Category Archives: Girls Rankings

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 10 Girls Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (19-0)
2. Collins Hill (19-1)
3. North Cobb (19-1)
4. Cherokee (19-3)
5. Grayson (19-2)
6. North Forsyth (15-4)
7. Norcross (14-9)
8. Brookwood (15-6)
9. Hillgrove (14-6)
10. Pebblebrook (17-3)

 Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (19-3)
2. Forest Park (20-2)
3. Northview (16-4)
4. Glynn Academy (18-2)
5. Douglas County (17-4)
6. Stephenson (13-9)
7. Valdosta (18-2)
8. Lanier (17-3)
9. Creekview (16-4)
10. New Manchester (19-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (20-0)
2. Buford (17-2)
3. Eagle’s Landing (14-4)
4. Veterans (20-2)
5. Southwest DeKalb (16-6)
6. Statesboro (21-1)
7. Jones County (17-4)
8. Harris County (16-5)
9. Woodland-Stockbridge (15-5)
10. Carrollton (15-6)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (21-0)
2. Henry County (21-2)
3. Flowery Branch (19-3)
4. Spalding (15-4)
5. Madison County (19-2)
6. West Laurens (16-4)
7. Luella (16-4)
8. Baldwin (15-5)
9. Marist (15-5)
10. Sandy Creek (14-4)

Class AAA

1. Jefferson (18-2)
2. Johnson-Savannah (12-6)
3. Beach (18-4)
4. Morgan County (16-4)
5. Hart County (15-5)
6. GAC (11-9)
7. Peach County (14-4)
8. Tattnall County (16-5)
9. Dawson County (14-7)
10. Coahulla Creek (16-5)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (18-1)
2. Douglass (17-5)
3. Fitzgerald (19-0)
4. Laney (19-1)
5. Bryan County (20-0)
6. Rabun County (18-1)
7. Swainsboro (16-2)
8. Early County (17-2)
9. Banks County (16-4)
10. Washington County (15-4)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (21-1)
2. St. Francis (14-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (13-7)
4. ELCA (14-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (17-4)
6. Mt. Paran (17-1)
7. Stratford Academy (18-1)
8. Paideia (16-3)
9. Calvary Day (17-3)
10. Greenforest (15-4)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (19-0)
2. Georgia Military College (13-1)
3. Telfair County (16-3)
4. Greenville (20-1)
5. Wheeler County (14-4)
6. Calhoun County (18-2)
7. Dooly County (15-3)
8. Mitchell County (15-4)
9. Clinch County (12-4)
10. Wilcox County (13-6)

Region play affords us some crucial Top 10 showdowns across all classifications as region tournament seeding is up for grabs. A handful of rematches will make us re-think what we thought we knew about the landscape of Georgia.

In Class AAAAAAA, No. 1 Westlake remained unbeaten, rallying from down 36-24 at the half to knockoff Class 5A No. 2 Buford on the road 58-51. Raven Johnson attacked the glass in the second half and led the Lions with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals and 2 blocks while 6-foot-3 junior center Lydia Freeman proved to be the ultimate difference maker, dumping in 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks as Buford had no answer for her size and girth inside. No. 7 Norcross fell to No. 8 Brookwood 54-44 as both teams continue their see-saw seasons. The Broncos return to the Top 10 riding a six-game winning streak and will try to avoid anymore trap games. They replace tough-luck Colquitt County (16-2) who outlasted Camden County 46-45 on the road. No. 5 Grayson held off Class 6A No. 6 Stephenson 70-69 behind freshman Catherine Alben’s game-winning free throw and 19 points and 6 assists. No. 9 Hillgrove edged archnemesis McEachern 57-55.

Outside of No. 6 Stephenson dropping one spot after a 70-69 loss to Class 7A No. 5 Grayson and Dacula (16-5) falling out of the poll following a 66-61 loss to Winder-Barrow, everything in Class AAAAAA was status quo. The Falcons are replaced by returnee No. 10 New Manchester who went a perfect 4-0 last week with wins over Alexander (57-48), Starr’s Mill (42-32), Tri-Cities (78-22) and South Paulding (79-17).

There is no movement in Class AAAAA. No. 1 Villa Rica pumped Cass 71-47 while No. 10 Carrollton sneaked out of White with a 50-47 win. No. 3 Eagle’s Landing turned back No. 7 Jones County 40-37. No. 4 Veterans defeated Class 3A No. 7 Peach County 63-56. No. 8 Harris County handled Warner Robins 74-51.

Westover (15-3) and Perry (10-7) are casualties in Class AAAA. The Patriots were upset by 8-11 Cairo 44-35 while Perry went 0-3 last week, losing to No. 4 Spalding (62-40), No. 6 West Laurens (42-32) and Class A-Public No. 7 Dooly County (47-34). No. 8 Baldwin rises above the wreckage even after a 50-38 loss to Cross Creek. The Braves rebounded with a big 60-56 win over Class 2A No. 10 Washington County. Returning to the Top 10 is No. 9 Marist. The War Eagles beat White County 61-48 and Chestatee 61-42 before losing to No. 3 Flowery Branch 64-48. No. 10 Sandy Creek debuts in the poll and are on a nine-game winning streak. The Patriots have beat up on a weak Region 5, their latest win coming at Central-Carrollton 49-34, who has sunk to 13-5 and 3-4 in region play after a 10-0 start to the season. 6-foot-1 junior post Daija Powell is powering the Patriots with 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

The gauntlet known as Region 8 in Class AAA claimed another victim as No. 4 Morgan County slips three spots from their top ranking after losing 77-63 to No. 5 Hart County. Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks controlled the game with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists while Taniya Alexander added 23 points and 15 rebounds inside. Rising to the perch for the first time is the third Region 8 team in the Top 5, No. 1 Jefferson. They came out of Carnesville with a 40-33 win over Franklin County and now have a rematch this Tuesday against visiting Morgan County, who slayed the Dragons 60-52 back on December 14th. No. 6 GAC has gained breathing room in Region 7, beating No. 9 Dawson County 53-41 and dispatching of North Hall 61-46. No. 10 Coahulla Creek narrowly survives their first week in the poll in a topsy-turvy Region 6. The Colts lost to North Murray 51-46, splitting the season series, but bounced back with a 55-42 win at Adairsville. The Region 6 standings are a logjam up top: Ringgold (15-6, 11-1), Coahulla Creek (16-5, 10-2), North Murray (15-7, 10-3) and Sonoraville (15-6, 9-3) are the leaders. The Colts get the nod over the rest of the pack due to their crucial 47-44 win at Ringgold. North Murray is close on their tail with five-straight wins. Ringgold could have gotten the final spot this week, but they lost 54-51 to Class 4A Heritage-Catoosa and are 2-3 in their last five games.

For a second consecutive week there are no changes to the Class AA poll, though major shakeup could be on the horizon. No. 1 Dodge County travels to No. 10 Washington County on Tuesday looking to complete a season sweep of the Golden Hawks, who they beat 73-64 last month. No. 3 Fitzgerald travels to No. 8 Early County. The host Bobcats will look to avenge their 62-60 loss the Purple Hurricanes two weeks ago. No. 7 Swainsboro welcomes No. 5 Bryan County on Tuesday, the Redskins beat Swainsboro 68-64 in their first meeting. This past week, No. 4 Laney swept 9-8 Burke County 59-54. No. 6 Rabun County, winners of 16-straight, did the same against rival No. 9 Banks County, winning 59-53 with Brooke Henricks’ 19 points leading the way.

Class A-Private’s hated rivals wrote another chapter in their storied history as No. 3 Holy Innocents’ handed No. 1 Wesleyan their first loss of the year 68-63 as freshman Marya Hudgins had a career night with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Starting point guard Paige Lyons did not play in the loss. Wesleyan retains their number one position. Dating back to 2016-17, the Golden Bears have gone 6-1 in the regular season/region tournament, winning four-straight against the Wolves but have lost the last two state championships to Wesleyan. No. 2 St. Francis welcomes No. 6 Mt. Paran on Friday as the Lady Knights look to sweep the Eagles after beating them 59-42 in their first contest. No. 10 Greenforest clings onto their spot in the poll following a 67-65 loss at Landmark Christian.

Class A-Public sees Bowdon (16-4) and Central-Talbotton (10-6) fall from the Top 10. The Red Devils were upset 45-42 at Trion while the Hawks were drilled by No. 1 Marion County 76-44 and lost 60-59 to No. 4 Greenville. Continuing the statewide theme of rematches, the defending state champion Greenville Patriots travel to Marion County on Tuesday. The Eagles handed them their only loss of the season back in December, 71-70. No. 3 Telfair County blasted No. 9 Clinch County 76-47, India Wells posting 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. The Panthers fall two spots after also getting torched by Gracie Brunel in a 59-51 loss to Lanier County, the unsigned senior who leads the state in scoring dropping in 38 points. No. 5 Wheeler County heads to No. 3 Telfair County for a rematch of their season-opening 65-60 loss to the Trojans. No. 7 Dooly County is up a spot after a big 47-34 win against last week’s Class 4A No. 10 Perry. Returning to the poll is No. 8 Mitchell County and No. 10 Wilcox County. The Eagles battle with rival Pelham this week while the Patriots try to ride momentum from their 73-59 win over Echols County. Wilcox County is led by freshman Destiny Tisdol’s 14.5 points per game and Coach Santita Coon boasts the state’s leading rebounder, 5-foot-10 sophomore Alayshia Dixon who averages 14.1 points, 16.7 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 1.8 blocks.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 9 Girls Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (16-0)
2. Collins Hill (19-1)
3. North Cobb (17-1)
4. Cherokee (16-3)
5. Grayson (16-2)
6. Norcross (13-8)
7. North Forsyth (13-4)
8. Colquitt County (14-2)
9. Hillgrove (12-6)
10. Pebblebrook (15-3)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (17-3)
2. Forest Park (18-2)
3. Northview (13-4)
4. Glynn Academy (16-2)
5. Stephenson (12-8)
6. Douglas County (15-4)
7. Valdosta (16-2)
8. Lanier (15-3)
9. Dacula (15-4)
10. Creekview (15-4)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (17-0)
2. Buford (15-1)
3. Eagle’s Landing (12-4)
4. Veterans (17-2)
5. Southwest DeKalb (14-6)
6. Statesboro (19-1)
7. Jones County (17-3)
8. Harris County (13-5)
9. Woodland-Stockbridge (14-5)
10. Carrollton (14-6)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (18-0)
2. Henry County (18-2)
3. Flowery Branch (16-3)
4. Spalding (13-4)
5. Madison County (17-2)
6. West Laurens (13-4)
7. Luella (14-4)
8. Westover (13-2)
9. Baldwin (13-4)
10. Perry (10-4) 

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (14-3)
2. Jefferson (17-2)
3. Johnson-Savannah (11-6)
4. Beach (16-4)
5. Peach County (12-3)
6. GAC (9-9)
7. Hart County (13-5)
8. Tattnall County (13-5)
9. Dawson County (13-6)
10. Coahulla Creek (15-4)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (16-1)
2. Douglass (14-5)
3. Fitzgerald (17-0)
4. Laney (17-1)
5. Bryan County (18-0)
6. Rabun County (16-1)
7. Swainsboro (13-2)
8. Early County (14-2)
9. Banks County (15-3)
10. Washington County (13-3)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (19-0)
2. St. Francis (10-3)
3. ELCA (12-3)
4. Holy Innocents’ (9-7)
5. Lakeview Academy (15-4)
6. Mt. Paran (15-1)
7. Stratford Academy (16-1)
8. Paideia (14-3)
9. Calvary Day (14-3)
10. Greenforest (14-3)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (16-0)
2. Georgia Military College (10-1)
3. Telfair County (14-3)
4. Greenville (18-1)
5. Wheeler County (13-4)
6. Calhoun County (16-2)
7. Clinch County (11-2)
8. Dooly County (12-3)
9. Bowdon (15-3)
10. Central-Talbotton (9-4)

A little separation was gained in Class AAAAAAA as No. 1 Westlake romped No. 10 Pebblebrook 75-50 to drop the Falcons three spots while No. 2 Collins Hill earned wins over Mill Creek 64-53 and Center Point (AL) 65-23. No. 3 North Cobb sticks at number three after dropping their first game of the season to undefeated Class A-Private No. 1 Wesleyan 59-38, the Wolves pulling away in the second half. No. 4 Cherokee is up a spot after defeating Roswell 61-34 and dispatching of Class A-Private No. 4 Holy Innocents’ 66-58 behind North Georgia-signee Lacie McCoy’s 17 points. Dropping out of the poll is Marietta (12-6). The Blue Devils were the latest Cobb County team to knock off McEachern 54-50 in overtime, Marietta’s first win against the Lady Indians since the 2009 Region 5-AAAAA Championship, but subsequently fell to re-entry No. 9 Hillgrove 51-45. The Hawks nearly beat North Cobb on Tuesday 46-44 and have taken over second-place in Region 3 with a date with rival McEachern looming this Tuesday.

Class AAAAAA No. 2 Forest Park pounded No. 5 Stephenson 65-31, but the Jaguars turned around and finished the weekend with a strong 46-45 win over Class 5A No. 5 Southwest DeKalb to hold onto their spot. No. 6 Douglas County blasted New Manchester (15-3) from the rankings with a 65-33 blowout. Following New Manchester out of the poll is Pope (14-4). The Greyhounds were upset at Johns Creek 60-47. Resurfacing is No. 8 Lanier, who rebounded nicely after getting hit hard by suspensions to take down No. 9 Dacula 51-42, dropping the Falcons two spots. Debuting in the rankings is No. 10 Creekview, the Grizzlies scoring wins at Sequoyah 59-46 and at Harrison 45-26. 5-foot-10 senior forward Josie Johnson leads Creekview with 11.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

There was plenty of flipping and flopping in Class AAAAA as No. 1 Villa Rica held off No. 10 Carrollton 66-58. The Trojans trade places with No. 7 Jones County who climbs three spots after wins over Union Grove 48-35, Ola 71-36 and Upson-Lee 71-55. No. 4 Veterans shoots up two spots after taking down No. 8 Harris County 58-49 and winning at Warner Robins 71-65. 6-foot junior Stacie Jones ate away at Harris County’s imposing frontline posting 27 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks in the win. The Tigers also fell in overtime at Campbell 59-54. No. 6 Statesboro climbs three positions following a statement week in Region 2, beating Wayne County 59-51, Ware County 47-39 and Southeast Bulloch 54-27. The Blue Devils are powered by 6-foot-1 guard Lacy Robins, the junior piling in 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. No. 3 Eagle’s Landing bounced Locust Grove (14-5) from the Top 10 quickly, 64-35. Replacing the Wildcats is another Region 4 team, No. 9 Woodland-Stockbridge who makes their first appearance since Week 2, clawing back in after upsetting Eagle’s Landing in overtime 67-59. Junior guard Amia Brown exploded for a career-high 42 points, blowing past her 12.2 point-per-game average.

Class AAAA sees some shuffling among the Top 5 as No. 2 Henry County moves up two spots thanks to a 61-41 win at No. 7 Luella. No. 3 Flowery Branch moves up two places as well following a perfect week that was highlighted by a 68-61 win over Class 3A No. 6 GAC. No. 4 Spalding sinks two positions after a 54-49 loss at returnee No. 6 West Laurens. The win over the defending state champs springboards the Raiders back into the poll for the first time since Week 5. Calmela Mack erupted for 28 points in the win over the Jaguars while MaKayla Murray added 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Rounding out the Top 5 is No. 5 Madison County, sinking two spots after a letdown against North Oconee 56-50. With West Laurens’ rise into the Top 10, Marist (13-4) gets squeezed out of the poll after a 2-0 week. They have a chance to get right back into the rankings and take a huge leap like the Raiders did if they can beat No. 3 Flowery Branch at home this Saturday.

The power struggle down on the coast in Class AAA continued as No. 3 Johnson-Savannah got revenge against No. 4 Beach 55-42 to hop over the Bulldogs. No. 5 Peach County rises four spots after a 3-0 week while No. 7 Hart County sinks two places after a 62-56 loss at Franklin County. Things don’t get easier as the Bulldogs now host No. 1 Morgan County on Tuesday in the unforgiving Region 8. North Hall (13-6) was in the driver’s seat in Region 7 but back-to-back road losses to East Hall 48-45 and Chestatee 68-60 drop the Trojans from the rankings. Surging into the poll is debutant No. 10 Coahulla Creek. 1,000-point scorer Lily Snyder guided the Colts last week to wins over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 54-42 and more impressively at Ringgold 47-44 to crack the poll.

The Class AA poll is rock solid with no movement with everyone winning except for No. 8 Early County who fell to No. 3 Fitzgerald 62-60. No. 1 Dodge County turned back Southwest-Macon 67-63, No. 4 Laney still mentally owns Josey after winning 60-57, No. 5 Bryan County smoked Woodville-Tompkins 68-48 while No. 6 Rabun County did the same to Putnam County 74-54.

No. 1 Wesleyan ran its record up to 19-0 in Class A-Private, hammering No. 8 Paideia down two spots 58-33 before pulling away from previously unbeaten Class 7A No. 3 North Cobb 59-38, AC Carter hanging 27 points and 9 rebounds while Nicole Azar drilled 6 threes to finish with 22 points. It was a rough week for the Pythons as they also lost to No. 3 ELCA 66-49. The Chargers got 27 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks from Rice-signee India Bellamy while Weronika Hipp pumped in 24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The dynamic duo leads ELCA into uncharted territory, breaking through the glass ceiling and passing up No. 4 Holy Innocents’ for a spot in the Top 3. The Golden Bears lost 66-58 to Class 7A No. 4 Cherokee to make way for the Chargers. Darlington (11-4) drops out after getting blown out by newly ranked Class A-Public No. 9 Bowdon 54-35. No. 10 Greenforest makes their first appearance in the Top 10. The Eagles don’t have too many resume wins, but they have been solid, most recently smacking Elite Scholars Academy 85-24, who handed No. 7 Stratford Academy their only loss of the season back in early December 56-49.

In Class A-Public, No. 1 Marion County went 4-0 highlighted by a 59-49 win at No. 10 Central-Talbotton, dropping the Hawks two spots. No. 3 Telfair County looked good with wins over Turner County 68-37, Lanier County 77-54 and Wilcox County 71-55. Wilcox County (11-6) falls from the Top 10 after also losing at Lanier County 59-57. Returning to the poll is No. 9 Bowdon. The Red Devils overwhelmed Darlington 54-35.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 8 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (14-0)
2. Collins Hill (16-1)
3. North Cobb (15-0)
4. Norcross (11-7)
5. Cherokee (13-3)
6. Grayson (13-2)
7. Marietta (10-5)
8. Pebblebrook (14-2)
9. North Forsyth (11-4)
10. Colquitt County (11-2)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (15-3)
2. Forest Park (15-2)
3. Northview (12-3)
4. Glynn Academy (14-2)
5. Stephenson (10-7)
6. Douglas County (13-4)
7. Dacula (13-3)
8. Valdosta (14-2)
9. New Manchester (14-2)
10. Pope (13-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (15-0)
2. Buford (13-1)
3. Eagle’s Landing (11-3)
4. Harris County (12-3)
5. Southwest DeKalb (13-5)
6. Veterans (14-2)
7. Carrollton (12-5)
8. Locust Grove (12-4)
9. Statesboro (16-1)
10. Jones County (14-3)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (15-0)
2. Spalding (12-3)
3. Madison County (16-1)
4. Henry County (16-2)
5. Flowery Branch (13-3)
6. Luella (14-3)
7. Westover (10-2)
8. Marist (11-4)
9. Baldwin (10-4)
10. Perry (8-4)

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (12-3)
2. Beach (14-3)
3. Jefferson (14-2)
4. Johnson-Savannah (9-6)
5. Hart County (12-4)
6. GAC (8-8)
7. North Hall (12-4)
8. Tattnall County (11-5)
9. Peach County (9-3)
10. Dawson County (11-6) 

Class AA

1. Dodge County (15-1)
2. Douglass (12-5)
3. Fitzgerald (15-0)
4. Laney (14-1)
5. Bryan County (15-0)
6. Rabun County (13-1)
7. Swainsboro (10-2)
8. Early County (12-1)
9. Banks County (13-3)
10. Washington County (12-3)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (16-0)
2. St. Francis (9-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (8-6)
4. ELCA (10-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (12-4)
6. Paideia (13-1)
7. Mt. Paran (12-1)
8. Stratford Academy (14-1)
9. Calvary Day (12-3)
10. Darlington (10-3)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (12-0)
2. Georgia Military College (8-1)
3. Telfair County (11-3)
4. Greenville (16-1)
5. Wheeler County (10-4)
6. Calhoun County (13-2)
7. Clinch County (7-2)
8. Central-Talbotton (8-3)
9. Dooly County (10-3)
10. Wilcox County (10-4)

 

There are some changes near the bottom of the poll in Class AAAAAAA. No. 8 Pebblebrook falls three spots after a 60-51 loss at Rockdale. No. 5 Cherokee benefits the most this week, rising four spots after scoring two road wins against Walton 79-45 and River Ridge 63-29. No. 7 Marietta moves up three spots behind Cherokee thanks to a No. 9 North Forsyth loss to Roswell 55-52, dropping the Raiders two spots as they couldn’t overcome the absence of leading scorer Ansley Allen. Mill Creek (12-5) exits the Top 10 with losses on the road against Duluth 47-42 and Class 4A No. 5 Flowery Branch 62-47. Debuting in the poll is No. 10 Colquitt County, who survived Camden County 62-58 in double overtime. Junior Janiah Ellis has taken over the reins of the offense, upping her production from 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds a year ago to 22.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.

Class AAAAAA sees no movement as the state’s best team and best backcourt made a statement at the She Got Game Classic as No. 1 Lovejoy pounded Class A-Private No. 3 Holy Innocents’ 64-46. The Wildcats drilled 11 threes and the Golden Bears had no answers for juniors Genesis Bryant (16 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals) and Anaya Boyd (15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks). At the bottom of the poll, No. 9 New Manchester avoided a trap game at Langston Hughes, pulling out a 52-48 victory.

No. 1 Villa Rica holds tight in Class AAAAA after a 51-45 win at Rome. No. 3 Eagle’s Landing crawls ahead of No. 5 Southwest DeKalb after the Panthers dropped to Dillard (FL) 57-45 and Class 4A No. 2 Spalding 54-45. No. 9 Statesboro is down three spots following a 69-62 loss at Class 2A No. 7 Swainsboro, the Blue Devils’ first defeat of the season. No. 4 Harris County knocked Warner Robins (9-5) from the Top 10 with a 45-42 win. Also out of the poll is Wayne County (11-2) who lost 49-32 at Ware County. Two new teams debut in No. 8 Locust Grove and No. 10 Jones County. The Wildcats have won six-straight with their latest triumph coming at Union Grove 52-51, but more impressively Locust Grove won the Mary Persons Christmas Tournament by beating Class 2A No. 1 at the time Douglass 69-62, Upson-Lee 70-57 and Monticello 63-58. Star senior point guard Zamiya Passmore is averaging 23.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 4.1 steals. Jones County enters the rankings with wins over Dutchtown 56-31 and at Upson-Lee 45-33 last week.

The best player in Georgia regardless of classification, grade or position is Class AAAA No. 3 Madison County’s sophomore point guard Kayla McPherson. She is the best girls player I’ve watched over the past four years; she is a mini-Asia Durr and she will be in the WNBA if she continues to improve at the rate she is going. The 5-foot-7 dynamo torched Class 3A No. 5 Hart County for 64 points – a school-record – in the Red Raiders’ 93-68 victory. McPherson didn’t rack up the points against a nobody school, she did it against one of the best in their respective classification with a D-I point guard in Torrion Starks (Western Kentucky) and it wasn’t a layup line blow out. It was a 63-52 game before McPherson unleashed the knockout blow with 20 points in the fourth quarter. She finished with 64 points (11 threes), 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. And-1s, step-back threes, impossible finishes, slick dribbling and great court vision, McPherson is mixtape lore and must-watch entertainment before she heads to college. Offensively, the Red Raiders are a two-man show with McPherson and Old Dominion-signee Jordan Bailey who dumped in 17 points and 16 rebounds, but having the best player in the state on their team makes Madison County a legitimate title contender if McPherson stays hot come February and March. Elsewhere in the state, No. 2 Spalding beat Josey 51-40 and Class 5A No. 5 Southwest DeKalb 54-45. No. 5 Flowery Branch took care of last week’s Class 7A No. 8 Mill Creek 62-47. Northwest Whitfield (14-3) drops out of the rankings after losing at the buzzer to Coahulla Creek 46-44. They are replaced by No. 9 Baldwin, who finally resurfaces after a 70-40 win at Richmond Academy. Unsigned senior guard Crystal Corley is averaging 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.

No. 3 Jefferson rallied from down 28-14 in the second quarter to eventually score a crucial Region 8-AAA victory over No. 5 Hart County 66-61 as both teams chase No. 1 Morgan County in the classification’s toughest region. The Bulldogs couldn’t bounce back from their loss to the Dragons as they fell on the road against Class 4A No. 3 Madison County 93-68, nearly outscored by sophomore sensation Kayla McPherson who dropped 64 points. In the loss, Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks played well with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while 6-foot sophomore Taniya Alexander gobbled up 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. No. 4 Johnson-Savannah hosts No. 2 Beach this Tuesday with a chance to get some revenge for their 55-53 overtime defeat back in late November. No. 10 Dawson County sinks four spots following a 63-56 loss at Cherokee Bluff. Rutland (11-5) wasn’t as lucky, as their third straight loss drops them from the poll. The Hurricanes were beat by returnee No. 9 Peach County 48-43 and fell at Kendrick 54-51.

In Class AA, No. 1 Dodge County finally got the monkey off their back by beating East Laurens 88-80 after the Falcons swept the Squaws last season. No. 7 Swainsboro handed Class 5A No. 9 Statesboro their first loss of the season, 69-62. No. 8 Early County spanked Class A-Public No. 6 Calhoun County 52-25. No. 10 Washington County slips one spot after losing 46-35 to Southwest-Macon who now gets a crack at Dodge County to prove their legitimacy in not only Region 3, but statewide. The Patriots were blasted at home by the Squaws in their first meeting 63-27.

There is no movement in Class A-Private. No. 1 Wesleyan defeated Dillard (FL) 63-57 at the She Got Game Classic. No. 2 St. Francis turned back No. 7 Mt. Paran 59-42 on the road. No. 3 Holy Innocents’ lost 64-46 to Class 6A No. 1 Lovejoy at the She Got Game Classic. No. 6 Paideia survived at Galloway 58-56. No. 10 Darlington held off North Murray 41-36.

Turner County (10-5) couldn’t survive a week in the Class A-Public poll, losing to falling No. 10 Wilcox County 66-63 and rising No. 7 Clinch County 64-52. Wilcox County is down three spots after suffering a 61-26 beatdown at the hands of debutant No. 9 Dooly County, who is streaking, winners of nine-straight. The Bobcats avenged their 37-32 season-opening loss at Wilcox County in dominating fashion.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 7 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (12-0)
2. Collins Hill (15-1)
3. North Cobb (12-0)
4. Norcross (11-7)
5. Pebblebrook (13-1)
6. Grayson (12-1)
7. North Forsyth (10-3)
8. Mill Creek (12-3)
9. Cherokee (11-3)
10. Marietta (10-5) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (13-3)
2. Forest Park (14-2)
3. Northview (10-3)
4. Glynn Academy (13-2)
5. Stephenson (9-7)
6. Douglas County (11-4)
7. Dacula (11-3)
8. Valdosta (13-2)
9. New Manchester (12-2)
10. Pope (11-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (13-0)
2. Buford (10-1)
3. Southwest DeKalb (13-3)
4. Eagle’s Landing (10-3)
5. Harris County (10-3)
6. Statesboro (15-0)
7. Veterans (12-2)
8. Carrollton (10-5)
9. Wayne County (11-1)
10. Warner Robins (7-4)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (14-0)
2. Spalding (9-3)
3. Madison County (14-1)
4. Henry County (16-2)
5. Flowery Branch (12-3)
6. Luella (12-3)
7. Perry (8-3)
8. Westover (8-2)
9. Northwest Whitfield (14-2)
10. Marist (9-4)

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (11-3)
2. Beach (14-3)
3. Jefferson (13-2)
4. Hart County (12-2)
5. Johnson-Savannah (7-6)
6. Dawson County (10-5)
7. GAC (7-8)
8. North Hall (11-4)
9. Tattnall County (10-5)
10. Rutland (11-3)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (13-1)
2. Douglass (12-5)
3. Fitzgerald (13-0)
4. Laney (11-1)
5. Bryan County (14-0)
6. Rabun County (10-1)
7. Swainsboro (8-2)
8. Early County (10-1)
9. Washington County (11-2)
10. Banks County (11-3)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (14-0)
2. St. Francis (7-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (8-5)
4. ELCA (9-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (11-4)
6. Paideia (11-1)
7. Mt. Paran (11-0)
8. Stratford Academy (11-1)
9. Calvary Day (10-3)
10. Darlington (8-3)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (10-0)
2. Georgia Military College (7-1)
3. Telfair County (9-3)
4. Wheeler County (9-3)
5. Greenville (14-1)
6. Calhoun County (11-1)
7. Wilcox County (9-3)
8. Central-Talbotton (8-2)
9. Clinch County (5-2)
10. Turner County (10-3)

 

Two new number ones grace the top of the polls in our final ranking of 2018.

There was limited movement in Class AAAAAAA. No. 1 Westlake was 2-0 at the Big South Shootout, beating last week’s Class 3A No. 1 Beach 60-46 and last week’s Class 4A No. 10 Burke County 54-30. No. 2 Collins Hill won the Deep South Classic scoring wins over Archer 82-26, Class 3A No. 7 GAC 66-45 and in the championship, host Brookwood 49-42. No. 3 North Cobb shined at the Big South Shootout demolishing Burke County 52-27 and dispatching of Roswell 58-43. While the Lady Warriors might not have the same star power as Westlake and Collins Hill, Head Coach John Speeney demands the best from his girls and he often gets it, the backcourt powered by steady juniors Azonya Austin and three-point shooter Sydney Thomas. No. 5 Pebblebrook moves up a spot after beating No. 10 Marietta 33-27 for the Campbell Holiday Classic Championship. In out of state play, No. 4 Norcross went 1-2 at the Naples Holiday Shootout, No. 7 North Forsyth went 2-1 at the Carolina Invitational and No. 9 Cherokee swept through the Windermere Prep Rock Holiday Classic in Orlando while No. 8 Mill Creek finished 2-1.

With a newfound target on their back in Class AAAAAA, No. 4 Glynn Academy could not repeat last week’s success and drops one spot after losing 61-47 to Class 3A No. 9 Tattnall County 61-47 at the Vidalia Holiday Classic. No. 5 Stephenson is also down a spot after an 0-3 week at the USMC BallN Prep Holiday Invitational in Alabama. No. 7 Dacula rises a position following a 2-1 showing at the Carolina Invitational beating William Blount (TN) 52-31 and handing South Carolina power Goose Creek their first loss of the season 53-45, before falling to Hoover (AL) 63-39. Suspensions lead to a depleted Lanier (11-3) dropping from the poll after two bad losses to Monroe Area 34-23 and Stephens County 51-28. The Longhorns are replaced by re-entry No. 10 Pope. The Greyhounds won their Hounds Holiday Hoops Classic Championship by beating Hillgrove 51-47.

Facing their biggest test of the season, Class AAAAA No. 1 Villa Rica routed host Class 6A No. 9 New Manchester in their holiday tournament championship 57-37. Kentucky-signee Deasia Merrill dropped 29 points while Aliyah Hindsman added 11 points. Over at the BallN Prep Invitational in Alabama, No. 3 Southwest DeKalb went 2-1, highlighted by a 43-39 win over 20-2 Hazel Green (AL). At the same event, No. 8 Carrollton lost to Wenonah (AL) 55-42 and in OT to Anniston (AL) 57-51 before beating Midfield (AL) 44-37, dropping the Trojans one spot this week. No. 4 Eagle’s Landing posted a 2-1 showing at the Tampa Bay Invitational. Back in Georgia at the Sweet South Classic at Morgan County, No. 7 Veterans edged Class 4A No. 6 Luella 59-53 before eventually falling to Class 3A No. 1 Morgan County 69-55 in the title game.

Class AAAA saw No. 3 Madison County suffer its first loss of the year at the Deep South Classic, losing to host Brookwood 70-55. The Red Raiders bounced back with an 85-72 win over Class 3A No. 7 GAC. No. 4 Henry County flew through the Chuck Miller Classic and finished with a strong 68-42 win against Parkview. No. 5 Flowery Branch is hitting its stride, the Lady Falcons winning their fourth consecutive Lanierland title, drilling Class 3A No. 8 North Hall in the finals 48-23. Down in South Georgia, No. 8 Westover defeated GISA power Westwood 58-48 before splitting at the Vereen Rehab Christmas Shootout in Colquitt County, beating Rome 54-53 and losing to the host Packers 61-49. Out of the poll is Burke County (4-5). The Lady Bears have lost five-straight games and were trounced at the Big South Shootout by Class 7A No. 3 North Cobb 52-27 and Class 7A No. 1 Westlake 54-30. Replacing Burke County is returnee No. 10 Marist. The War Eagles went 2-1 at the Panama City Beach Bash last week.

We have a new number one in Class AAA as No. 1 Morgan County has climbed from No. 10 in Week 3 to the top spot after winning their Sweet South Classic, beating Class 5A No. 7 Veterans in the title game 69-55. No. 2 Beach slips a spot after hard-fought losses at the Big South Shootout to Georgia’s elite, Class 7A No. 1 Westlake 60-46 and Class A-Private No. 2 St. Francis 57-45. Up one spot is No. 4 Hart County who won their McDonald’s Shootout Championship, escaping No. 6 Dawson County 64-62 behind Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks’ 33 points and Taniya Alexander’s 26 points and 18 rebounds. Ringgold (11-3) slips from the poll after a 1-2 showing in tournament play, losing to Medina (OH) 47-44 and to Mukwonago (WI) 63-30 with a win against Steinbrenner (FL) 61-34 in between. Reappearing is No. 9 Tattnall County. The Warriors toppled Class 6A No. 4 Glynn Academy 61-47 at the Vidalia Christmas Classic before faltering against newly ranked Class 2A No. 9 Washington County 59-50.

The margin for error is getting slim atop Class AA as No. 1 Dodge County retakes the throne after No. 2 Douglass fell to Locust Grove 69-62 at the Mary Persons Christmas Classic. The Squaws won the Metter Christmas Championship by drilling South Effingham 107-63 and Southeast Bulloch 55-31. Breaking into the Top 3 is No. 3 Fitzgerald. The Lady Canes blasted Putnam County (9-3) at the Ronalda Pierce Classic, booting the War Eagles from the Top 10 after sitting at No. 7. Fitzgerald showed no mercy against traditional 3A power Peach County either, pounding the Trojans 72-41, good enough to leapfrog over No. 4 Laney and No. 5 Bryan County who both had perfect weeks. No. 8 Early County had a great week in South Georgia, knocking two Class A-Public teams from the Top 10, beating Mitchell County 81-50 and Pelham 55-41. Replacing Putnam County in the poll is No. 9 Washington County, who has patiently waited their turn. At the Vidalia Christmas Classic, the Golden Hawks defeated Camden County 55-54, Long County 69-10 and Class 3A No. 9 Tattnall County 59-50. Sophomore Miracle Parker is averaging 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 steals while junior Destinee Ellison is pouring in 16.8 points a night.

In Class A-Private, No. 1 Wesleyan rolled to a Carolina Invitational Championship beating Fort Dorchester (SC) 53-38, North Marion (WV) 68-35 and Bullitt East (KY) 51-35. No. 2 St. Francis took care of Class 3A No. 2 Beach at the Big South Shootout 57-45. No. 3 Holy Innocents’ finished 2-1 at the Naples Holiday Shootout. No. 4 ELCA climbs two spots following a 3-0 week. Rice-signee India Bellamy is averaging 21.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3 steals and 1.9 blocks while Polish sensation Weronika Hipp is posting 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals.

No. 1 Marion County tallied a 3-0 mark at the Muscogee County Christmas Tournament, beating Hardaway 58-40 in their final game to represent Class A-Public. Pelham (6-3) and Mitchell County (8-3) both depart after sharing losses to Class 2A No. 8 Early County. No. 5 Greenville scored a 56-53 win over debutant No. 9 Clinch County. The Panthers turned around and beat Mitchell County 68-65. Also making their way into the poll is No. 10 Turner County, winners of nine-straight. Their 65-63 victory against Putnam County last week is their signature win to date.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 6 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (10-0)
2. Collins Hill (12-1)
3. North Cobb (10-0)
4. Norcross (10-5)
5. Grayson (12-1)
6. Pebblebrook (10-1)
7. North Forsyth (8-2)
8. Mill Creek (10-2)
9. Marietta (8-4)
10. Cherokee (8-3) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (13-3)
2. Forest Park (12-1)
3. Glynn Academy (11-1)
4. Stephenson (9-4)
5. Northview (10-3)
6. Douglas County (11-4)
7. Lanier (10-1)
8. Dacula (9-2)
9. Valdosta (10-2)
10. New Manchester (10-1)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (10-0)
2. Buford (10-1)
3. Southwest DeKalb (11-2)
4. Eagle’s Landing (8-2)
5. Harris County (8-3)
6. Statesboro (12-0)
7. Carrollton (9-3)
8. Veterans (10-1)
9. Wayne County (10-1)
10. Warner Robins (7-4)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (13-0)
2. Spalding (8-2)
3. Madison County (12-0)
4. Henry County (14-2)
5. Flowery Branch (8-3)
6. Luella (10-2)
7. Perry (8-3)
8. Westover (6-1)
9. Northwest Whitfield (14-2)
10. Burke County (4-3)

Class AAA

1. Beach (14-1)
2. Morgan County (8-3)
3. Jefferson (11-1)
4. Johnson-Savannah (7-6)
5. Hart County (9-2)
6. GAC (6-6)
7. Dawson County (8-4)
8. Ringgold (10-1)
9. North Hall (9-3)
10. Rutland (11-3)

Class AA

1. Douglass (10-4)
2. Dodge County (11-1)
3. Laney (10-1)
4. Bryan County (12-0)
5. Fitzgerald (11-0)
6. Rabun County (7-1)
7. Putnam County (9-1)
8. Swainsboro (8-2)
9. Early County (7-1)
10. Banks County (9-3)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (11-0)
2. St. Francis (6-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (6-4)
4. Lakeview Academy (9-3)
5. Paideia (11-1)
6. ELCA (6-3)
7. Mt. Paran (11-0)
8. Stratford Academy (8-1)
9. Darlington (7-1)
10. Calvary Day (9-3)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (6-0)
2. Georgia Military College (7-1)
3. Telfair County (9-3)
4. Wheeler County (9-3)
5. Greenville (11-1)
6. Calhoun County (11-1)
7. Wilcox County (8-3)
8. Central-Talbotton (8-2)
9. Pelham (5-2)
10. Mitchell County (7-1)

 

A late surge just before Christmas leads to defending state champion No. 1 Westlake taking over the top spot in Class AAAAAAA, usurping No. 2 Collins Hill. The Lions dispatched of Class 6A No. 6 Douglas County 57-33 and Class 5A No. 3 Southwest DeKalb 60-37 in impressive fashion to win the Peach State Classic championship. The Eagles had a clean 3-0 week at the War Lodge Invitational beating Sequoyah 79-56, Class 3A No. 2 Morgan County 54-48 and South Forsyth 99-40. Senior Katherine Fourie drilled 8 threes against Sequoyah en route to 30 points and followed up with a 9-three encore against the War Eagles. No. 6 Pebblebrook leapfrogs inactive No. 7 North Forsyth following their 63-62 win over Class 5A No. 7 Carrollton.  No. 3 North Cobb edged No. 9 Marietta 49-39, but the Blue Devils still hold tight ahead of No. 10 Cherokee, who defeated Creekview 51-43 on the road.

Over in Myrtle Beach at the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational, Class AAAAAA No. 1 Lovejoy went 3-1 with their lone loss coming to Riverdale (TN) 47-33. No. 5 Northview finished 1-2 at the event, losing to Southeast Raleigh 53-41, who Lovejoy defeated 48-42. But the most impressive performance came back in Georgia on another coast as nobody in the state rose their stock more than No. 3 Glynn Academy. The Terrors explode up six spots after a statement week. Glynn Academy scored wins over Richmond Hill 44-39, last week’s Class A-Private No. 7 Calvary Day 49-36, last week’s Class 3A No. 2 Johnson-Savannah 68-64 and Class 3A No. 1 Beach 49-46 – their opponents boasting a combined 42-12 record. Coach Sharnesha Smith has rode 2020 5-foot-11 forward Zoesha Smith, the High Major recruit averaging 18.1 points and 12.6 rebounds.

The lone casualty in Class AAAAA is Arabia Mountain (12-3). The Rams were beat 50-36 at No. 3 Southwest DeKalb. Replacing Arabia Mountain is debutant No. 10 Warner Robins. The Demonettes went 3-0 at the Bear Brawl Classic, beating three ranked teams on their way to the title at Houston County. They beat last week’s Class 3A No. 6 Peach County 67-48, last week’s Class 4A No. 9 West Laurens 63-44 and in the title game Class 4A No. 7 Perry 49-48.

No. 1 Carver-Columbus represented Class AAAA well as they went 3-0 to win the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina, escaping Bishop O’Connell (VA) 48-46 in the title game. No. 3 Madison County got 43 points from Kayla McPherson in their thrilling 74-72 win at Class 3A No. 5 Hart County to remain undefeated. West Laurens (10-4) slides out of the poll after a 3-2 week, losing to Northside-Warner Robins 48-47 and newly ranked Class 5A No. 10 Warner Robins 63-44 with a win over Class A-Public No. 4 Wheeler County 54-50 sandwiched in between. No. 9 Northwest Whitfield makes their first appearance in the Top 10 following a 2-1 showing at Mistletoe Madness. Undersized 5-foot-8 post Jada Griffin is averaging 19.9 points and 8.6 rebounds.

Even though they suffered their first loss of the year to Class 6A No. 3 Glynn Academy, No. 1 Beach is still the team to beat in Class AAA. Before their loss they notched a 40-37 win over Camden County. Up another spot is No. 2 Morgan County. The Lady Dogs went 2-1 at the War Lodge Invitational with dominant wins over Alpharetta 60-33 and Cambridge 78-30 with a loss to last week’s Class 7A No. 1 Collins Hill 54-48 in between victories. Peach County (6-3) sinks from the Top 10 after a 1-2 showing at the Bear Brawl, losing to Class 5A No. 10 Warner Robins 67-48 and Class A-Public No. 4 Wheeler County 50-48. Even though the results weren’t up to par with the Trojans’ expectations, Da’Nasia Shaw was sensational, averaging 31 points, 9 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 blocks to win tournament MVP. Peach County is replaced by Region 4 foe No. 10 Rutland. The Hurricanes suffered a tough loss to Class A-Private No. 8 Stratford Academy 40-32 but before that, they earned a huge win against Class A-Public No. 2 Georgia Military College 45-42, outscoring the Bulldogs 15-4 in the fourth quarter to storm back. Sophomore Kayla Shines tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds. The 6-foot post is averaging 10.5 points and 8.4 rebounds on the season while senior BreAsia Davis is the eye of the storm with 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4.3 steals a night.

Not liking their No. 2 ranking in Class AA, No. 2 Dodge County took out their frustrations on opponents last week, beating a good Washington County team 73-64 before smashing Class A-Public No. 3 Telfair County for the second time this season 87-60, Destanee Wright scoring 31 points and Europe Brown netting 27 on her way to her 1,000th career point. No. 3 Laney survived on the road at Class 4A No. 10 Burke County 61-60. No. 9 Early County slips two spots after suffering their first loss of the year to Bainbridge 49-39. No. 8 Swainsboro is up a spot after a nice 54-51 win at Tattnall County.

In Class A-Private, No. 2 St. Francis went 1-2 at the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational, losing to the No. 2 ranked team in the nation Bishop McNamara (MD) 74-43. Back home, No. 3 Holy Innocents’ knocked off Class 7A No. 4 Norcross 65-54. No. 4 Lakeview Academy climbs two spots to hit their glass ceiling after beating No. 5 Paideia 47-45 and losing to Lakeside-DeKalb 52-49 at the Storm Classic held at Providence Christian Academy. No. 6 ELCA is down a spot after losing to Class A-Public No. 2 Georgia Military College 63-61. No. 7 Mt. Paran and No. 8 Stratford Academy rise two spots after No. 9 Darlington took a 50-39 loss to Model to knock them from the unbeatens while No. 10 Calvary Day lost 49-36 to Class 6A No. 3 Glynn Academy and 66-49 to Camden County.

No. 2 Georgia Military College fell 45-42 to Class 3A No. 10 Rutland but climbs two spots in Class A-Public thanks to their 63-61 win over Class A-Private No. 6 ELCA. No. 3 Telfair County falls as spot after an 87-60 loss to Class 2A No. 2 Dodge County. No. 4 Wheeler County had wins over Peach County 50-48 and Jeff Davis 60-41, but fall one position after a 54-50 loss to West Laurens.  No. 5 Greenville annihilated No. 9 Pelham 76-47. Bowdon (8-3) drops from the poll after a 46-44 loss to undefeated Class 4A Central-Carrollton. Debuting in the rankings is first-year Head Coach Monte Killins and No. 10 Mitchell County. Sophomore Anyla Bell is averaging 9 points and 4 assists while senior Ayanna Dennard helps balance the attack with 8.4 points per game.