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.

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

Things are starting to settle in for a moment in Class AAAAAAA as the Top 7 remains unchanged. The most impressive wins of the week belong to No. 1 Norcross (75-67 Berkmar) and No. 3 Wheeler (53-42 ^1ANo. 1 Greenforest). No. 5 Westlake won a sluggish game against Class A-Private No. 4 Southwest Atlanta Christian 75-63 without point guard Jamie Lewis who is out 6 weeks with a foot fracture. Berkmar drops out of the Top 10 after a 2-3 start. The Patriots lost to No. 4 Pebblebrook 66-52 and are replaced by No. 9 Duluth, Head Coach Cabral Huff scoring a his first signature win with the Wildcats beating Class AAAAA No. 3 Cedar Shoals in overtime 59-54 just a day after edging Discovery in double OT 76-63.

Without three integral pieces including star forward KJ Buffen (broken ankle 6-8 weeks), Class AAAAAA No. 1 Gainesville hasn’t made any excuses and remain undefeated. The Red Elephants beat Class 4A No. 5 St. Pius (48-43), Milton (70-61) and Lee, AL (46-44). Bailey Minor has dumped in 53 points over his last two games to power the offense. No. 6 Alpharetta is now 7-0 and hosts 5-0 Pope in a Region 7 showdown. No. 7 Dacula’s only loss has come to Peachtree Ridge 76-71. The Falcons quickly bounced back with a 75-72 win over Grayson. With Davion Mitchell (Auburn) and Kymani Dunham (College of Charleston) both out for their respective teams, No. 8 Brunswick rode Marcus Scott to the tune of 25 points to upset the Panthers.

There’s major shakeup in Class AAAAA after last week’s No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams lose. Columbia fell to Southwest DeKalb at home 62-51 while Cedar Shoals was knocked off by Duluth in overtime. The result is Buford slotting in at No. 1 while Southwest DeKalb moves up five spots to No. 2. Southwest DeKalb’s wins over Collins Hill and Columbia sparkle in Class AAAAA. Buford’s top ranking gets put to the test right away as they travel to No. 3 Cedar Shoals on Tuesday. The Jaguars beat AAA No. 6 Morgan County 57-50 a day before their loss to Duluth. Columbia held on for a 54-53 win over Shiloh at the Wheeler Hoops Classic on Saturday. No. 5 Eagle’s Landing and No. 6 Fayette County are on the move. The Eagles handed Class 6A No. 5 Heritage-Conyers their first loss of the season, 76-71. Fayette County beat Class 4A No. 3 Henry County 79-65. The Tigers have now beaten Class AAAA’s No. 1 (Sandy Creek) and No. 3 ranked teams. Warner Robins falls four spots to No. 9 after blowing a 38-28 third quarter lead and losing to Perry, 57-53.

In their first true test of the season, Class AAAA No. 2 Upson-Lee handed Class A-Public No. 2 Crawford County just its second home loss since 2014, 77-66. No. 3 Henry County lost to Fayette County, but New Orleans-signee Damion Rosser is now back healthy. He went for 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a 62-59 win against No. 10 North Clayton. The Eagles have sputtered to a 1-3 start and drop five spots. They have played a tough schedule, getting blown out by Westlake 83-46 last week, but their lone win wasn’t in convincing fashion, slipping past Riverdale 41-40. Stephens County exits the poll at 2-1 and are replaced by No. 9 Perry, who came back to upset Warner Robins. The Panthers received 18 points from junior Jacori Burks in the win and have now won 4-straight road games. Westover moves up three spots after an overtime win against Albany and extracting revenge against Dougherty, 85-77.

Cedar Grove sits at No. 3 in Class AAA after beating Lovett 48-35 and Liberty County’s loss to Brunswick. The Saints should be getting some help as football players such as 6-foot-8 center Jelani Woods are expected back to the hardwood. Islands moves up three spots to No. 7 and will host No. 8 Jenkins on Tuesday in a potential “changing of the guard” game if the Sharks can take a bite out of the perennial Savannah power. Lovett drops out and is replaced by No. 9 Calhoun who has allowed 19 points in each of their two victories this season.

Class AA sees Dublin slip one spot after losing to Twiggs County and Truetlen. Due to Callaway not playing a game yet, the Irish don’t fall out of the Top 3. They picked up a huge 57-56 win over Class A-Public No. 1 Wilkinson County to remain ranked highly. The biggest surprise in Class AA is the play of No. 5 Glenn Hills and Vidalia. The Indians are now unranked after a 1-3 start. The Spartans are making some noise in Augusta, rising four spots after a statement victory over Richmond Academy 62-56. Inside, 6-foot-8 junior Timmy Sellers has led the charge, posting 17 points in the win over the Musketeers. New to the poll is No. 8 Therrell. Sophomore Anthony Edwards has led the attack as the Panthers have earned wins over Hiram (49-42), Mays (76-71) and Rockdale County (61-48).

The only movement in Class A-Private sees Christian Heritage replaced at the bottom of the poll by No. 10 Our Lady of Mercy. Whitefield Academy moves up a spot to No. 9 after a 60-57 win over Grady. No. 2 North Cobb Christian romped Stratford Academy 57-38, but it’s still not enough to unseat No. 1 Greenforest. No. 3 St. Francis went to Hall County and came away with a 67-64 win over No. 6 Lakeview Academy.

Calhoun County rises to No. 3, jumping Turner County in Class A-Public. The Cougars drilled Randolph-Clay 74-50. Idle No. 9 Lincoln County, No. 10 Hancock Central and No. 7 Hawkinsville are replaced by No. 6 Twiggs County, No. 8 Treutlen and No. 10 Schley County. The Cobras of Twiggs have been a big surprise, led by senior guard Zuri Brown. They have two wins over Northeast-Macon and drilled Swainsboro (76-58) and upset Dublin at Dublin, 82-74. Schley knocked Hawkinsville out of the poll with their 51-45 win over the Red Devils. Treutlen handled Dublin 78-67 in their meeting with the Irish.

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

1. South Atlanta (1-0)
2. Dublin (0-0)
3. Monticello (3-2)
4. Callaway (0-0)
5. Thomasville (0-3)
6. Butler (3-1)
7. Vidalia (1-1)
8. Chattooga (0-0)
9. Glenn Hills (3-0)
10. Toombs County (3-0)

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

1. Wilkinson County (0-0)
2. Crawford County (1-0)
3. Turner County (0-0)
4. Calhoun County (1-0)
5. Quitman County (3-1)
6. Taylor County (0-1)
7. Hawkinsville (2-0)
8. Manchester (0-1)
9. Lincoln County (0-0)
10. Hancock Central (0-1)

Holiday Hoopsgiving has shed a little bit of light on the state picture, but still a clear state championship favorite in Class AAAAAAA has yet to emerge. The reason why? The parity of competition across the GHSA might be at an all-time high. National rankings don’t mean much when you lace them up and play in the Peach State. Wheeler, MaxPreps’ No. 2 ranked team in the nation, was stunned by Vashon, MO 69-67 at Hoopsgiving after holding an 11-point fourth quarter lead. Any loss is considered a “bad” loss for the Wildcats with as much talent as they have. They did knock off Class 6A No. 2 Jonesboro 66-58 on Friday, but Saturday’s loss drops them to No. 3. Without question the state’s two hottest teams are No. 1 Norcross and No. 2 Newton. Both teams are 4-0 with all eight combined wins against ranked opponents. Newton slammed Class 3A No. 3 Liberty County 104-71 at Hoopsgiving while Norcross countered with a 57-46 win over Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest. On Saturday, the Rams went to the On the Radar Hoops Showcase and raced past No. 9 Berkmar in the fourth quarter 84-68. Norcross added to their resume an 82-74 win over Class 3A No. 1 Westside-Macon. So why does Norcross jump over Newton as the teams were ranked No. 5 and No. 4 respectively last week? As astounding as the Rams’ wins have been, Norcross’ W’s over Westside-Macon and Greenforest are just an inch better, even though Greenforest is without leading scorer Justin Forrest due to a foot injury. Newton’s electric romp of Liberty County was breathtaking, but if we are being honest, this Liberty County team just isn’t the same right now without Richard LeCounte, the 5-star UGA football recruit who averaged 20 points and 5 rebounds as a junior. LeCounte will not be playing basketball this year and the loss of his dynamic athleticism showed in their game against Newton. No. 6 McEachern is quietly looming, picking up wins over Class 6A No. 8 Allatoona and Class 6A No. 5 Langston Hughes. No. 7 Collins Hill rises after beating Class 5A No. 1 Columbia 54-51 at the Cleveland Stroud Classic. The Eagles did however suffer a loss to Class 5A No. 7 Southwest DeKalb in the championship game, 65-61. No. 5 Westlake had a shot to earn a Top-3 ranking, but the Lions fell to Greenforest 59-57. No. 10 Tift County slides back to the bottom of the poll. Montverde Academy, FL beat the Blue Devils by 32, but that’s not why they fall. Their big win over Thomasville a week ago which boosted them up the polls now doesn’t look like a signature victory as the Bulldogs are 0-3 to start.  Tift County however did rebound after their loss to Montverde by beating Lake Minneola, FL 63-47, Preston Horne scoring a career-high 40 points.

With Class AAAAAA Preseason No. 1 Jonesboro losing to Wheeler, No. 1 Gainesville has just enough to sneak past the Cardinals to earn the top spot. Much like Class 7A, expect Class 6A to be in flux all year long. Gainesville’s new ranking will be put to the test right away as they see St. Pius, Milton, Lee (Huntsville), Brookwood and St .Pius again in a challenging stretch. Jonesboro has six region games in a row before heading to the City of Palms Classic. No. 4 Heritage-Conyers climbs two spots to No. 4. The Patriots blew out Peachtree Ridge at the On the Radar Showcase 77-59 behind Jordan Thomas’ 26 points and Isaiah Banks’ 19. Langston Hughes is the most dangerous 1-3 team in the state as the Panthers drop to No. 5. It took a heroic once-in-a-lifetime performance from Javon Greene to help Class 4A No. 3 Henry County stun Langston Hughes in overtime, 92-89. Still licking their wounds from a tough to swallow defeat, Hughes was beat on Saturday by Class 7A No. 6 McEachern 70-61. Their only win of the season came against Northside-Columbus at the Columbus Classic Shootout, 105-65. Landers Nolley scored 50 in the win and followed up his performance with 35 in the loss to Henry County. No. 6 Dacula has taken care of business so far behind Arusha Hunter and Mekhail Bethea. No. 7 Alpharetta is trying to force its way into the discussion as one of the state’s elite Class AAAAAA programs. The Raiders beat Johns Creek in the Progressive Lighting Thanksgiving Tournament championship 70-53 and followed up by beating Duke signee Alex O’Connell and Milton 70-68 on an Ellis Merriweather buzzer beater. No. 8 Allatoona starts the year 0-2 with a 46-43 loss to McEachern and a 60-54 loss to Lee, AL. The Bucs enter region play for the next three games and should be able to get back on track. Alexander was bounced from the poll, losing to Hillgrove 70-55. Replacing them is No. 10 Tri-Cities. The Bulldogs dropped their first game of the year to Ribault, FL at the Andrew Jackson Thanksgiving Tournament.

Even with a loss to Collins Hill, Columbia holds on as No. 1 in Class AAAAA. Cedar Shoals and Buford are close behind at No. 2 and No. 3.  Buford beat Class 3A No. 6 GAC 66-57. Not too much changes in the poll except for Southwest DeKalb’s jump to No. 7. The Panthers’ balanced offense and aggressive defense has given teams fits. They won the Cleveland Stroud Classic by beating Collins Hill in overtime. No. 9 New Hampstead has challenged themselves, losing to York Prep, SC 71-65. Riverwood holds onto No. 10 after losing to South Forsyth 70-61 as UNCW signee Evan Cole dropped in 39 points. The Raiders bounced back with a 67-62 overtime win against Blessed Trinity.

Sandy Creek has looked good since earning the No. 1 ranking in Class AAAA. The Patriots dropped No. 5 North Clayton 69-55 behind Evan Jester’s 22 points and 12 rebounds. No. 2 Upson-Lee has cruised, but hasn’t seen much competition yet. The Knights beat Class A-Public No. 6 Taylor County 46-34 in their toughest game. That will change however as A-Public No. 2 Crawford County hosts Upson-Lee this Tuesday in a rivalry game that hasn’t been played in years. Back up to No. 3 is Henry County. Javon Greene went berserk at Holiday Hoopsgiving, pouring in an event record 57 points to stun Langston Hughes. No. 8 Richmond Academy looks primed to jump No. 7 St. Pius if the Golden Lions can’t upset Gainesville in Hall County.

Class AAA has a few developing stories including Westside-Macon rising to No. 1 in the state after losing to Norcross. Pace Academy opens up slow just like last year, losing to Jemison, AL 67-50 at the Lighthouse Classic. The Knights fall to No. 2. From what I saw against Norcross, it looks like Westside-Macon has more pieces to the puzzle than Pace does. The Knights were able to ride Wendell Carter to a state title last year, but I don’t think the playoffs will lay out as nicely for them this year with the likes of Westside and Liberty County in the mix instead of Manchester. Speaking of No. 3 Liberty County, they took a whipping from Newton but bounced back strong against Friendship Academy, DC. No. 7 Jenkins is in the danger zone, threatening to drop out of the Top 10. They fall three spots and are now 0-3. Losses to Meadowcreek (69-58) and Class A-Private No. 5 Holy Innocents’ (71-67) hurt a lot. If Jenkins or anyone else drops out, Dougherty might crack the rankings. The Trojans are 3-0 and have been powered by 6-foot-9 forward Carlos Curry.

Everything has changed in Class AA with No. 5 Thomasville’s poor play. Their guards have let them down in a major way, but luckily for them the season is still young. No. 3 Monticello went to the Impact Sports Invitational in South Carolina and lost to Dorman (86-57) and Spartanburg Christian (60-59) before beating Laurens (79-45). Ashton Bonner and CJ Adams have excelled in Coach BJ Thomas’ backcourt. Banks County and Swainsboro both say goodbye to the Top 10. Swainsboro lost 76-58 to Twiggs County and were beaten by Effingham County 61-54. Banks County suffered a 72-59 loss to Hart County. Two surprises replace the two exiting teams. No. 9 Glenn Hills and No. 10 Toombs County. Glenn Hills has seen 6-foot-8 power forward Timmy Sellers anchor them inside. They will get a major test against Richmond Academy on Dec. 2. Toombs County Head Coach Laberton Sims has nearly matched last year’s 4-win win total in his first year on the job after coming over from Tift County. The Bulldogs haven’t been challenged in their wins, beating West Laurens (57-42), East Laurens (65-25) and Jenkins County (74-58).

Greenforest remains No. 1 in Class A-Private and continues to wait on the return of Justin Forrest. Their win over Westlake was a nice early season gut-check. No. 2 North Cobb Christian dropped their first game to Orlando Christian Prep, 51-46. No. 5 Holy Innocents’ 71-67 win over Jenkins keeps them ahead of No. 6 Lakeview Academy, who won the Piedmont College Harwood Classic. No. 10 Whitefield Academy clings onto the final spot after a loss to Hillgrove in the Powder Town Showdown.

Quitman County jumps to No. 5  in Class A-Public after a 3-1 start. Their lone loss came against Eufala, AL by one. No. 2 Crawford County crunched Mary Persons 85-71, setting up a huge game with Upson-Lee. Manchester dropped the ball against Harris County 68-64 and falls one spot. Hancock Central is reeling, plummeting four spots to No. 10 after losing to Baldwin 53-35.

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

1. South Atlanta (1-0)
2. Thomasville (0-1)
3. Dublin (0-0)
4. Monticello (2-0)
5. Vidalia (1-0)
6. Callaway (0-0)
7. Swainsboro (0-0)
8. Butler (1-1)
9. Chattooga (0-0)
10. Banks County (1-1)

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

1. Wilkinson County (0-0)
2. Crawford County (0-0)
3. Turner County (0-0)
4. Calhoun County (1-0)
5. Taylor County (0-0)
6. Hancock Central (0-0)
7. Manchester (0-0)
8. Quitman County (2-0)
9. Lincoln County (0-0)
10. Hawkinsville (2-0)

Week 1 is in the books and Class AAAAAAA has already seen a few teams make some statements, but no one has been more impressive than No. 4 Newton who leaps over an impressive in their own right, No. 5 Norcross. The Rams have throttled opponents, blitzing Class AAAA Preseason No. 1 Henry County 83-67 and trouncing Class A-Private No. 3 Southwest Atlanta Christian, 91-60. Jacksonville-signee JD Notae went on a scoring binge against SACA, dropping in 41 points. Norcross scored a nice 66-51 win over Class AAAAA No. 6 Eagle’s Landing. No. 2 Pebblebrook beat Dillard, FL 49-40, but then lost to Montverde Academy, FL, 81-63. They won’t be punished however and retain their No. 2 spot after No. 3 Westlake won 107-94 against a rebuilding Douglas County team. No. 7 Tift County rises three spots after abusing Class AA Preseason No. 1 Thomasville, 75-40. Undersized senior forward PJ Horne, now 100% from an ACL injury, ate up 6-foot-8 Arkansas-commit Reggie Perry, hanging 25 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Alabama State-signee Micah Johnson torched the Bulldog backcourt with 23 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and six steals.

Class AAAAAA was treated to a potential late February matchup as No. 2 Gainesville blew past No. 4 Langston Hughes, who drops a spot after their 74-57 loss. KJ Buffen was too much, going for 22 points, nine rebounds and three steals. No. 6 Heritage-Conyers won two nail biters, beating Class AAAAA No. 9 Southwest DeKalb 51-47 and Lithonia 70-66 before drilling Brookwood 90-67. No. 8 Alpharetta leaps inactive No. 9 Alexander. The Raiders have looked the part of a Top 10 team, defeating North Forsyth 67-47 and Creekview 78-47.

No. 1 Columbia rolled Stephenson 76-61 in their season opener after scheduled Arlington Country Day, FL decided not to show up. Miller Grove tumbles to No. 4 after an 84-69 loss to Class AAAAAAA No. 6 McEachern. The Wolverines didn’t look all that great in their preseason scrimmage against Gainesville either, dropping 84-65. Miller Grove isn’t void of talent, but the majority of their roster hasn’t seen varsity minutes behind senior guard Tae Hardy, meaning it will take some time for them to become a finished product. No. 8 Fayette County knocked off Class AAAA No. 2 Sandy Creek 75-69, but move up just one spot. No. 7 New Hampstead retains their slim advantage over Fayette County thanks to an 83-76 win over Class AAA No. 10 Islands.

Here we are. Just one week into the season and already the crapshoot classification known as Class AAAA has seen Preseason No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10 all drop games. Henry County limps out of the gates after earning the No. 1 ranking. They were steam rolled by Newton and then dropped an eyebrow raising game to Arabia Mountain 73-71 to start the year 0-2 and sink to No. 5. Sandy Creek suffered a tough loss to Fayette County but got back on track by blowing out Forest Park 101-62 and scoring a very strong resume building W against Peachtree Ridge 56-40 to take ahold of the No. 1 spot. The versatility and size of 6-foot-7 senior Evan Jester is Sandy Creek’s ace in the back pocket. He is averaging 20 points per game with over eight rebounds. D-I schools please take note. The Patriots meet No. 4 North Clayton this Friday at the Atlanta Hardwood Jam Fest. No. 7 St. Pius X drops three spots after getting surprised by Cherokee in overtime, 68-59. Perry and Cartersville both exit the polls. Perry lost 69-67 to Bleckley County while Cartersville was run out of the gym by Class A-Private No. 2 North Cobb Christian 92-64 at the Georgia Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic. To be fair, Cartersville was missing nearly its entire team due to football and won’t have the group together until after the state championship. Until then, the Canes will take some lumps, but come region schedule time, Cartersville should be right back in the mix. Replacing Cartersville and Perry is No. 8 Richmond Academy and No. 10 Stephens County. Richmond Academy has two blowouts under their belts, beating Grovetown 63-40 and Woodward Academy 63-38. No. 2 Upson-Lee took care of business in their games. Junior combo guard Tye Fagan is averaging 24 points per game in limited minutes due to blow outs for Upson-Lee.

No. 3 Liberty County has looked sharp in Class AAA where they will try to repeat as state champs after winning it all in Class AAAA. They knocked off No. 4 Jenkins 83-75 as Auburn-signee Davion Mitchell went for 31 and Will Richardson had 29. In the loss, Trevion Lamar had 29 points, 18 rebounds and five assists as top point guard Zion Williams missed the game due to Jenkins’ playoff run in football. Mitchell and Richardson both poured in 42 points in their 120-80 win over Bradwell Institute. As good as those two have been, who has been the best player in the state of Georgia? No. 8 Lovett’s sophomore point guard Ryan Greer, who has carried the shorthanded Lions to three narrow victories as eight football players look to return soon. The results haven’t been pretty for Lovett but wins are wins right now. They beat North Atlanta in 2OT, 51-46; North Springs 52-50 and latest, an 81-79 overtime win over Landmark Christian when Greer posted the stat line of the season:

50 points
16-21 FG
2-4 3pt
12-14 FT
14 reb (3 off and 11 def)
3 assists
2 steals
4 turnovers

If you’re a Division-I coach, get on the horn right now.

Elsewhere in the state Crisp County has looked bad and has fallen out of the poll, replaced by No. 9 Redan and Tyonn Stuckey.

The loss of Jordan Willis and the rest of Thomasville’s Class of 2016 guards is already starting to hurt as Arkansas-commit Reggie Perry and Titus Wright proved they still aren’t ready to carry the team in Class AA. Tift County embarrassed the bigger and more highly recruited Bulldogs causing them to slip to No. 2 and allow No. 1 South Atlanta to take the reigns as leader in the clubhouse. No. 8 Butler and No. 10 Banks County both suffered losses. Butler dropped 64-48 to Mountain View as Christian Robinson didn’t suit up and Head Coach Cervantes Boddy didn’t even show up until the second quarter. Banks County lost on a buzzer-beater against East Hall.

Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest played the part in their 51-40 win over Shiloh. No. 4 St. Francis moves up as Dwon Odom has transitioned well to the high school game and No. 5 Holy Innocents’ slipped to rival Riverwood 63-62 to open the year. No. 10 Christian Heritage replaces King’s Ridge Christian who lost to Norcross 79-52, but more disappointingly, lost to Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy 47-32 in an ugly game.

Not much has gone on in Class A-Public, but both No. 8 Quitman County and No. 10 Hawkinsville have fared well this season. Quitman beat Kendrick 82-77 and Spencer 80-51. Hawkinsville stopped Bleckley County 52-48 and Webster County 69-58.