Category Archives: Rankings

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 8 Rankings

Class AAAAAA

  1. Westlake (9-2)
  2. Shiloh (12-2)
  3. Norcross (14-2)
  4. Wheeler (11-5)
  5. Tift County (15-2)
  6. McEachern (13-2)
  7. Pebblebrook (12-6)
  8. Newton (13-2)
  9. Grayson (14-2)
  10. Collins Hill (14-2)

Class AAAAA

  1. Miller Grove (15-2)
  2. Allatoona (15-0)
  3. McIntosh (13-2)
  4. Gainesville (9-3)
  5. Cedar Shoals (16-2)
  6. South Paulding (14-2)
  7. Heritage-Conyers (15-2)
  8. Riverwood (16-1)
  9. Warner Robins (10-2)
  10. Southwest DeKalb (15-3)

Class AAAA

  1. Jonesboro (13-3)
  2. Grady (15-1)
  3. Lithonia (12-4)
  4. Liberty County (12-1)
  5. St. Pius (13-2)
  6. Eagle’s Landing (15-1)
  7. Walnut Grove (16-1)
  8. Sandy Creek (12-4)
  9. Upson-Lee (13-3)
  10. Thomson (12-3)

Class AAA

  1. Morgan County (13-3)
  2. Jenkins (12-2)
  3. Laney (14-1)
  4. Calhoun (13-0)
  5. South Atlanta (12-4)
  6. Central-Macon (13-2)
  7. Westminster (14-2)
  8. Callaway (7-3)
  9. Westside-Augusta (7-2)
  10. Banks County (15-2)

Class AA

  1. Seminole County (12-3)
  2. Thomasville (16-1)
  3. Crawford County (13-1)
  4. Vidalia (14-2)
  5. Holy Innocents’ (12-4)
  6. Lovett (11-3)
  7. Early County (12-3)
  8. Pace Academy (5-8)
  9. Chattooga (16-1)
  10. Long County (13-3)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (15-1)
  2. St. Francis (10-5)
  3. North Cobb Christian (12-3)
  4. St. Anne-Pacelli (11-4)
  5. SWAC (8-8)
  6. Lakeview Academy (13-3)
  7. Whitefield Academy (10-7)
  8. Our Lady of Mercy (10-3)
  9. Stratford Academy (10-3)
  10. Tattnall Square Academy (11-3)

Class A-Public

  1. Treutlen (12-1)
  2. Hancock Central (9-4)
  3. Randolph-Clay (12-4)
  4. Wilkinson County (9-5)
  5. Atkinson County (11-2)
  6. Taylor County (9-5)
  7. Lincoln County (9-3)
  8. Hawkinsville (9-4)
  9. Mitchell County (9-4)
  10. Turner County (9-5)

After nearly a month long layoff, Class AAAAAA’s No. 1 Westlake returned to the hardwood and picked up two Region 3 wins. The Lions held off UNC signee Brandon Robinson and Douglas County 65-59 before edging Langston Hughes 76-61. Chuma Okeke came up big for Westlake, finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists vs. Douglas County while Robinson poured in 21. Danny Lewis added 22 points and Jamie Lewis 14 points and nine assists for the Lions. In Friday’s win over Langston Hughes, it marked the first time this year Okeke played against his former school. No. 4 Wheeler dropped Milton 71-60 behind a balanced attack. Georgia Tech signee Romello White posted 22 points and eight rebounds. Cam Jordan and Darius Perry scored 19 and 18 points respectively. No. 7 Pebblebrook is red-hot and jumps up three spots. The Falcons rallied from down 87-74 with 4:43 left against Douglas County to force overtime and eventually win in two extra periods, 111-107 in a game of the year nominee. Collin Sexton dropped 44 points. Pebblebrook hosts No. 1 Westlake this Tuesday.

No.  9 Grayson makes its first appearance in the top ten this season after defeating Dacula 73-69, in turn taking their place in the poll. Austin Dukes scored 27 points to lead the Rams and Tre Sconiers recorded 14 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and four blocks. On Friday, Grayson had an opportunity to improve its resume even more with a crack at No. 2 Shiloh, but the upset-minded Rams fell short 80-73.

No. 2 Allatoona is now the lone undefeated team in Class AAAAA after Camden County lost to Effingham County 77-63 and slipped out of the top ten. Replacing the Wildcats is a familiar face, No. 10 Southwest DeKalb. The Panthers have won six straight and are quickly closing in on a rematch with No. 1 Miller Grove. No. 7 Heritage-Conyers falls a spot following a 73-66 overtime loss to Rockdale County. No. 9 Warner Robins stopped rival Northside-Warner Robins in front of a sold out crowd, 65-58. Donovan Brown finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds on the road to carry the load with star guard Marquez Callaway missing the game due to playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Class AAAA saw No. 4 Liberty County thump No. 10 Thomson 100-53. The statement win helps the Panthers jump back over No. 5 St. Pius. Thomson falls one spot only. No. 6 Eagle’s Landing moves up two spots and leaps over region foe No. 7 Walnut Grove. The Eagles knocked off Henry County 96-83 on Tuesday, drilled 13-3 Eastside 76-49 on Friday and outlasted Stockbridge 84-78 on Saturday. No. 1 Jonesboro survived a scare from Henry County on Saturday, 70-65 in overtime. MJ Walker exploded for 33 points to pace the Cardinals. Damion Rosser netted 28 points and Javon Greene 23 in the loss for the Warhawks.

Down goes Frazier! The AAA heavyweight No. 3 Laney finally lost a game to who else but No. 1 Morgan County, the same team that ended the Wildcats’ season in the semifinals last year. The Bulldogs won 65-63 behind Devorious Brown’s 27-point outburst.  Jailyn Ingram, who is heading to Florida Atlantic along with Brown, added 14 points and freshman Alec Woodard chipped in 13. Zep Jasper (College of Charleston) finished with 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals while Christian Keeling (Charleston Southern) posted 21 points and 10 rebounds for Laney. No. 10 Banks County resurfaces in the top ten after wins over Lumpkin County, 69-65 and Buford, 60-50.

I took a 217 mile trip down to South Georgia to see Class AA’s finest: No. 3 defending state champs Seminole County hosting undefeated No. 1 Thomasville. In the end, it was the championship duo of Jordan Harris (UGA) and Anfernee King that proved to be too much for the bigger and more balanced Bulldogs, combining for 49 points in the Indians’ 71-65 win in front of a raucous crowd. With the win, Seminole County regains the No. 1 spot in the state while Thomasville slides to No. 2. A string of close calls finally caught up to the battle-tested Bulldogs. Before their loss at Seminole County, last week Thomasville had beaten Bainbridge 63-61 and won at No. 7 Early County, 79-76. Region 1 looks like a force to be reckoned with come tournament time.

Two Region 6 teams drop out in Wesleyan and GAC, but two replace them with No. 6 Lovett and No. 8 Pace Academy. Currently Lovett owns sole possession of first place in the region with a 5-0 mark. The Lions hold wins over No. 5 Holy Innocents’ and just beat Wesleyan and GAC back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, knocking them both from the poll. On Friday Lovett gets to prove its record as they visit Pace Academy, a sleeping giant that has now won three in a row and hold a 4-1 mark in region play. Tomorrow in Southeast Georgia, No. 10 Long County hosts No. 4 Vidalia in a crucial Region 2 measuring stick game. Also keep an eye on Region 3’s Swainsboro (7-5, 3-0). The Tigers have played some tough competition out of region and are much better than their record shows. They are riding a five-game winning streak and may re-enter the poll sooner rather than later.

More of the same occurred in Class A-Private: Madness and business as usual. On the business side of things, No. 1 Greenforest dispatched of No. 5 SWAC, 81-58. The madness occurred with No. 2 St. Francis holding on against King’s Ridge (9-5), 72-71. Kobi Simmons became the Knights’ all-time leading scorer last week and surpassed the 2,000-point barrier. Landmark Christian tumbled out of the top ten with a 9-5 record and losses to Paideia in overtime 71-61 and No. 7 Whitefield Academy, 91-62. No. 9 Stratford Academy takes the War Eagles’ place in the rankings after dropping No. 10 Tattnall Square Academy, 67-58. Also, Quintez Cephus made SportsCenter with his thunderous baseline throw down against First Presbyterian Day.

Class A-Public sees No. 2 Hancock Central leap all the way from No. 9 thanks to five straight wins including victories over No. 7 Lincoln County and No. 4 Wilkinson County on Saturday, 70-62. No.5 Atkinson County continues to rise in the rankings while No. 8 Hawkinsville slips four spots following a 67-59 loss to Greenville. No. 9 Mitchell County and No. 10 Turner County replace Terrell County and Wilcox County. The Green Wave is riding a two-game skid while Wilcox County is on a three-game losing streak.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 7 Rankings

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Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

  1. Miller Grove (12-2)
  2. Allatoona (12-0)
  3. McIntosh (11-2)
  4. Gainesville (6-1)
  5. Cedar Shoals (14-2)
  6. Heritage-Conyers (13-1)
  7. Camden County (12-0)
  8. South Paulding (11-2)
  9. Riverwood (14-1)
  10. Warner Robins (8-2)

Class AAAA

  1. Jonesboro (10-3)
  2. Grady (12-1)
  3. Lithonia (10-4)
  4. St. Pius (11-2)
  5. Liberty County (9-1)
  6. Walnut Grove (13-1)
  7. Sandy Creek (9-4)
  8. Eagle’s Landing (12-1)
  9. Thomson (10-2)
  10. Upson-Lee (11-3)

Class AAA

  1. Laney (12-0)
  2. Jenkins (10-2)
  3. Morgan County (10-3)
  4. South Atlanta (10-2)
  5. Calhoun (10-0)
  6. Central-Macon (10-2)
  7. Westminster (11-2)
  8. Callaway (5-2)
  9. Southwest-Macon (10-3)
  10. Westside-Augusta (5-2)

Class AA

  1. Thomasville (14-0)
  2. Crawford County (10-1)
  3. Seminole County (9-3)
  4. Holy Innocents’ (10-3)
  5. Vidalia (11-2)
  6. Early County (8-2)
  7. GAC (8-6)
  8. Macon County (9-3)
  9. Wesleyan (8-3)
  10. Chattooga (14-1)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (13-1)
  2. St. Francis (8-5)
  3. North Cobb Christian (9-3)
  4. SWAC (7-7)
  5. St. Anne-Pacelli (8-4)
  6. Landmark Christian (8-3)
  7. Lakeview Academy (8-3)
  8. Whitefield Academy (7-7)
  9. Tattnall Square Academy (10-2)
  10. Our Lady of Mercy (7-3)

Class A-Public

  1. Treutlen (9-1)
  2. Wilkinson County (8-3)
  3. Randolph-Clay (10-4)
  4. Hawkinsville (7-3)
  5. Taylor County (8-4)
  6. Atkinson County (8-2)
  7. Lincoln County (7-3)
  8. Terrell County (8-6)
  9. Hancock Central (6-4)
  10. Wilcox County (7-5)

The Lake City Classic at Allatoona High School separated some pretenders from contenders as of now in Class AAAAAA. McEachern entered ranked No. 10 but after a strong showing in the tournament and a second-place finish, the Indians move up to No. 6. They thrashed last week’s No. 6 Lambert (13-2) 73-37 causing the Longhorns to fall out of the poll. Lambert quickly rebounded however with a blowout of last week’s No. 8 Milton (9-5) by a final of 93-67. The final result was eye opening after the Eagles had lost to 5ANo. 3 McIntosh 74-68. Milton completed its 0-3 week at the tournament by dropping a 70-59 decision to 1A-Private No. 3 North Cobb Christian, 70-59 and in the process tumbled out of the top ten. McEachern not only routed Lambert, but scored an impressive overtime victory over McIntosh 75-68 in the semifinals before falling to Allatoona 64-61. Freshman Isaac Okoro finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and three blocks while Darius Jones poured in 20 points to lead the Indians over McIntosh.

No. 3 Norcross and No. 4 Wheeler both fell to out-of-state opponents while No. 5 Tift County suffered its first loss of the season in the Arby’s Classic championship in Bristol, Tennessee to Wayne (OH) without second leading scorer Preston Horne who injured his knee earlier in the tournament. No. 8 Newton won the Yuletide Classic championship behind the play of Dre Butler (All-Tournament Team) and JD Notae (Tournament MVP).  A flock of Falcons, No. 9 Dacula and No. 10 Pebblebrook, both re-emerge in the top ten. Dacula finished 3-1 at the Kingdom of the Sun tournament in Florida. In their next game they clash with 12-1 Grayson in a crucial Region 8 meeting. Pebblebrook has played a heavy national schedule including seven of their 15 games coming against out-of-state competition. The Falcons return to Region 3 play battle-tested and already 5-0. Auburn signee Jared Harper and Collin Sexton have transformed into the most potent backcourt in the state, both averaging well over 20 points a night for Coach George Washington.

No. 1 Miller Grove continued its steady dominance this year in Class AAAAA by capturing the Chick-Fil-A Invitational championship at Tucker High School. En route to raising the trophy, the Wolverines clawed away 4ANo. 3 Lithonia 60-47 and beat Tucker in the championship on their home floor, 80-61. No. 2 Allatoona remained perfect by winning the Lake City Classic on their home court. Wins over North Cobb Christian, Berkmar and McEachern have the Buccaneers as hot as anybody in the state. Coach Markus Hood’s matchup zone and the stifling defense of Trey Doomes and Ephraim Tshimanga have the Bucs looking like a good bet to make another deep run in state. No. 5 Cedar Shoals continued to make a statement as well and built to its already impressive resume. The Jaguars won the Sweet South Classic and picked up wins over 1A-Private No. 4 SWAC, 48-44 and 3ANo. 3 Morgan County 61-59 along the way. In the championship victory over the Bulldogs, Phlan Fleming hit a basket with one second left to capture the crown. Fleming finished with 27 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals and was named tournament MVP. No. 10 Warner Robins is back in the rankings after LaGrange dropped to new 4ANo. 10 Upson-Lee, 77-65.

A familiar face takes over No. 1 in AAAA. Two-time defending state champion Jonesboro reaches the top of the poll for the first time this season after a third-place showing in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic. MJ Walker pumped in 38 points in the third-place game victory over Bishop Gorman (NV), 65-64. No. 2 Grady relents its hold on the top spot after a narrow loss to Jefferson Davis (AL), 67-61. No. 4 St. Pius quietly continues its ascension up the polls after losing to Grady and No. 3 Lithonia. The Golden Lions swept their way to winning the St. Pius X Christmas Classic and drilled Blessed Trinity in the finals, 67-38. Henry County (9-4), who peaked at No. 4 in the state, has dropped out of the top ten following their third straight loss. Stockbridge (6-5) won at Henry County 86-71 on Saturday. Virgil Fields finished with 29 points, six assists and 13 rebounds while Jadon Davis added 37 points and six assists to drop the Warhawks.

In AAA, No. 2 Jenkins moves up one spot after a tough No. 3 Morgan County loss in the Sweet South Classic championship. No. 4 South Atlanta blasted Sequoyah at the Farm Bureau Insurance Classic in Spartanburg, South Carolina 82-54. Artavious Banks led the way with 25 points. No. 5 Calhoun impressed many on its way to winning the SmileGeneration.com bracket at the Lake City Classic. On Saturday, the Yellow Jackets had to deal with an up-and-coming contender in Region 6, Coahulla Creek (12-3). Down 39-35 entering the fourth, Calhoun outscored the Colts 25-13 on the road to secure a 60-52 win. Jireh Wilson and Kaelan Riley, both football signees, were huge as Wilson finished with 31 points and six rebounds while Riley posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. No. 7 Westminster debuts in the poll after a huge 65-43 win over 1A-Private No. 4 SWAC and an 11-2 start behind Will Benson, Philip Jones and Mikael Sampson. No. 10 Westside-Augusta also debuts in the top ten following a Banks County (12-2) 42-40 loss to a shorthanded 6ANo. 7 Collins Hill in the Commerce Christmas Tournament championship. The Patriots get the slight nod over the Leopards. Westside’s only two losses have come to No. 1 Laney by a combined seven points. Speaking of Laney, the Wildcats held on to beat 4ANo. 9 Thomson, 62-58 at home behind Christian Keeling’s 23 points and Zep Jasper’s 20.

No. 1 Thomasville has emerged as the class of AA after sweeping through the Thomasville Hoopfest to win the title.  Elsewhere in the classification, there have been road bumps. No. 2 Crawford County lost its first game to Manchester 63-61. No. 3 Seminole County is riding a two-game losing skid after falling to Boyd Anderson (FL) and Valdosta at the Thomasville Hoopfest, two teams Thomasville defeated. No. 5 Vidalia lost its first two games of the season as well to Richmond Academy and Brunswick. One team that is trending upwards is No. 4 Holy Innocents’. They jump up two spots following a perfect 3-0 championship run at the Pensacola Catholic Crusader Christmas Tournament. The Golden Bears return home to host Pace Academy. The Knights have played a national schedule and have paid dearly, dropping from No. 2 to unranked at 2-8 overall. No. 10 Chattooga at 14-1 makes an entry into the state picture.

Class 1A-Private and Public are still trying to sort themselves out. Outside of No. 1 Greenforest, 1A-Private looks like anyone’s ball game. No. 4 SWAC has dropped three straight with losses to Cedar Shoals, Stone Mountain and Westminster. No. 7 Lakeview has fallen to East Hall and North Hall back-to-back while No. 8 Whitefield Academy limped to 1-2 at the Lake City Classic with losses to Kell and Hillgrove in the SmileGeneration.com bracket.

1A-Public has seen No. 2 Wilkinson County start to make a move. They continue to rise following a 57-54 win over Stratford Academy (8-3) on Saturday. No. 9 Hancock Central held off a furious comeback from No. 7 Lincoln County to win 69-64 after leading by 22 at the half. In the loss rapidly rising ’17 prospect, 6-foot-7 Ahmad Rand, posted another triple-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 11 blocks.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 6 Rankings

Class AAAAAA

  1. Westlake (7-2)
  2. Shiloh (6-2)
  3. Norcross (10-1)
  4. Wheeler (6-3)
  5. Tift County (10-0)
  6. Lambert (11-0)
  7. Collins Hill (10-1)
  8. Milton (9-2)
  9. Newton (7-2)
  10. McEachern (8-1)

Class AAAAA

  1. Miller Grove (9-2)
  2. McIntosh (9-1)
  3. Allatoona (9-0)
  4. Gainesville (6-1)
  5. Heritage (10-1)
  6. Cedar Shoals (11-2)
  7. Riverwood (13-0)
  8. Camden County (12-0)
  9. LaGrange (9-1)
  10. South Paulding (8-1)

Class AAAA

  1. Grady (11-0)
  2. Jonesboro (8-2)
  3. Lithonia (8-3)
  4. Liberty County (6-1)
  5. St. Pius (8-2)
  6. Walnut Grove (10-1)
  7. Sandy Creek (7-3)
  8. Eagle’s Landing (12-1)
  9. Henry County (9-3)
  10. Thomson (9-1)

Class AAA

  1. Laney (11-0)
  2. Morgan County (8-2)
  3. Jenkins (7-2)
  4. South Atlanta (9-1)
  5. Calhoun (6-0)
  6. Central Macon (8-2)
  7. East Hall (7-3)
  8. Callaway (4-2)
  9. Southwest Macon (9-3)
  10. Banks County (10-1)

Class AA

  1. Thomasville (10-0)
  2. Crawford County (8-0)
  3. Seminole County (8-1)
  4. Vidalia (10-0)
  5. Early County (6-1)
  6. Holy Innocents’ (7-3)
  7. GAC (6-4)
  8. Long County (8-2)
  9. Macon County (7-2)
  10. Wesleyan (7-2)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (11-1)
  2. SWAC (6-4)
  3. St. Francis (9-3)
  4. Lakeview Academy (8-1)
  5. North Cobb Christian (8-1)
  6. St. Anne-Pacelli (7-3)
  7. Whitefield Academy (6-5)
  8. Landmark Christian (8-3)
  9. Our Lady of Mercy (7-3)
  10. Tattnall Square Academy (7-2)

Class A-Public

  1. Treutlen (7-0)
  2. Randolph-Clay (10-2)
  3. Wilkinson County (6-2)
  4. Taylor County (8-2)
  5. Lincoln County (5-1)
  6. Hawkinsville (7-3)
  7. Atkinson County (7-2)
  8. Terrell County (5-5)
  9. Wilcox County (7-4)
  10. Hancock Central (5-4)

Class AAAAAA sees no movement, but that will be sure to change after a week full of monster matchups. Lake City Classic at Allatoona High School will be hosting top programs from across the state, highlighted by nine ranked teams of which three are in 6A. No. 8 Milton squares off against 5A No. 2 McIntosh Monday afternoon at 4:00 P.M. while No. 6 Lambert and No. 10 McEachern meet afterwards at 5:30 P.M. with a chance to vastly improve their stock.

No. 3 Allatoona moves up one spot in AAAAA after winning the Rumble at the Ridge in Kentucky, where the Bucs knocked off some of the best programs in the state, scoring wins of 65-64 over Hopkinsville (No. 5 in all of Kentucky) after trailing by 10 with 1:28 left, 65-60 against Polaski Southwestern (No. 14) and 54-43 in the championship over host Pleasure Ridge Park. The play of Trey Doomes and Ephraim Tshimanga continue to dismantle opposing offenses with their pressure defense up front. LaGrange slips one spot following a loss to 3A No. 4 South Atlanta, 65-50 at the War Eagle Classic. Southwest DeKalb is replaced by No. 10 South Paulding, who debuts in the top ten. The Panthers dropped 72-70 to Morrow at the Peach State Classic which set up the Spartans to join the picture. Coach Gil Davis has the Spartans playing tough defense and finding easy baskets on offense. Junior guard Kane Williams is the straw that stirs the drink. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 54-49 win over Blessed Trinity at the SEBA Hoopfest on Dec. 19, their last game. He along with 6-foot-7 junior Ja’Cori Wilson and lunch pail and hard hat big man Anthony Brown, make South Paulding a dangerous team.

Henry County tumbles from No. 4 in AAAA to No. 9 after consecutive losses to Whitewater 68-55 and Fayette County 63-50. St. Pius cracks the top five thanks to an impressive win over 2A No. 7 GAC, 46-45 without leading scorer Kerney Lane and brother Everett. Christian Merrill came up big in their absence and scored 14 points including the game-winning floater. Jakob Spitzer played big inside and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds.

Entering the season Region 6 put four teams in the top ten; three remain, but it looks as if a new region is beginning to flex its muscle as one of the best. Region 4 places four teams in the ranking with one on the precipice of making it five. No. 2 Jonesboro, No. 6 Walnut Grove, No. 8 Eagle’s Landing and No. 9 Henry County are all dangerous teams, but don’t forget about Eastside who is now 12-2 and riding an 11-game winning streak including, winning the Washington County Christmas tournament with a 72-69 win over a tough Effingham County team. Eagle’s Landing has stayed hot themselves winners of 7-straight featuring a 66-52 win over Whitewater to win the Chuck Miller Holiday Classic at Henry County.

In Class AAA, No. 4 South Atlanta jumps over No. 5 Calhoun after an impressive 65-50 win over LaGrange. Banks County falls from No. 6 to No. 10 after being upset by North Hall, 67-66. No. 7 East Hall is hitting its stride at 7-3 and meets 1A-Private No. 4 Lakeview Academy in a rematch in the first round of Lanierland. The Lions handed the Vikings their worst loss of the season in game number two of the year, 87-69 to win the Piedmont College Hardwood Classic. No. 1 Laney continues to find ways to win after trailing nearly every game deep into the second half. The Cardiac Cats rallied to beat Cross Creek 84-76, Westside 62-60 and Richmond Academy 55-51, stunning the Musketeers for the second time this year by outscoring them 25-12 in the final period. On Tuesday the Wildcats host 4A No. 10 Thomson, led by RJ Johnson and San Antonio Brinson. It will be the biggest test of the season for both programs.

The fall from grace for Pace Academy has been completed as the Knights drop out of the AA top ten at 2-5. This serves as a wakeup call, much like what current 3A No. 2 Morgan County received following a bad loss to Cherokee. Pace has played a national schedule which has hurt them. The talent is there but the results haven’t been yet. Expect the Knights to make hay once they settle into region play and resurface in the top ten sooner rather than later behind Wendell Carter Jr. While the Knights fall out, they are replaced by a surprise team in Region 6, the Wesleyan Wolves. After finishing 11-14 last year, the Wolves are off to a hot 7-2 start and just scored their biggest win of the season, a 60-56 victory over 1A-Private No. 10 Tattnall Square Academy. Wesleyan has now won 7-straight after a 0-2 start.

The seemingly unbeatable 1A-Private No. 1 Greenforest Eagles met their match in the Chick-fil-A Classic championship, losing to Hammond (SC), 70-58. Ikey Obiagu was unavailable to play after hurting his hand. The Eagles fell into an early second half hole and could not climb out of it, struggling to contain UNC-commit Seventh Woods. No. 2 SWAC also fell at the CFA Classic, losing to Gray Collegiate Academy (SC), 79-73. No. 4 Lakeview Academy has won 8-straight following a season opening loss to GAC. With a favorable schedule ahead, look for the Lions to rack up the wins and win Region 8 if they can hold off Hebron Christian (8-2), who looks like the prime competition right now.

Not much change occurs in 1A-Public aside from Terrell County dropping two spots to No. 8 and both No. 6 Hawkinsville and No. 7 Atkinson County rising.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 5 Rankings

1 Comment

Class AAAAAA

  1. Westlake (7-2)
  2. Shiloh (6-2) 
  3. Norcross (8-1)
  4. Wheeler (6-1)
  5. Tift County (8-0)
  6. Lambert (11-0)
  7. Collins Hill (7-1)
  8. Milton (9-2)
  9. Newton (6-2)
  10. McEachern (8-1)

Class AAAAA

  1. Miller Grove (8-2)
  2. McIntosh (9-1)
  3. Gainesville (6-1)
  4. Allatoona (6-0)
  5. Heritage (10-1)
  6. Cedar Shoals (11-2)
  7. Riverwood (12-0)
  8. LaGrange (8-0)
  9. Camden County (11-0)
  10. Southwest DeKalb (9-2)

Class AAAA

  1. Grady (11-0) 
  2. Jonesboro (7-2) 
  3. Lithonia (7-3)
  4. Henry County (9-1)
  5. Liberty County (5-1)
  6. St. Pius (7-2)
  7. Walnut Grove (9-1)
  8. Sandy Creek (7-3)
  9. Thomson (7-0)
  10. Eagle’s Landing (10-1)

Class AAA

  1. Laney (7-0)
  2. Morgan County (8-2)
  3. Jenkins (5-2)
  4. Calhoun (5-0)
  5. South Atlanta (7-2)
  6. Banks County (10-0) 
  7. Central Macon (7-1)
  8. Callaway (4-2)
  9. Southwest Macon (8-1)
  10. East Hall (5-3)

Class AA

  1. Thomasville (10-0)
  2. Crawford County (7-0)
  3. Seminole County (7-1)
  4. GAC (6-3)
  5. Vidalia (10-0)
  6. Early County (6-1)
  7. Holy Innocents’ (5-3)
  8. Macon County (5-1)
  9. Long County (8-2)
  10. Pace Academy (1-4)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (10-0)
  2. SWAC (6-3)
  3. St. Francis (7-3)
  4. Whitefield Academy (6-4)
  5. Lakeview Academy (8-1)
  6. North Cobb Christian (8-1)
  7. Tattnall Square Academy (7-1)
  8. St. Anne-Pacelli (7-3)
  9. Landmark Christian (8-3)
  10. Our Lady of Mercy (6-3)

Class A-Public

  1. Treutlen (6-0)
  2. Randolph-Clay (10-1)
  3. Wilkinson County (5-2)
  4. Taylor County (8-2)
  5. Lincoln County (5-0)
  6. Terrell County (5-4)
  7. Hawkinsville (7-3)
  8. Atkinson County (7-2)
  9. Wilcox County (7-4)
  10. Hancock Central (5-4)

The top six in Class AAAAAA remain unchanged, but the final four spots saw some shuffling. No. 7 Collins Hill moves up two spots after Newton and Dacula lost. No. 8 belongs to Milton after seven straight wins. The Eagles have won their past three games by an average of 39 points. Without Harvard signee Chris Lewis against Alpharetta, Milton won 93-54 and received 27 points from Alex O’Connell. Kendrick Summerour added 21, Justin Brown 18 and Kyrin Galloway 10 in the rout. No. 9 Newton continues to cling onto a top ten spot. Just when you think they will fall out after a 57-56 loss to Tucker in which the Rams missed 11 free throws, Coach Rick Rasmussen’s team rebounded with a huge 56-53 win over 5ANo. 6 Cedar Shoals at the Classic City Shootout at Clarke Central thanks to Jaquan Simms’ game-high 16 points. The No. 10 slot goes to McEachern, who edged out Dacula 84-76 in double overtime at the SEBA Hoopfest and in the process knocked them from the top ten. AJ Jones finished with 25 points, four rebounds and five assists while Darius Jones added 17 in the win. Freshman forward Isaac Okoro made his presence felt with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Dacula was powered by Derek St. Hilaire’s 30 points and Wofford signee Kevon Tucker’s 18. Douglas County drops from the poll after a 96-80 loss to Pebblebrook. The Falcons are now 8-4 and 5-0 in Region 3 and are knocking on the door to re-emerge in the top ten.

Fayette County was home to a colossal showdown between top ten teams in 4ANo. 8 Sandy Creek and AAAAA’s No. 2 McIntosh. In the end, it was the Chiefs blowing away host Sandy Creek, 69-51, and moving back up to No. 2 in the state. Unsigned point guard Will Washington was masterful with 25 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Wofford signee Dishon Lowery finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and four blocks and Furman signee Jordan Lyons captured the McIntosh all-time scoring record on the boys side with a three-pointer on the first play of the game. Lyons finished with 13 points and now has 1,930 over his career, surpassing Jeff Sheppard’s record of 1,919. Elias Harden of Sandy Creek scored 25 points, but Gardner-Webb signee Christian Turner was held to 11 points and seven rebounds from his point guard position. No. 8 LaGrange defeated 3ANo. 8 Callaway for the second time in a three-day span, 63-60. Southwest DeKalb clings on to No. 10 after hard fought losses to No. 1 Miller Grove 76-69 and 1A-Private No. 4 Whitefield Academy, 53-52. Former No. 9 Warner Robins was blown out by 3ANo. 7 Central-Macon 81-64 Monday afternoon at the Washington County Christmas Tournament. Replacing the Demons is No. 9 Camden County. The Wildcats are 11-0 and coming off a 74-69 win over 1A-Public No. 2 Randolph-Clay, the Red Devils’ only loss of the season.

The bottom of Class AAAA saw a shakeup with two new teams debuting. Perry lost 47-42 to Choctawhatchee (FL) and 64-56 against Bleckley County while Monroe fell to South Cobb 72-55, thus dropping the two teams from No. 9 and No. 10 respectively. In steps No. 9 Thomson and No. 10 Eagle’s Landing.  The undefeated Thomson Bulldogs are winning by a margin of 32 points per game. In their latest rout, a 99-51 win over Jefferson County, Radaren Johnson finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and six steals while San Antonio Brinson, a transfer from Aquinas, added 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. No. 10 Eagle’s Landing has received big contributions from underclassmen, but senior leader Jordan Lewis has been the heart and soul of the team. He is averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game and 3.5 steals. In the Eagles’ only loss of the season, a 75-61 defeat to No. 2 Jonesboro, Lewis scored 21 points.

Some teams from Macon in Region 2-AAA are trying to make a case for the top ten. Central-Macon goes from being unranked to No. 7 after drilling Warner Robins 81-64. No. 9 Southwest-Macon has two of the most explosive scorers in Middle Georgia. Justin Slocum is averaging 23.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. Nick Hargrove Jr. is pouring in 21.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. One unranked Macon squad is Westside-Macon at 9-3. The Seminoles are led by possibly the best sophomore in the entire country, 6-foot-8 forward Khavon Moore. He is averaging 21.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.5 blocks a night. They meet Houston County for the third time this season at the Bear Brawl on Monday night. The two teams have split their first two meetings. Elsewhere in AAA, No. 10 East Hall returns to the rankings after knocking off Lumpkin County 73-63.

A new No. 1 takes over Class AA, in Thomasville. The Bulldogs have an impressive resume and are undefeated after taking down Tyree Crump and Bainbridge, 85-70.  Seminole County slips to No. 3 following an 84-81 loss to No. 6 Early County. It will be a mad dash to win Region 1 with Seminole County, Early County and Thomasville all having to play each other twice this year. No. 8 Macon County enters the poll thanks to an impressive 75-70 win over 1A-Public No. 4 Taylor County. No. 9 Long County debuts in the top ten after an 8-2 start, coming off a 6-22 record in 2014-15.

Lovett falls out of the rankings after a bad loss to Woodstock, 67-55. Soon to follow them might be another Region 6 team. No. 10 Pace Academy has not played well this year. Early close losses to 6A No. 1 Westlake and 1A-Private No. 1 Greenforest looked like promising results, but a loss to rival No. 4 GAC and to Lower Richland (SC) on Saturday has the Knights lucky to stay in top ten contention. Pace lost 66-55 to Lower Richland, who is now just 3-7 on the season. The 1-4 Knights rode Wendell Carter Jr., the top ranked junior in the nation to a big game, but it wasn’t enough as the Diamond Hornets, whose tallest player stands just 6-foot-4 to Carter’s 6-foot-11, were able to earn the victory at the Chick-fil-A Classic.

In Class A-Private, No. 2 SWAC took down No. 3 St. Francis, 74-68. De’Andre Ballard went off for 42 points to outduel Kobi Simmons’ 28. No. 4 Whitefield Academy moves up three spots after edging North Clayton 87-80 in 2OT and 5ANo. 10 Southwest DeKalb, 53-52.  No. 6 North Cobb Christian slips three spots after blowing a 16-point halftime lead against Sprayberry at the SEBA Hoopfest. Starting point guard Nick Fleming has been out with a fractured elbow. No. 8 St. Anne-Pacelli remains in the top ten after a statement victory over No. 9 Landmark Christian. The Vikings used 35 points from Tre Sudberry to get past the War Eagles.

Class A-Public’s hottest team besides No. 1 Treutlen is No. 5 Lincoln County. Ahmad Rand posted three straight triple-doubles before seeing his streak broken in the Lincoln County Christmas Tournament championship. The Red Devils captured the crown with a 55-50 win over North Oconee. Zach Crite led the way with 15 points while Rand was named Tournament MVP and finished with 12 points and seven blocks in the title game.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 4 Rankings

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Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

  1. Miller Grove (7-2)
  2. Gainesville (5-0)
  3. McIntosh (6-1)
  4. Allatoona (4-0)
  5. Cedar Shoals (9-1)
  6. Heritage (9-1)
  7. Riverwood (12-0)
  8. LaGrange (6-0)
  9. Warner Robins (5-1)
  10. Southwest DeKalb (8-0)

Class AAAA

  1. Grady (9-0)
  2. Jonesboro (6-2)
  3. Lithonia (6-3)
  4. Henry County (7-1)
  5. Liberty County (3-1)
  6. Sandy Creek (7-2)
  7. St. Pius (6-2)
  8. Walnut Grove (6-1)
  9. Perry (6-1)
  10. Monroe (5-2)

Class AAA

  1. Laney (5-0)
  2. Morgan County (6-2)
  3. Jenkins (3-2)
  4. Calhoun (2-0)
  5. South Atlanta (6-2)
  6. North Clayton (5-1)
  7. Callaway (2-1)
  8. Banks County (7-0)
  9. Lumpkin County (8-1)
  10. Southwest Macon (6-1)

 Class AA

  1. Seminole County (5-0)
  2. Crawford County (6-0)
  3. Thomasville (8-0)
  4. GAC (6-3)
  5. Vidalia (8-0)
  6. Pace Academy (1-3)
  7. Lovett (6-1)
  8. Early County (4-1)
  9. Holy Innocents’ (5-3)
  10. Temple (6-1)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (8-0)
  2. St. Francis (7-2)
  3. North Cobb Christian (7-0)
  4. SWAC (5-3)
  5. Lakeview Academy (6-1)
  6. Landmark Christian (7-2)
  7. Whitefield Academy (4-4)
  8. Our Lady of Mercy (6-2)
  9. Tattnall Square Academy (5-1)
  10. St. Anne-Pacelli (5-2)

Class A-Public

  1. Treutlen (4-0)
  2. Randolph-Clay (8-0)
  3. Taylor County (5-0)
  4. Terrell County (5-2)
  5. Wilkinson County (2-2)
  6. Hancock Central (4-3)
  7. Lincoln County (2-0)
  8. Calhoun County (3-3)
  9. Hawkinsville (5-2)
  10. Atkinson County (4-1)

No new faces appear in the state’s largest classification. Westlake holds onto No. 1 overall even after an out-of-state loss to Memphis East, 70-58. No. 3 Norcross swaps with No. 4 Wheeler after blowing out Collins Hill 93-72, who sinks three spots to No. 9. Rayshaun Hammonds was too much inside for the Eagles as he posted 25 points. Kyle Sturdivant, Jordan Goldwire and Dalvin White all had big games as well, scoring 19, 17 and 16 points respectively. Collins Hill was without starting point guard Max Clark (dislocated shoulder) and backup point guard Dez Howard (broken wrist). TeShaun Hightower scored a game-high 31 in the loss. No. 8 Dacula picked up three road wins in Region 8. On Tuesday the Falcons survived South Gwinnett in overtime, 69-68. They rallied from down 11 points with four minutes to play to force overtime. Derek St. Hilaire scored 25 while Kevon Tucker added 18 before fouling out. On Saturday things were a little easier with a 74-64 win at Central Gwinnett. Tucker poured in 33 points and 11 rebounds. St. Hilaire finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Gary Bishop sank 10 points.

Two surprising hot starts this season come via Johns Creek (8-0) and Mountain View (6-3).  The Gladiators are off to their best start in school history in search of their first ever winning season. A trio of seniors have played huge roles. Mark Lancaster powers the offense with 16.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. Mason Henkel adds 13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and Ian Joseph chips in 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists on average. Mountain View has already tied their win total from a year ago (6-20), and are finally seeing their youth pay off. They defeated 2ANo. 7 Lovett 60-57. The Bears have received a major boost from freshmen Brandon Green and Donnell Nixon. The 5-foot-6 Nixon led Mountain View with 20 points in a 63-53 win over Whitewater and scored a team-high 14 against Lovett. Sophomores Kevin Kayongo and Spencer Rodgers both scored in double figures against the Lions.

No. 1 Miller Grove holds onto the top spot in Class AAAAA after losing to Lone Peak (UT), 73-71 at the FreeTaxUSA.com Shootout on Saturday. No. 2 Gainesville pulled yet another game out of the fire to remain undefeated and atop the ever competitive Region 8-AAAAA, defeating No. 5 Cedar Shoals 80-77 in 2OT after trailing 34-25 at the half. GSU signee D’Marcus Simonds scored a game-high 40 points – 27 in the second half and 15 in the fourth – off the bench and was aided by Tae Turner’s 16. Stavion Stevenson paced the Jaguars with a big first half and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jerrick Mitchell chipped in 18 points, six assists and four steals and Greg Smith, Snipe Hall and Phlan Fleming all scored 12 apiece.

No. 8 LaGrange moves up one spot after dropping 3A No. 7 Callaway, 80-68. The duo of Rico Smith (31) and a healthy LaPerion Perry (20) combined for 51 points and a handful of highlights. No. 10 Southwest DeKalb is still undefeated at 8-0 and will have a chance to shake the state as they visit No. 1 Miller Grove on Tuesday. The Panthers have an average margin of victory of 26.3 points per game this year and are eager to make a statement.

Unranked Effingham County (7-2) and Camden County (8-0) have gotten off to quick starts. Effingham defeated Statesboro 55-53 and got revenge over Swainsboro, 57-55 after losing 66-65 on Nov. 28. Deshaun Wilkenson is averaging 17.4 points per game while three other Rebels are scoring in double figures. Camden County has been powered by Ballard Logan (15.6 point, 6.1 rebounds) and Jaylen Smallwood (15.5 points, 9 rebounds).

There is no more denying No. 1 Grady as the Knights jump four spots to crown Class AAAA after four wins against ranked teams and a 62-52 win at previous No. 1 Lithonia, who falls to No. 3. The lightning quick guard play of Christian Bryant (19 points, 3 steals), Avi Toomer (16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) and DJ Brittian (10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) was too much for the Bulldogs who received 15 points apiece from Tyleen Patterson and Tyheem Freeman in the loss. Lithonia quickly rebounded the next night and won at No. 7 St. Pius, 55-44 behind 18 points from Jacara Cross and Freeman. Rodney Chatman scored nine points and handed out nine assists in the Region 6 victory.

Bainbridge (3-3) falls from the polls even after defeating Worth County (5-2) who also drops out. Perry makes an appearance at No. 9 thanks to the play of Damion Bagley and Georgia State signee, big man Chris Clerkley. No. 10 Monroe debuts in the poll and at 5-2, has not lost to a team in Georgia yet.

What is there to say about AAA other than it is anybody’s ballgame? Three teams have been replaced in the ever evolving class. East Jackson (3-4) falls from No. 4 to out of the top ten after being upset by upstart Jackson County (5-3), 67-63. No. 3 Jenkins slips a spot after losing 70-62 to Berkmar at the Valhalla Classic. No. 6 North Clayton debuts after beating former No. 6 Cedar Grove, 52-48. No. 7 Banks County enters the top ten after defeating last week’s No. 9, East Hall, 73-68. The final newcomer to the poll is No. 9 Lumpkin County. Coach Jeff Steele keeps on winning no matter where the location. The Indians are off to an 8-1 start in Steele’s first year with the program after leading Johnson-Gainesville to a school-record 29-1 mark last season. Lumpkin finished just 9-20 in 2014-15, but behind a new found explosive offense led by Jack Howard, Brandon and Jacob Zarate and Zach Pulley, the Indians are well deserving of a top ten ranking in the topsy-turvy AAA. One team that has also incurred a great turnaround has been Coahulla Creek. The Colts are now 10-1 after a 14-11 season last year.

The top three of Seminole County, Crawford County and Thomasville aren’t the perennial powers people in the Metro Atlanta area might be familiar with, but they are all dangerous teams that deserve respect. They are a combined 19-0 to begin the season. No. 6 Pace Academy finally won its first game of the season after a 0-3 start, capped by No. 4 GAC defeating them at Pace, 55-49. No. 7 Lovett notched a 67-63 win over No. 9 Holy Innocents’.

In Class A-Private, Whitefield Academy plummets from No. 4 to No. 7 after losing to King’s Ridge (7-2), 63-55. No. 5 Lakeview Academy continues to ride Carter Reeves inside and receive great passing from Daniel Fadool. Drew Cottrell, Tre Gober and Josh Randolph are also key pieces to Coach Todd Cottrell’s success. No. 8 Our Lady of Mercy and No. 9 Tattnall Square Academy both join the top ten. Tattnall picked up a 59-58 overtime win over No. 10 St. Anne-Pacelli.

Much like in AAA, Class A-Public is wild with No. 1 Treutlen and No. 2 Randolph-Clay taking over the top spots. The Red Devils of Randolph Clay beat defending state champion No. 8 Calhoun County 70-63. No. 7 Lincoln County enters the poll behind a pair of 6-foot-7 big men. Ahmad Rand was unstoppable for the Red Devils in a 78-72 win over Josey. He scored 23 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and swatted away 14 shots to post a triple-double. Zach Crite added a double-double of his own with 21 points and 10 rebounds.