Georgia and scored a nice 67-64 win over Dublin. Twiggs County lost in their rematch to Dublin and falls to No. 8. Turner County and Schley County both say goodbye to the Top 10. The Rebels fall all the way from No. 4 after a 2-2 start while Schley County lost to Central-Talbotton 59-46. Newly ranked No. 9 Clinch County and 6-0 No. 10 Montgomery County will try to sustain their early success.