Behind Joel Ellis’ 20 points, Jackson County (5-3, 2-0) stunned No. 4 East Jackson (3-4, 0-2) on Friday night, 67-63. Ben Munro of The Jackson Herald was in attendance to cover the game. Please follow him at @BHMunro1 on Twitter and click on the link below for full details of the upset.
Photos of @JCCHSBball vs. East Jackson @MaliqueWade @joelellis11 @preston14g @jcpantherath pic.twitter.com/8PqUb3mGrq
— Ben Munro (@BHMunro1) December 12, 2015
No. 6 Collins Hill 89, Clarkston 23: The Eagles overpowered the Angoras in blowout fashion. TeShaun Hightower paced all scorers with 16 points. JD Ozoh added 13 while AJ Cheeseman and Justin Lee finished with 12 and 11 points respectively. Kenny Stanciel also chipped in 10.
No. 7 Lambert 68, Centennial 26: 15, yes, 15 players scored for the Longhorns. Tre Bell led Lambert with 12 points while Tanner Hall added 11.
No. 9 Dacula 74, Central Gwinnett 64: Wofford signee Kevon Tucker continued his offensive onslaught with 33 points and 11 rebounds. Derek St. Hilaire added 14 points and six rebounds while Gary Bishop netted 10.
Berkmar 70, 3A No. 2 Jenkins 62: At the Valhalla Classic, Zach Cooks scored 17 points and Al Durham added 14 to knock off AAA’s No. 2 ranked team.
Peachtree Ridge 67, 3A No. 9 East Hall 58: The Vikings fell at the Valhalla Classic night cap. Triston Cooper and Luke Cooper both scored 11 points in the loss. Tylor Brown added 17.
Roswell 56, Walton 53: Hours before the Hornets kicked off their state championship game with Colquitt County, the basketball team came away with a Region 5 victory. Junior James Anderson poured in a game-high 18 points to lead the way.
Harrison 71, Houston County 66 OT: The Hoyas won the battle of Sandy’s Spiel Super Sleepers edging Houston County in overtime. Austin York scored a team-high 20 points while Ryan Boler added 16 inside. Justin Matthews and Juwan Owens scored 11 and 10 points respectively.
Brookwood 76, White County 64: Bubba Parham scored 15 points and handed out seven assists in the Bronco win. Micah Kinsey filled the stat sheet with 14 points, six steals, five rebounds and five assists. Amari Kelly posted 10 points and seven rebounds inside.
Grayson 69, Parkview 59: Austin Dukes powered the Ram attack with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Hafeez Anifowoshe posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Kenyon Jackson also had a big night with 13 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks.
Northview 56, South Forsyth 48: Garrett Stewart scored 17 points to power the Titans after scoring 29 on Friday night.
No. 2 Gainesville 86, Salem 60: D’Marcus Simonds paced the Red Elephants with 18 points. Michael White scored 15 and Tae Turner chipped in 12 points. Bailey Minor added 10 points and both Messiah Dorsey and KJ Buffen added nine points apiece.
No. 4 Allatoona 58, New Manchester 47: Guard play was the deciding factor in the Bucs victory. Trey Doomes scored 23 points and collected seven steals, seven rebounds and two blocks. Ephraim Tshimanga went for 12 points, eight steals and eight rebounds.
No. 5 Cedar Shoals 73, Clarke Central 44: Jerrick Mitchell scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added six assists in the Jaguar win. Phlan Fleming finished with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Stavion Stevenson chipped in 11 points.
No. 7 Riverwood 59, Creekview 49: Riverwood rolled to 12-0 at the Region 7 Krossover Showcase. Kohl Roberts scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while adding two blocks and three steals defensively. Charnchai Chantha led the Raiders with 18 points, four assists and three steals. Elijah Jenkins added 13 points.
No. 9 LaGrange 80, 3A No. 8 Callaway 68: Rico Smith went for 31 points and LaPerion Perry added 20 to hold off the Cavaliers. Kenan Gray posted 10 points in the win.
Apalachee 77, North Oconee 74: Kamar Baldwin was nearly unstoppable with 35 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals to power the Wildcats. Sophomore Derek Miller played big after a 13-point, 13-rebound night and posted 12 and 12 tonight. Jabari Hill added 14 points.
Discovery 71, Loganville 40: The Titans picked up a convincing win in Region 8. JeVonte Gordon led the way with 13 points. Jaden Stanley chipped in eight points. Jordan Hatcher and Brian Liles both added seven points.
South Paulding 79, Paulding County 32: The Spartans advanced to 6-0 after crushing county rival Paulding. Kane Williams flirted with a triple-double, scoring 19 points, snatching 11 rebounds and recording eight assists. Ja’Cori Wilson went for 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Kell 65, Marietta 46: Brian Thomas controlled the paint with 14 points, 14 rebounds and five block. Jonah Patton added 12 points and Demetris Page notched 10.
No. 1 Lithonia 55, No. 6 St. Pius 44: The Bulldogs rebounded in an important Region 6 meeting after falling to Grady the night before, 62-52. Jacara Cross and Tyheem Freeman both scored 18 points to lead the charge. Cross posted a double-double with 11 rebounds. Rodney Chatman finished with nine points, nine assists and six rebounds.
Seneca (SC) 93, No. 3 Henry County 75: The Warhawks fell at the Valhalla Classic after Braden Galloway scored 33 and Xzavier Barmore 26 for the Bobcats. Henry County was paced by Javon Greene’s 24 and Damion Rosser’s 23.
North Hall 63, Woodward Academy 56: North Hall picked up a road win behind Carson Heinen and Evan Easton. Heinen, who leads the Trojans in scoring this year, poured in 26 points to lead the way. Easton chipped in 15.
Perry 82, Northside-Warner Robins 75: Jake Smith led Perry with 15 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Damion Bagley went for 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while Chris Clerkley scored seven points and pulled down eight rebounds. He also added four blocks. Chandler Rawls chipped in 14 points and Evan Lassiter finished with 10.
No. 7 Calhoun 64, Adairsville 30: The Yellow Jackets scored a region victory behind a balanced scoring attack. Chapin Rierson and Ray Reeves led the way with 12 points apiece. Rierson added four rebounds while Reeves chipped in six. Dyaln Greeson scored 11 points. Kaelan Riley narrowly missed out on a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
No. 10 Southwest-Macon 66, Northeast-Macon 51: The Patriots used a 20-to-9 fourth quarter to advance to 6-1 and drop Northeast to 0-7. Justin Slocum finished with 21 points and nine rebounds while Nick Hargrove added 20 points. Slocum also added four assists and six steals while Hargrove notched eight assists and four steals.
Westminster 59, Decatur 44: The Wildcats scored a Region 4-AAA sweep by defeating the Bulldogs. Will Benson led all scorers with 18 points.
Lumpkin County 74, Oglethorpe County 42: Coach Jeff Steele keeps on winning no matter where the location. Lumpkin County is 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. The Indians finished just 9-20 in 2014-15, but they are well on their way to surpassing that mark. Jack Howard poured in 24 points, Brandon Zarate added 16 and Zach Pulley pitched in 14 to pace the suddenly high scoring offense. Jacob Zarate scored 12 points and Justin Haskew pulled in 10 rebounds in the team effort.
No. 1 Seminole County 77, Berrien 58: Jordan Harris poured in 37 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and one block to add to his legendary career. Anfernee King added 12 points, seven boards, five assists and four steals.
No. 4 Whitefield Academy 60, Lanett (AL) 55: Brendon Myles exploded for 26 points and six rebounds to lead the Wolfpack. Isaiah Hart went for 19 points and six assists, while blocking two shots and collecting two steals on defense. Jimmy McCarthy scored four points and seven rebounds in the win.
No. 6 Lakeview Academy 59, Prince Avenue 42: Carter Reeves posted another double-double to lead the Lions. He finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Tre Gober scored 12 points and Daniel Fadool handed out eight helpers.
No. 7 St. Anne-Pacelli 70, Excel Christian 61 OT: A night after losing in overtime, the Vikings found a way to win in the extra period. Tre Sudberry scored 28 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, dished out seven assists and grabbed 10 rebounds to power the Pacelli. Armon Prophet tacked on eight points and 11 assists in the win. Triston Wells notched 12 points and seven rebounds. Chris Hale scored a team-high 22 points for Excel. “Our overall energy kept us in the game tonight. Our execution has to improve. Against a well-coached, tough team like St Anne Pacelli (Coach Alan Griffin), execution is what often makes the difference in games like tonight. We’re going to get better and learn from tonight. Games like tonight prepare us for a tough region and hopefully for a run in the State tournament.” Said Matt Sanders of Excel after the game.
No. 8 Landmark Christian 55, Mt. Pisgah 43: Zack Allen posted another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Wix Patton hauled down 15 rebounds.
Tallulah Falls 58, Providence Christian 47: The Indians advanced to 5-3 and dropped the Storm to 1-7. Jeremy Hardnett led Providence with 17 and Bobby Rodgers added 13 in the loss.
Lincoln County 78, Josey 72: Ahmad Rand was unstoppable for the Red Devils. The 6-foot-7 center 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.
No. 4 South Forsyth 73, Northview 41: Maryland signee Sarah Myers finished with 22 points to power the War Eagles to a blowout win. Emily Dreslinski added 12 points while Zoe Maisel notched 10.
Lambert 56, Centennial 52: Leah Cote posted 16 points and eight rebounds to lift the Lady Longhorns over the Lady Knights. Molly Williams and Kylee Beecher both played well, scoring 12 and nine points respectively.
North Forsyth 65, Habersham Central 40: Morgan Grindle went for 21 points and six assists to lead the Lady Raider offense. Amber Jones scored 14 points in the win while Madison Moye chipped in six.
No. 2 Sequoyah 60, Cherokee 52 2OT: Kelley Hartman scored 18 points and sister Lauren added 12 to lift the Lady Chiefs over rival Cherokee in double-overtime. Lauren also added 13 rebounds while Kelley pulled down 13 of her own and added seven blocks. Alyssa Cagle and Emily Seres both pitched in eight points apiece. Cagle notched four assists and four steals. Cherokee was led by Lacie McCoy’s 18 points.
No. 3 Marist 40, No. 6 Redan 33: Dominique Oden paced the Lady War Eagles over Redan in a top ten showdown in Region 6. Oden scored 15 points and added three assists and six rebounds. Ansley Gross chipped in five points, eight assists and five rebounds in the win.
Whitewater 53, East Coweta 42: Two freshmen powered the Lady Wildcats. Jada Claude scored 12 points and collected 11 rebounds while Janiya Jones went for 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Senior Jordan Barnett scored a team-high 17 points to pace the Cats.
Westminster 53, Decatur 42: Hannah Morgan poured in a team-high 23 points with five three-pointers to lead the Lady Wildcats.
Calhoun 74, Adairsville 47: Jana Johns netted 18 points in the Lady Yellow Jacket win. Ashlyn Barnes and Ryan Brzozski finished with 12 and 10 points. Adairsville was led by Havyn Isaac’s 13 points.
BOYS FINALS
Apalachee 77, North Oconee 74
Arabia Mountain 67, Chamblee 37
Archer 59, South Gwinnett 44
Bacon County 50, Appling County 45
Berkmar 70, Jenkins 62
Brookwood 76, White County 64
Buford 73, Greenbrier 60
Calhoun 64, Adairsville 30
Cambridge 63, Johnson-Gainesville 61
Cedar Shoals 73, Clarke Central 44
Chattooga 89, Trion 42
Coahulla Creek 58, Sonoraville 46
Collins Hill 89, Clarkston 23
Crisp County 51, Cook 28
Dacula 74, Central Gwinnett 64
Discovery 71, Loganville 40
First Presbyterian 48, Brookstone 45
Gainesville 86, Salem 60
Grady 66, Columbia 63
Grayson 69, Parkview 59
Harrison 71, Houston County 66
Hebron Christian 67, Athens Academy 39
Johns Creek 51, West Forsyth 46
Johnson-Savannah 73, Savannah 43
Kell 65, Marietta 46
LaGrange 80, Callaway 68
Lakeview Academy 59, Prince Avenue 42
Lambert 68, Centennial 26
Landmark Christian 55, Mt. Pisgah Christian 43
Lincoln County 78, Josey 72
Lithonia 55, St. Pius X 44
Locust Grove 63, Union Grove 54
Long County 74, Ware County 68
Lovejoy 63, Banneker 44
Monticello 77, Greene County 32
Mountain View 60, Lovett 57
Mt. Zion, Carroll 66, Bremen 55
North Hall 63, Woodward Academy 56
North Murray 53, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 25
Northview 56, South Forsyth 48
Our Lady of Mercy 68, Walker 51
Perry 82, Northside-Warner Robins 75
Rabun County 65, Franklin County 47
Redan 40, Marist 32
Richmond Hill 64, Tattnall County 59
Ridgeland 54, Morris Innovative 26
Riverdale 52, North Clayton 46
Riverwood 59, Creekview 49
Roswell 56, Walton 53
Seneca, SC 93, Henry County 75
Social Circle 70, Taliaferro County 56
South Paulding 79, Paulding County 32
Southwest 66, Northeast-Macon 51
Sprayberry 76, River Ridge 39
St. Anne Pacelli 70, Excel Christian 61
Stratford Academy 49, Schley County 20
Tallulah Falls 58, Providence Christian 47
Tattnall Square 43, Swainsboro 35
Twiggs County 63, Elite Scholars Academy 58
Villa Rica 64, Hiram 56
Westminster 59, Decatur 44
Westside-Augusta 77, Hart County 56
Whitefield Academy 60, Lanett, AL 55
GIRLS FINALS
Alcovy 62, M. L. King 41
Alpharetta 49, Chattahoochee 46
Americus-Sumter 64, Westover 45
Appling County 33, Bacon County 24
Archer 48, South Gwinnett 39
Athens Christian 58, Towns County 15
Bremen 57, Mt. Zion, Carroll 33
Cairo 79, Thomas County Central 54
Collins Hill 51, Holy Innocents’ 44
Commerce 59, George Walton Academy 43
Creekview 53, Riverwood 28
Cross Creek 75, Hephzibah 26
Dacula 71, Central Gwinnett 49
Darlington 58, Rockmart 40
Douglass 63, Washington 41
East Jackson 44, Evans 41
Flowery Branch 79, Oconee County 14
Gilmer 43, Fannin County 37
Haralson County 73, Randolph County, AL 12
Heritage-Catoosa 55, Gordon Lee 43
Hiram 52, Villa Rica 17
Kell 61, Marietta 60
Lambert 56, Centennial 52
Landmark Christian 46, Mt. Pisgah Christian 32
Loganville 56, Discovery 28
Lovett 33, Thomasville 20
Model 53, Pepperell 39
Morrow 42, Starr’s Mill 27
North Gwinnett 49, White County 33
Northside-Warner Robins 76, Perry 45
Parkview 65, Grayson 57
Pebblebrook 46, Tri-Cities 31
Quitman County 71, Baker County 7
Ringgold 55, Gordon Central 28
Sequoyah 60, Cherokee 52
South Atlanta 49, Paideia 48
South Cobb 36, Therrell 28
South Effingham 60, Effingham County 52
Southeast Bulloch 38, Screven County 10
St. Pius X 59, Lithonia 24
Statesboro 46, Portal 35
Stratford Academy 62, Schley County 7
Tallulah Falls 38, Providence Christian 37
Taylor County 40, Carrollton 29
Telfair County 56, Treutlen 49
Trion 48, Chattooga 33
Veterans 61, Swainsboro 33
Vidalia 72, Toombs County 29
Wesleyan 66, Mill Creek 34
West Laurens 55, Dublin 38
Westminster 53, Decatur 42
Whitewater 53, East Coweta 42
Winder-Barrow 67, Monroe Area 40
Woodward Academy 76, North Hall 52
Defending 3A state champion, No. 2 Jenkins High School, earned head coach Bakari Bryant his 100th career win on Friday Night, 70-44 over Toombs County. Savannah Now’s Travis Jaudon was in attendance and wraps up an emotional night. Click the link below for the full story and please follow @Jaudonsports on Twitter for some of Savannah’s best high school sports coverage in town.
Jenkins (2-1, 1-0) getting set to host Toombs County (1-6, 1-1) in a region 1-AAA crossover game. pic.twitter.com/V3LypmgIh9
— Travis Jaudon (@JaudonSports) December 12, 2015
No.5 @GradyBasketball looking to make a major statement tonight on the road at No.1 Lithonia pic.twitter.com/PLfJyE3PJx
— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) December 12, 2015
Another stiff test vs. a ranked opponent, another win for the No. 5 Grady Knights. Coach Brian Weeden’s team made the trip to No. 1 Lithonia for a crucial Region 6-AAAA showdown between the top two teams in the standings.
The Bulldogs, with the size advantage inside between Tyleen Patterson and Jacara Cross, took a 15-11 lead into the second quarter behind seven first quarter points from Patterson, who finished tied for a team-high with 15 points. Rodney Chatman and Tyheem Freeman were able to cut inside and find the big man who finished with ease with the smaller Grady players surrounding him.
Then something happened in the second quarter. That something was Christian Bryant. The switch turned on and the Knights led by Bryant began attacking the rim fearlessly. Bryant scored 10 of his game-high 19 points in the second quarter and sank 8-of-10 free throws in the period. He finished 10-of-15 from the line and caused problems all game long for the Bulldogs.
Needless to say, for No.5 @GradyBasketball to win, Avi Toomer (Bucknell), Christian Bryant and DJ Brittian will all need big games outside.
— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) December 12, 2015
Grady entered the half up 30-28 and kept the pressure on, this time behind Bucknell-commit Avi Toomer’s six points in the third. He finished with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block after scoring seven points in the first half. Chatham picked up his third foul with under five minutes to play and went to the bench with the Bulldogs trailing 37-32. Grady surged ahead on a mini 8-4 run to take a 45-36 lead into the fourth after Lithonia squandered a chance at a last second bucket. After a mad scramble, Patterson scooped the ball up with three seconds left and had a two-on-one fast break. Instead of dumping the ball off, he tried to go over his defender for an and-one, but instead was whistled for his fourth foul on a charge as the buzzer sounded.
To open the fourth quarter, Grady put the game away with an 8-0 run that gave the Knights their biggest lead of the game, 53-36 with five minutes remaining. Grady began to take some time off the clock by holding the ball and being patient on offense which prompted Coach Wallace Corker to extend his Bulldog defense.
4Q; 2:22
No.5 @GradyBasketball 57
No.1 Lithonia 44Sams finds Freeman pic.twitter.com/PfIm0j10vh
— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) December 12, 2015
The game was seemingly out of hand before the Bulldogs showed some bite. Behind a 12-4 run Lithonia clawed the game back within single digits at 57-48 with 1:28 left to play. Bryant missed a pair of free throws after being fouled and allowed Lithonia a chance to crawl even closer, but Toomer had other ideas in mind.
The senior came away with a huge steal and tossed the ball up ahead to Tykwaan Bryant who slammed it home to make it an 11-point game with 1:10 left and in the process, slammed the door shut on Lithonia.
Lithonia had chances to come back, but missed free throws haunted them. At one point they missed five consecutive foul shots. They finished 15-of-28 at the line which proved costly in the 10-point loss.
My Take: Grady has to be taken seriously as a dangerous threat to making a deep run in the state tournament. There is no true front runner aside from No. 2 Jonesboro, who is the two-time defending state champion, but the Cardinals have lost a lot of championship pieces. Grady gets after it with their lightning quick guard play. They like to play fast on offense when they want, streaking to the basket, or they can slow things up and make you get out and extend your defense, leaving open holes for the ball handler to slice into. When I opened with Grady in my top ten to begin the season after a 14-15 season a year ago, it may have been met with skepticism. I knew they would have good guard play with the addition of DJ Brittian from Miller Grove, but I had no idea that Christian Bryant would assert himself into the picture. Bryant flew under the radar as a transfer from Bowie High School in Maryland, but he no longer is a secret. He’s tenacious with the ball and loves to draw fouls on the perimeter. He is the perfect complement alongside Avi Toomer and Brittian and has taken the load off of Toomer’s shoulders more so than anyone could have expected.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the play of an unsung hero: Kemari Averett. The 6-foot-7 post player is more known for his skills on the gridiron as a tight end and defensive end, but his size came in handy tonight. He chipped in seven points and four rebounds off the bench and gave the Knights a spark inside.
To sum things up in how Grady won, they just made Lithonia look slow. Tyleen Patterson, Tyheem Freeman and Jacara Cross all had nice games, but none of them stood out and took the game over. Cross looked like he was able to score at-will inside, Patterson at times too, but the Bulldogs were unable to feed them the ball consistently. Rodney Chatman had a very quiet night scoring the ball with just three points, but rebounded and passed the ball extremely well especially in the first half. For some reason I felt like Cross wasn’t 100% into it tonight. Maybe 95%, but not the extra five. He missed a big dunk and picked up a silly third foul early in the game at half court. He does have the skill set to dominate games however when he is fed constantly. He came away with three blocks as well, I just would have loved to see him get more touches inside and exploit Grady’s size.
Top Performers
Grady
Christian Bryant – 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
Avi Toomer – 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
DJ Brittian – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
Kemari Averett – 7 points, 4 rebounds
Tykwaan Bryant – 6 points, 3 rebounds
Lithonia
Tyleen Patterson – 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Tyheem Freeman – 15 points, 3 assists, 2 steals
Jacara Cross – 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks
Rodney Chatman – 3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
No. 1 Lithonia (5-2) at No. 6 St. Pius (5-1)
The No. 1 ranked Bulldogs visit the No. 6 ranked Golden Lions in a crucial Region 6-AAAA showdown. Both teams along with No. 5 Grady have emerged as the front runners to win one of the state’s toughest regions. Grady visits Lithonia on Friday with a chance to extend their lead on the rest of the region after already knocking off St. Pius, 51-50. Even after back-to-back losses to Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) and 3ANo. 3 Morgan County 44-41, Lithonia has maintained its No. 1 ranking all season. The addition 6-foot-7 forward Jacara Cross from Cedar Grove has seemingly put the Bulldogs over the top as a legitimate state title contender. Cross is coming off a 19-point, 10-rebound performance in an 85-52 blowout victory over Chamblee on Tuesday. His versatility to score inside and out coupled with the rest of a talented senior class makes Lithonia a diverse team that can get stops and get out and run while also being able to score in the half court. Tyheem Freeman scored 22 points on Tuesday while Rodney Chatman finished with 13 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Tyleen Patterson is another important guard and Derious Wimberly is an experienced body inside. St. Pius will counter with leading scorer, senior forward Kerney Lane. The 6-foot-6 southpaw leads the Golden Lions in scoring with over 21 points per game. His ability to drive the lane and hit the open jumper makes him tough to stop. In a 33-30 slugfest victory over Columbia on Dec. 4, Lane drilled a three at the buzzer to secure the victory and fend off the Eagles. He scored 24 of his team’s 33 points and doesn’t shy away from taking big shots. He receives help from another talented forward, Christian Merrill. Inside, 6-foot-7 Jakob Spitzer must play well. He has shown flashes this season of being a threat down low, but consistency is the one aspect he must find in order to take not only his game, but the Golden Lions to the next level. His play inside against Cross will be an important matchup to keep an eye on.
No. 9 LaGrange (5-0) at No. 8 Callaway (2-0)
5ANo. 9 LaGrange plays the first of a home-and-away tilt against 3ANo.8 Callaway on the road. LaGrange is still looking to hit its stride under first-year Head Coach Mark Veal. Junior LaPerion Perry was hampered at the beginning of the season due a fractured toe he suffered while playing football, but he has begun to work his way back into shape. He joins Rico Smith, an explosive guard who has produced games of 36 and 31 points already in the early season. In Tuesday’s 55-51 win over Whitewater, he scored a team-high 18 points to keep the Grangers undefeated. Mike Hardy, Qua Epps and Alex Dantzler are all capable scorers in the guard heavy lineup. A pair of 6-foot-6 forwards, Kenan Gray and Bryan Fanning, help balance the offensive attack. Fanning finished with 12 points Tuesday night. Callaway is another team that relies on its quick and feisty guards to harass opponents into turnovers which lead to easy buckets. Last year the Cavs were one of the highest scoring teams in AAA, averaging 79 points per game. Junior combo guard Braylon Sanders paces the attack with 18.5 points per game. Dre Martin has poured in 16 points in both games while 6-foot-4 forward Joe Brown is averaging 14 per game. Earnest Patillo is another dangerous threat and scored 17 points in the Cavs’ 75-62 season opening win against Greenville to lead the team.
Harrison (4-2) vs. Houston County (2-2)
On Nov. 3 I released my Sandy’s Spiel Super Sleepers (https://sandysspiel.com/sandys-spiels-super-sleepers/) for the 2015-16 season, and low and behold, two of them meet at the East Hall Showcase tournament. Harrison has played well this season as they battle for a top four seed out of Region 4-AAAAAA. On Tuesday the Hoyas dropped a close one, 69-68 at Hillgrove. Austin York is the team’s captain and go-to player. He is 6-foot-4 and has good feet inside, showing an ability to score down low with a variety of moves. York also likes to step outside and shoot the three when open, and is a steady defender, always eager to give his body up to draw a charge. Ryan Boler is another hard working post player that does the dirty work inside for Coach Clay Crump. Tate Coston, Chris Brown and Juwan Owens all do nice things from their guard positions and help keep the offense flowing. They will be tested by 2-AAAAA’s Houston County Bears, a dangerous team that continues to grow under Coach Stephen Walls. Zion Johnson, DL Hall, Jaylon Golds and Amari Colbert are all strong guards that can score the ball and defend. They will be put to the test on Friday at No. 8 Warner Robins, but it won’t be their first challenge of the year. After dropping the season opener to the nearly unstoppable Khavon Moore and Westside-Macon 64-41, a week later they quickly rebounded and defeated them at home, 78-75 in overtime. Three days later they fell to 1ANo. 4 Whitefield Academy 55-50. Last Friday the Bears beat Dublin 88-77 behind some big performances. Johnson scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists. Hall went for a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds while Golds gave Coach Walls another all-around floor game, collecting 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Javion Johnson and Marquis Traylor are two athletic big men that complement the Bears’ strong guard play and make them a complete team.
