Category Archives: Rankings

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 10 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Newton (21-0)
  2. McEachern (18-0)
  3. Pebblebrook (12-6)
  4. Norcross (16-5)
  5. Westlake (13-8)
  6. Lowndes (17-3)
  7. Berkmar (16-6)
  8. Wheeler (15-5)
  9. Lambert (18-3)
  10. Roswell (17-3)

Class AAAAAA

  1. South Paulding (19-1)
  2. Gainesville (19-1)
  3. Jonesboro (16-4)
  4. Langston Hughes (15-5)
  5. Richmond Hill (17-3)
  6. Alpharetta (21-1)
  7. South Cobb (15-4)
  8. Lakeside-Evans (15-4)
  9. Heritage-Conyers (13-4)
  10. Alexander (15-5)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (17-2)
  2. Cedar Shoals (18-3)
  3. Warner Robins (17-3)
  4. Fayette County (16-5)
  5. Columbia (13-5)
  6. Miller Grove (12-7)
  7. Stockbridge (15-6)
  8. New Hampstead (14-5)
  9. Maynard Jackson (15-5)
  10. Eagle’s Landing (15-5)

 Class AAAA

  1. Upson-Lee (20-0)
  2. Henry County (15-5)
  3. LaGrange (18-2)
  4. Sandy Creek (13-5)
  5. Americus-Sumter (15-4)
  6. Baldwin (14-6)
  7. Richmond Academy (17-4)
  8. Cartersville (14-3)
  9. Perry (16-4)
  10. Salem (14-5)

Class AAA

  1. Westside-Macon (15-3)
  2. Greater Atlanta Christian (15-4)
  3. Liberty County (13-5)
  4. Pace Academy (10-8)
  5. Jenkins (15-7)
  6. Morgan County (14-5)
  7. Central-Macon (15-4)
  8. Cedar Grove (10-5)
  9. East Hall (13-6)
  10. Dougherty (14-5)

Class AA

  1. South Atlanta (18-1)
  2. Dublin (15-4)
  3. Thomasville (12-6)
  4. Laney (14-4)
  5. Butler (13-5)
  6. Josey (15-5)
  7. Banks County (15-4)
  8. Chattooga (18-1)
  9. Putnam County (15-5)
  10. Heard County (16-4) 

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (15-5)
  2. North Cobb Christian (18-3)
  3. Southwest Atlanta Christian (12-6)
  4. St. Francis (19-3)
  5. Aquinas (17-1)
  6. Holy Innocents’ (13-5)
  7. Lakeview Academy (14-5)
  8. Tallulah Falls (19-0)
  9. Tattnall Square Academy (12-5)
  10. Whitefield Academy (12-7)

Class A-Public

  1. Calhoun County (15-1)
  2. Quitman County (15-1)
  3. Treutlen (18-0)
  4. Turner County (16-5)
  5. Wilkinson County (14-5)
  6. Randolph-Clay (13-3)
  7. Macon County (14-5)
  8. Taylor County (13-3)
  9. Hawkinsville (13-8)
  10. Clinch County (15-4)

It was a seismic week of upsets in the state of Georgia. At the Peachtree Corners Invitational held at Norcross High School, the Peach State went 0-5. To make matters worse, a whopping seven Top 10 ranked Class AAAAAAA teams lost leading to the biggest shakeup in the poll to date. Gone are Tift County (19-2), Collins Hill (15-5) and Discovery (14-7). The Blue Devils were upset at home by new No. 6 Lowndes, 60-58, behind Octavious Fudge’s 29 points. Thanks to the wild week, the Vikings debut above bluebloods No. 7 Berkmar and No. 8 Wheeler who suffered bad losses. Berkmar beat Meadowcreek 61-56 but was stunned by Brookwood 57-51. Wheeler looked awful against Greensboro Day, NC at PTC, losing 56-36. The Wildcats were held to three points in the first quarter and saw the Bengals close on a 24-8 run. Collins Hill falls out after losing to Effingham County 51-43 and in overtime to Mill Creek 68-67. The Hawks were the ultimate spoiler, also adding a 57-54 victory over Discovery to knock the Titans out of the Top 10. Entering the poll alongside Lowndes for the first time is No. 9 Lambert and No. 10 Roswell. The Longhorns are no stranger to being ranked but after losing Connor Mannion (Navy) and Ross Morkem (North Georgia), it took some time for Lambert to fully establish themselves as a Top 10 team. They took sole control of Region 5 with a 77-72 win over Milton. Roswell has come out of nowhere in Region 4 and has raced to a 6-0 region mark. The Hornets have grinded teams out, allowing just 44.9 points per game while leaning on sophomore Miles Herron and senior James Anderson to power the offense, averaging 13 and 12 points per game respectively. Norcross lost to Bishop O’Connell, VA at PTC 63-58 but rise thanks to their strong showing and an earlier win at the Music City Classic. No. 5 Westlake survived at Campbell 67-63, but couldn’t do so against 9-10 North Clayton on the Eagles’ alumni night, losing 62-53 as Keondre Kennedy powered North Clayton with 21 points. No. 1 Newton stayed perfect by crushing Zion Williamson and Spartanburg Day, SC at the BCB MLK Classic 96-75 and turning an 11-point halftime deficit into an 82-73 win at Class A-Private No. 3 Southwest Atlanta Christian. No. 2 McEachern cruised as well, stomping Class A-Private No. 7 Lakeview Academy along with No. 10 Whitefield Academy.

No. 3 Jonesboro is getting healthy in Class AAAAAA. After escaping Tucker with a 66-64 win, the Cardinals finally got 6-foot-6 junior Jamari Smith back. Smith missed the first 18 games with a concussion but has immediately made an impact, posting 20 points and seven rebounds against Lovejoy and 22 points and six boards against Mundy’s Mill. No. 1 South Paulding had two scares, rallying to beat Douglas County on the road in overtime 96-94 after trailing by eight with 40 seconds left in regulation. The Spartans then edged Tri-Cities 54-50 on the road. Langston Hughes regains the No. 4 spot as they jump No. 5 Richmond Hill. The Panthers picked up two big wins against ranked opponents, beating Class AAA No. 5 Jenkins 77-70 at the BCB MLK Classic and No. 10 Alexander, 57-50. No. 2 Gainesville rolled Dacula 79-53 to take a commanding hold of Region 8. The Red Elephants followed up with a 78-68 victory over Dawson Christian Academy without leading scorer Bailey Minor and KJ Buffen.

Union Grove (16-5) and Flowery Branch (16-4) exit the Class AAAAA rankings. The Wolverines were stopped by Dutchtown 65-52 while the Falcons saw No. 2 Cedar Shoals rip off a 25-0 run to put them away, 72-44. No. 7 Stockbridge debuts after winning 7-straight including a Jan. 3 road win at Union Grove 74-67 and yesterday’s 65-61 statement victory against No. 10 Eagle’s Landing, who is starting to leak oil in Region 4. Maynard Jackson resurfaces at No. 9. They beat Riverwood 69-51.

Class AAAA almost saw a devastating loss for No. 1 Upson-Lee. The Knights had to use three overtimes to survive 3-win Griffin 75-68. Before the Bears game, the Knights stopped No. 9 Perry 58-52. No. 2 Henry County hosts No. 10 Salem on Tuesday after blitzing Eastside 76-45. Salem lost at Woodward Academy 58-50. Richmond Academy tumbles four spots to No. 7 after getting blown out by No. 6 Baldwin, 52-31. The Braves are back in the Top 10 and are joined by fellow returnee, No. 5 Americus-Sumter after the Panthers blew out Carver-Columbus 76-55, dropping the Tigers from No. 6 to unranked. Carver also lost to rival Columbus 64-61. St. Pius’ stint in the Top 10 was short lived. The Golden Lions were stunned in overtime by Oconee County 61-60 on a buzzer beater. St. Pius however did collect themselves and earned a 56-39 victory at Stephens County. All eyes shift to No. 4 LaGrange on Tuesday as they host No. 8 Cartersville in a critical Region 5 showdown.

It was revenge week in Class AAA. Khavon Moore put on a show for No. 1 Westside-Macon. The star point-forward dropped a school-record 53 points along with 13 rebounds and 7 assists in front of Ohio State. Before his historic game against Kendrick, the Seminoles got payback against rival No. 7 Central-Macon, beating the Chargers 60-55. No. 3 Liberty County got revenge as well, destroying Long County and kicking the Blue Tide from the Top 10 with a 121-82 victory. No. 4 Pace Academy did the same, avenging an earlier loss to No. 8 Cedar Grove (without Wendell Carter) 69-52 now at full strength. New No. 9 East Hall will look for the same as they host No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian on Tuesday for a chance to take a share of first-place in Region 8. The Vikings lost in their first meeting 71-62. It was a nightmarish week for Islands, who has now lost three straight games and plummets out of the poll at 13-7. The Sharks were stunned by 6-13 Southeast Bulloch, 77-58. No. 5 Jenkins made things worse by bullying around their main competition 74-55 which led to a heated confrontation between head coaches Bakari Bryant and Karl DeMasi. Rivalries are alive and well in Savannah. With Islands’ departure, Dougherty slides back in at No. 10.

Region 4-AA goes spots 4 through 6 with No. 4 Laney, No. 5 Butler and No. 6 Josey. Laney handed Glenn Hills (13-7) a 59-55 home loss after Butler edged the Spartans 67-60 and dropped them from the poll. The Bulldogs took a bite out of Josey as well, beating the Eagles 67-61, defending their home court. No. 7 Banks County is continuing to control Region 8. They earned a 70-67 win at Monticello. The region inserts another team back into the Top 10 in No. 9 Putnam County. The War Eagles are now 15-5 after finishing 3-23 just a season ago. No. 10 Heard County sneaks back into the poll as well after Early County’s fall from grace spirals on. The Bobcats (13-5) lost 60-55 at Terrell County.

Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest couldn’t get over the hump in a 46-43 loss to DeMatha, MD at PTC. No. 2 North Cobb Christian knocked Darlington out of the Top 10 with a 76-54 loss. No. 3 Southwest Atlanta Christian almost slayed the dragon known as Newton, but fell short. The Warriors did however hold off No. 6 Holy Innocents’ 71-68. No. 7 Lakeview Academy and No. 8 Tallulah Falls finally do battle in Region 8 as the undefeated Indians host the Lions on Tuesday. No. 9 Tattnall Square Academy completed a sweep of Class A-Public No. 5 Wilkinson County, beating the Warriors 56-55 at The Palace to cement themselves as a Top 10 player in Class A-Private.

Class A-Public’s No. 2 Quitman County has a chance to make amends as they travel to Eufala, AL to face the only team that has beaten them this year (55-54) on Monday. No. 4 Turner County jumps six spots after beating Crisp County 63-55 on the road, dropping Irwin County from the rankings with a 74-68 loss and beating No. 10 Clinch County 76-74. Macon County creeps back into the rankings at No. 7 after picking up three wins against ranked opponents. The Bulldogs beat Irwin County (79-76), Central-Talbotton (58-51) and No. 8 Taylor County (62-35). Central-Talbotton fell out of the rankings while the Vikings sink five spots. Replacing Central-Talbotton is No. 9 Hawkinsville. The Red Devils are back in the poll for the first time since Week 2. They have won 7-straight and host Taylor County on Friday.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 9 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Newton (17-0)
  2. McEachern (14-0)
  3. Westlake (10-7)
  4. Wheeler (13-4)
  5. Berkmar (15-5)
  6. Pebblebrook (9-6)
  7. Norcross (15-4)
  8. Tift County (18-1)
  9. Collins Hill (15-3)
  10. Discovery (14-6) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. South Paulding (16-1)
  2. Gainesville (16-1)
  3. Jonesboro (13-4)
  4. Richmond Hill (16-3)
  5. Langston Hughes (11-5)
  6. Alpharetta (18-1)
  7. Alexander (13-4)
  8. South Cobb (13-4)
  9. Lakeside-Evans (13-4)
  10. Heritage-Conyers (10-4)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (15-2)
  2. Cedar Shoals (16-3)
  3. Warner Robins (14-3)
  4. Fayette County (13-5)
  5. Miller Grove (10-6)
  6. New Hampstead (14-4)
  7. Columbia (12-5)
  8. Eagle’s Landing (12-4)
  9. Union Grove (14-4)
  10. Flowery Branch (14-3) 

Class AAAA

  1. Upson-Lee (17-0)
  2. Henry County (14-5)
  3. Richmond Academy (16-3)
  4. LaGrange (16-2)
  5. Sandy Creek (10-5)
  6. Carver-Columbus (13-3)
  7. Perry (15-3)
  8. Salem (13-4)
  9. St. Pius X (11-6)
  10. Cartersville (11-4)

 Class AAA

  1. Westside-Macon (13-3)
  2. Greater Atlanta Christian (13-4)
  3. Liberty County (11-5)
  4. Morgan County (12-3)
  5. Pace Academy (7-7)
  6. Jenkins (12-6)
  7. Islands (13-5)
  8. Cedar Grove (8-4)
  9. Central-Macon (13-3)
  10. Long County (13-6) 

Class AA

  1. South Atlanta (14-1)
  2. Dublin (13-4)
  3. Josey (14-4)
  4. Thomasville (9-6)
  5. Laney (12-4)
  6. Chattooga (14-1)
  7. Banks County (13-4)
  8. Glenn Hills (13-5)
  9. Early County (13-4)
  10. Butler (11-5)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (13-4)
  2. North Cobb Christian (14-3)
  3. Southwest Atlanta Christian (10-5)
  4. St. Francis (16-3)
  5. Aquinas (14-1)
  6. Holy Innocents’ (12-4)
  7. Lakeview Academy (12-4)
  8. Whitefield Academy (10-6)
  9. Tallulah Falls (17-0)
  10. Darlington (11-3) 

Class A-Public

  1. Calhoun County (13-1)
  2. Quitman County (14-1)
  3. Taylor County (12-2)
  4. Treutlen (16-0)
  5. Wilkinson County (12-4)
  6. Randolph-Clay (11-3)
  7. Central-Talbotton (11-4)
  8. Clinch County (13-3)
  9. Irwin County (8-5)
  10. Turner County (12-5)

 

There was major movement in nearly every single classification this week with Class AAAAAAA seeing some big changes of its own. Westlake shoots up four spots to No. 3 after knocking off No. 6 Pebblebrook in overtime 80-78 courtesy of a now healthy Jamie Lewis three-pointer with five seconds remaining. The Lions are a perfect 4-0 in Region 2, already holding a win over No. 4 Wheeler. Berkmar makes a move to No. 5 after going on the road and beating No. 7 Norcross 61-58. All the shuffling along the top seven spots hurts No. 8 Tift County who slips two spots from No. 6. The Blue Devils just don’t have enough quality wins on the resume and don’t consistently see the level of competition the teams ranked ahead of them do on a nightly basis. Peachtree Ridge falls out of the Top 10 after losing in overtime 63-60 to Duluth and to No. 9 Collins Hill 58-52. Back in the rankings is No. 10 Discovery, who defeated Meadowcreek 67-64 and Duluth 63-58.

A new No. 1 takes over in Class AAAAAA following No. 2 Gainesville’s 63-60 misstep against Class AAAAA No. 2 Cedar Shoals. South Paulding earns the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history and has the quality wins to back it up. They went on the road and earned a Region 5 statement victory beating No. 5 Langston Hughes 57-42, holding potent scorer Landers Nolley to just 10 points after he entered the game averaging over 28 per game. Richmond Hill skyrockets to No. 4 after knocking Brunswick from the Top 10 with a 61-60 road win. No. 8 South Cobb falls two spots after a 30-point loss at Pebblebrook and a 74-68 loss at Campbell. Heritage-Conyers slips from No. 5 to No. 10 after losing a heartbreaker at home to newly ranked No. 9 Lakeside-Evans in overtime, 62-58. The Panthers are now in the driver’s seat in Region 3 and will host the Patriots in a rematch on January 31.

No. 2 Cedar Shoals can’t seem to figure out No. 1 Buford in Region 8-AAAAA. The Wolves stunned the Jags 75-70 in overtime, sweeping the regular season series. Cedar Shoals rebounded in a major way the following day with a 63-60 win at Gainesville without Snipe Hall. The Wolves survived a 100-99 double overtime heart-stopper against Harrison on Saturday. Eagle’s Landing tumbles from No. 2 to No. 8 after losing at home 64-55 to No. 9 Union Grove and on the road at Dutchtown, 78-73. No. 7 Columbia knocked Southwest DeKalb from the poll with a 58-44 road victory. Debuting for the first time this season is No. 10 Flowery Branch. The Falcons will put their new ranking to the test right away as they travel to Cedar Shoals on Tuesday. The Jaguars won the first meeting 63-50.

Class AAAA has begun to take shape. No. 1 Upson-Lee hosts No. 7 Perry this Tuesday in a crucial Region 2 tilt. Region 5 has shaken things up as No. 5 Sandy Creek sinks three spots after a 68-64 loss at No. 4 LaGrange. Laperion Perry powered the Grangers with 27 points. Elsewhere in the region, Cartersville resurfaces at No. 10 after losing 86-80 to Sandy Creek and rebounding with a massive 79-49 romp of Calhoun, knocking the Yellow Jackets from the AAA Top 10. No. 3 Richmond Academy hosts Thomson on Tuesday in an interesting Region 3 matchup. Eastside, Stephens County and Burke County all exit the poll. Eastside lost to new No. 8 Salem, 63-61 and fell to Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Newton 91-63.  Stephens County had a miserable week and is now 0-3 in Region 8 after losing to Madison County 68-62 and Oconee County 68-59. The two losses give familiar face No. 9 St. Pius some breathing room as the Golden Lions have started to rack up the wins in region play.

Class AAA No. 1 Westside-Macon looked sharp as they went 2-0 at the Wally Keller Classic. No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian picked up a 49-47 victory at Seneca, SC, one of South Carolina’s top ranked teams. No. 3 Liberty County crushed Thomson again, 88-68 on the road. Islands drops a spot to No. 7 after losing to Effingham County on the road 68-59. Calhoun is out of the poll following their 30-point loss to Cartersville. Replacing the Jackets is No. 10 Long County, who is led in scoring by four juniors: Terry Smith (15.8 ppg), Henry Blair (15.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Christian Bass (13 ppg, 11 rpg) and Ryheim Izzard (10.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg). They will have their hands full as they visit Liberty County on Tuesday. The winner takes sole possession of first place in Region 2. The Blue Tide won their first meeting 73-72, but Auburn-signee Davion Mitchell was out with injury for the Panthers.

Monticello and Therrell are out in Class AA. The Hurricanes drop from No. 4 to unranked after suffering their six loss of the season with a 63-58 defeat at Putnam County. Therrell has seen star sophomore Anthony Edwards transfer to Holy Spirit Prep mid-season, zapping the Panthers of their leading scorer who averaged over 25 per game. No. 3 Josey earned a 45-40 victory over No. 5 Laney. Region 4 places four teams in the Top 10 with No. 8 Glenn Hills and No. 10 Butler reentering, both riding 4-game winning streaks. The two teams will meet at Butler on Tuesday. The pressure of being No. 5 in the state got to Early County who sinks to No. 9 after losing to No. 4 Thomasville 73-67 and Fitzgerald 83-77 in overtime. No. 6 Chattooga and No. 7 Banks County continue to handle their business as both have won 10-straight.

There is no movement in Class A-Private. No. 1 Greenforest went 2-1 at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. No. 3 Southwest Atlanta Christian hosts a streaking No. 6 Holy Innocents’ on Tuesday. The Golden Bears have now won 9-straight after topping Milton. No. 8 Whitefield Academy fell to No. 4 St. Francis 68-63, but rebounded with a 58-53 win over King’s Ridge. Their loss isn’t enough to propel either No. 9 Tallulah Falls or No. 10 Darlington past them in the rankings.

Class A-Public No. 1 Calhoun County dismantled No. 10 Turner County 80-57. No. 4 Treutlen remained perfect as they survived Montgomery County on the road in overtime 76-69. Clinch County falls three spots to No. 8 after losing to new No. 9 Irwin County 61-57 and Cook 53-50. Macon County exits the poll after a 65-52 loss at Hawkinsville. No. 5 Wilkinson County beat Stratford Academy 65-50 and picked up a 54-30 victory over Baldwin.

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

2 Comments

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.