Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (25-2)
2. McEachern (21-6)
3. Archer (22-4)
4. Collins Hill (22-4)
5. Mill Creek (23-4)
6. Lambert (24-2)
7. Colquitt County (21-4)
8. Brookwood (20-6)
9. Westlake (20-7)
10. Newton (20-6) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Douglas County (24-3)
2. Winder-Barrow (22-5)
3. Northview (25-3)
4. Harrison (22-5)
5. Grovetown (20-7)
6. Tucker (21-6)
7. Creekview (20-7)
8. Lovejoy (23-4)
9. Mays (17-9)
10. Gainesville (17-9) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (24-2)
2. Southwest DeKalb (23-4)
3. Carrollton (27-1)
4. Flowery Branch (21-6)
5. Warner Robins (25-1)
6. Griffin (25-1)
7. Maynard Jackson (22-2)
8. Eagle’s Landing (24-3)
9. Villa Rica (25-3)
10. Statesboro (18-8) 

Class AAAA

1. Cross Creek (23-4)
2. West Hall (22-5)
3. Jefferson (22-5)
4. Carver-Columbus (22-4)
5. Columbus (20-5)
6. Northwest Whitfield (21-5)
7. North Clayton (18-9)
8. North Oconee (21-5)
9. Spalding (20-6)
10. Americus-Sumter (23-5) 

Class AAA

1. Johnson-Savannah (23-2)
2. Greater Atlanta Christian (20-7)
3. Beach (24-2)
4. Haralson County (25-4)
5. Monroe (21-4)
6. Redan (19-6)
7. Calhoun (21-5)
8. Central-Macon (19-5)
9. Franklin County (20-6)
10. Ringgold (21-6)

Class AA

1. Laney (26-1)
2. Model (22-5)
3. Dodge County (24-3)
4. Fitzgerald (20-2)
5. Rabun County (25-2)
6. Bryan County (22-4)
7. Hapeville Charter (19-6)
8. Vidalia (22-5)
9. Banks County (19-8)
10. Heard County (20-6) 

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (24-4)
2. Wesleyan (24-4)
3. Holy Innocents’ (26-2)
4. Lakeview Academy (24-4)
5. Landmark Christian (22-4)
6. Pinecrest Academy (19-6)
7. Calvary Day (22-4)
8. Stratford Academy (19-5)
9. Darlington (21-6)
10. First Presbyterian Day (18-6) 

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (26-1)
2. Wheeler County (23-3)
3. Telfair County (24-2)
4. Woodville-Tompkins (22-5)
5. Marion County (22-5)
6. Taylor County (18-7)
7. Greenville (22-4)
8. Macon County (17-7)
9. Terrell County (20-6)
10. Hancock Central (20-5)

The final regular season Class AAAAAAA poll of the year sees No. 5 Mill Creek and No. 8 Brookwood swap places. The Hawks upset No. 4 Collins Hill in overtime 57-56, but the Eagles still hold onto the No.4 spot. Collins Hill defeated Mill Creek 64-42 and 60-48 in the regular season before the Region 6 championship loss. Brookwood fell in the Region 7 title game to No. 1 Norcross 61-32. No. 3 Archer survived No. 10 Newton in a Region 8 championship double overtime thriller 73-70.

Harrison’s reign of dominance has momentarily ended in Class AAAAAA. The Lady Hoyas held the No. 1 spot since Week 2 but their upset loss in the Region 6 championship to No. 7 Creekview 54-38 drops Harrison to No. 4. Sydne Wiggins, a Rice-signee, is back on crutches. Douglas County takes over the No. 1 ranking, leapfrogging No. 2 Winder-Barrow. Northview is up to No. 3 after winning the school’s first-ever region title. No. 6 Tucker took down No. 8 Lovejoy is the Region 4 championship 53-48, dropping the Wildcats three spots. Stephenson (18-10) drops out and is replaced by No. 10 Gainesville.

No. 1 Buford handled No. 4 Flowery Branch for a third time this season, beating the Falcons in the Region 8-AAAAA championship 53-38. Wayne County (17-6) departs from the Top 10 and is replaced by No. 10 Statesboro, a debutant to the poll who beat the Yellow Jackets 48-39 and then knocked off Ware County in the Region 2 championship 33-27.

No. 3 Jefferson beat No. 8 North Oconee for the third time in Region 8-AAAA as they won the title 42-29. Carver-Columbus made waves in Region 1, rising four spots after beating No. 5 Columbus 54-53 in the title game. No. 10 Americus-Sumter has fallen eight spots after being blown out by Columbus 63-44 and sinking to the fourth seed in the region with a stunning 60-54 loss to Shaw in the consolation game.  Heritage-Catoosa (25-3) tumbles out of the Top 10 after taking a 72-49 beating in the Region 6 championship at the hands of rival No. 6 Northwest Whitfield. Replacing the Generals is scorching hot No. 7 North Clayton. Following a 2-7 start to the season, the Eagles are now 18-9 and riding a 15-game winning streak. They crushed Henry County in the Region 4 championship 66-43.

Johnson-Savannah regains ahold of No. 1 in Class AAA after beating bitter rival No. 3 Beach 61-57 in the Region 3 championship, now making it two wins apiece for each side in the 4-game regular season series. Haralson County navigated its way to a Region 6 title and moves up four spots to No. 4 in the process. They defeated previously ranked Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 50-42, No. 10 Ringgold 46-36 and No. 7 Calhoun in the championship, 53-45. Redan and Central-Macon reappear in the poll. No. 6 Redan won Region 5 from the third seed while the Chargers extracted revenge in dramatic fashion, snapping Peach County’s 18-game win streak to capture the Region 4 title, 47-46. Along with Peach County, Hart County (22-5) also slips out. Morgan County is starting to peak as Tatyana Davis has helped the defending state champs win eight in a row including beating Hart County 50-43 in the semifinals and steamrolling No. 9 Franklin County in the Region 8 finals 57-37. The Bulldogs are only 15-12 but are extremely dangerous after a tough non-region schedule has prepared Morgan County for a title defense.

No. 3 Dodge County was stunned in Region 3-AA, losing to Bleckley County 61-54 in the championship after throttling the Royals by 20 and 26 points in the regular season. Swainsboro (17-9) departs from the poll after not being able to survive Region 2, losing to eventual champion No. 6 Bryan County 50-44 and to Jeff Davis 38-36, falling to the four-seed. Heard County cracks back into the Top 10 after a Region 5 championship.

In Class A-Private, the third time was a charm for No. 2 Wesleyan who finally solved No. 3 Holy Innocents’ in the Region 5 championship 59-50.

All roads to the state title in Class A-Public still lead through No. 1 Pelham as the Hornets dominated No. 9 Terrell County 54-20 in the Region 1 championship. Wheeler County jumps Telfair County for the No. 2 ranking after the Bulldogs defeated No. 4 Woodville-Tompkins 47-41 and Class A-Private No. 7 Calvary Day 50-46 to win the Region 3 crown. Over in Region 4, Marion County leaps back into the Top 10 at No. 5 after beating No. 8 Macon County 52-47 and winning the championship over No. 6 Taylor County 43-40, who is back in the poll replacing Wilcox County (20-6) and Mitchell County (19-6).

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (23-2)
2. McEachern (19-6)
3. Archer (20-4)
4. Collins Hill (21-3)
5. Brookwood (19-5)
6. Lambert (22-2)
7. Colquitt County (20-4)
8. Mill Creek (20-4)
9. Westlake (18-7)
10. Newton (19-5) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (21-4)
2. Winder-Barrow (20-5)
3. Douglas County (22-3)
4. Northview (22-3)
5. Lovejoy (21-3)
6. Mays (15-8)
7. Grovetown (18-7)
8. Tucker (18-6)
9. Creekview (18-7)
10. Stephenson (17-8) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (22-2)
2. Southwest DeKalb (21-4)
3. Flowery Branch (19-5)
4. Carrollton (24-1)
5. Warner Robins (23-1)
6. Griffin (23-1)
7. Maynard Jackson (20-2)
8. Villa Rica (23-2)
9. Eagle’s Landing (21-3)
10. Wayne County (18-3) 

Class AAAA

1. Cross Creek (21-4)
2. Americus-Sumter (22-3)
3. West Hall (20-5)
4. Jefferson (20-5)
5. Columbus (19-4)
6. North Oconee (20-4)
7. Heritage-Catoosa (23-2)
8. Carver-Columbus (20-4)
9. Northwest Whitfield (19-5)
10. Spalding (18-6) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (23-1)
2. Greater Atlanta Christian (17-7)
3. Johnson-Savannah (21-2)
4. Calhoun (20-4)
5. Ringgold (20-5)
6. Franklin County (19-5)
7. Peach County (20-3)
8. Haralson County (21-4)
9. Hart County (21-4)
10. Monroe (19-4)

Class AA

1. Laney (24-1)
2. Dodge County (23-2)
3. Model (20-5)
4. Fitzgerald (18-2)
5. Rabun County (23-2)
6. Bryan County (19-4)
7. Vidalia (21-4)
8. Hapeville Charter (17-6)
9. Banks County (17-7)
10. Swainsboro (17-7)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (21-4)
2. Holy Innocents’ (24-1)
3. Wesleyan (21-4)
4. Lakeview Academy (21-4)
5. Calvary Day (20-3)
6. Landmark Christian (21-3)
7. Darlington (20-5)
8. Pinecrest Academy (17-5)
9. Stratford Academy (16-5)
10. First Presbyterian Day (16-5) 

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (23-1)
2. Telfair County (22-2)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (21-4)
4. Greenville (22-3)
5. Wheeler County (20-3)
6. Hancock Central (19-4)
7. Macon County (17-6)
8. Wilcox County (19-5)
9. Terrell County (18-5)
10. Mitchell County (18-5)

***SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPIELIN’ & DEALIN’ PODCAST***
***FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON PODBEAN***

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (21-2)
2. McEachern (16-6)
3. Collins Hill (20-2)
4. Archer (18-4)
5. Brookwood (18-5)
6. Lambert (20-2)
7. Mill Creek (19-3)
8. Colquitt County (18-4)
9. Newton (18-4)
10. South Forsyth (16-7) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (19-4)
2. Winder-Barrow (17-5)
3. Douglas County (21-3)
4. Grovetown (17-6)
5. Northview (19-3)
6. Lovejoy (20-3)
7. Mays (12-8)
8. Tucker (16-6)
9. Stephenson (16-7)
10. Creekview (16-7) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (20-2)
2. Southwest DeKalb (20-4)
3. Flowery Branch (16-5)
4. Carrollton (21-1)
5. Warner Robins (21-1)
6. Griffin (20-1)
7. Villa Rica (20-2)
8. Eagle’s Landing (19-3)
9. Wayne County (16-3)
10. Maynard Jackson (18-2) 

Class AAAA

1. Cross Creek (19-4)
2. Americus-Sumter (19-3)
3. West Hall (18-5)
4. Jefferson (17-5)
5. North Oconee (18-3)
6. Columbus (17-4)
7. Heritage-Catoosa (21-2)
8. Carver-Columbus (18-4)
9. Henry County (17-5)
10. Northwest Whitfield (17-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (20-1)
2. Greater Atlanta Christian (16-6)
3. Johnson-Savannah (19-2)
4. Franklin County (18-4)
5. Calhoun (18-4)
6. Ringgold (17-5)
7. Cook (17-6)
8. Peach County (17-3)
9. Haralson County (20-4)
10. Monroe (15-4)

Class AA

1. Laney (21-1)
2. Dodge County (20-2)
3. Model (17-5)
4. Fitzgerald (16-2)
5. Rabun County (21-2)
6. Banks County (15-6)
7. Bryan County (16-4)
8. Swainsboro (15-6)
9. Vidalia (18-4)
10. Dade County (17-6) 

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (18-4)
2. Holy Innocents’ (23-1)
3. Wesleyan (19-4)
4. Lakeview Academy (19-4)
5. Calvary Day (18-3)
6. Pinecrest Academy (14-3)
7. Landmark Christian (18-3)
8. Darlington (18-5)
9. Aquinas (17-5)
10. Fellowship Christian (13-7) 

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (20-1)
2. Telfair County (19-2)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (19-4)
4. Greenville (20-3)
5. Wheeler County (18-3)
6. Marion County (18-4)
7. Hancock Central (16-4)
8. Macon County (16-6)
9. Wilcox County (17-5)
10. Taylor County (15-5)

It was a status quo week in Class AAAAAAA with everyone winning out except for Marietta (18-5), who drops from the poll. The Blue Devils beat North Cobb 57-51 and 42-29, but sandwiched in between was an ugly 76-40 loss to rival No. 2 McEachern. The Lady Indians also blew out North Paulding 87-48. Replacing Marietta is No. 10 South Forsyth. The War Eagles have won four straight games entering their Region 5 showdown with No. 6 Lambert on Tuesday. The Longhorns clipped the War Eagles 67-58 in their first meeting. Down in South Georgia, No. 8 Colquitt County looks determined to stay in the rankings and is officially the cream of the crop out of Region 1. The Packers crushed Tift County 62-27 after losing 56-53 in overtime on the road in their first meeting and drilled Camden County 66-35.

Things are starting to get sticky in Class AAAAAA but Harrison still holds onto their No. 1 ranking after suffering a 64-45 loss at Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis. Without guards Sydne Wiggins (Rice) and Harper Vick, the Hoyas held their own against the Knights and their pair of McDonald’s All-Americans (Maya Dodson – Stanford, Kasi Kushkituah – Tennessee). A 15-3 second quarter put the game out of reach, but Harrison remained competitive behind Avery Jordan’s 12 points off four threes. The top five teams in Region 4 all lost this week, leading to some shuffling. Lovejoy was upset by Mundy’s Mill 49-41 after beating No. 8 Tucker on the road 42-37. The loss sees the Wildcats slip three spots to No. 6. Tucker rebounded with a 62-50 win over No. 9 Stephenson, but proceeded to lose against Class AAAAA No. 2 Southwest DeKalb 46-41. Over in Region 5, No. 3 Douglas County turned back No. 7 Mays for the second time this season, 63-54. Even with the loss the Raiders creep up two spots. Don’t sleep on Mays. Out of their 8 losses, five have come out of state, two have come against Douglas County and one came against Class AA No. 1 Laney.  No. 5 Northview broke the school record in wins with a dominant 76-52 win over Region 7 foe Johns Creek. Gainesville (15-6) was the lone casualty this week after losing to Lanier 64-58. They are replaced by No. 10 Creekview.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Buford took care of No. 3 Flowery Branch for the second time this year 51-46, but were blown out at home by Class A-Private No. 3 Wesleyan 73-50. Even with their lopsided loss, the Wolves retain the top ranking. No. 2 Southwest DeKalb climbs over the Falcons after Flowery Branch fell to Class AAA No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian 66-58. Griffin suffered their first loss of the season at Columbia, 52-48, dropping the Bears two spots to No. 6. Carrollton is on the rise, moving up to No. 4 with their second victory over No. 7 Villa Rica 58-52 in Region 7. Harris County (16-4) drops out after losing at No. 5 Warner Robins 53-46. Something stinks in the state of Denmark as Maynard Jackson sinks from No. 5 to No. 10. The Jaguars had some peculiar results this week. They beat Carver-Atlanta 63-59 and Lithia Springs 56-53 before falling to Decatur 47-44. Though the loss to Decatur is a bit shocking, the two wins are interesting as well considering in their first meetings they beat Carver 76-39 and Lithia Springs 70-28. Maynard Jackson visits Decatur in a rematch on Tuesday with first-place on the line in Region 6.

There is a changing of the guard in Class AAAA as North Oconee relinquishes their hold on the No. 1 spot and slips to No. 5 after suffering a 56-48 loss to Jefferson, who skyrockets back into the poll at No. 4 after grabbing ahold of first-place in Region 8. It is now Cross Creek’s turn to have the No. 1 ranking target on their back. The Razorbacks, powered by 6-foot-2 power post and Memphis-signee Alana Davis, have lost just one game in the state of Georgia. They were defeated by Class AAAAAA No. 4 Grovetown 65-63 on the road in overtime before getting their revenge 57-51 on Dec. 30. Davis averages 17.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks as one of the state’s premier low block scorers. The next highest riser aside from Jefferson is No. 2 Americus-Sumter. The defending state champion Panthers beat No. 6 Columbus in overtime 49-46 to move up four spots. Senior Timia Swanson dropped in 17 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. On the year, the 5-foot-9 forward is averaging team-bests of 18.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.7 steals. Near the bottom of the poll, No. 7 Heritage-Catoosa took down No. 10 Northwest Whitfield 65-51. Sandy Creek (15-6) lost at Chapel Hill 59-46 and at last-place Cartersville 34-32, leading to the Patriots to drop out.

The best rivalry in the entire state lived up to its billing as No. 1 Beach won the season series against No. 3 Johnson-Savannah, scoring a 52-49 road win in Region 3-AAA. The Atomsmashers lose their grip on the No. 2 spot and are overtaken by Greater Atlanta Christian, who defeated Class AAAAA No. 3 Flowery Branch 66-58 after handling East Hall 71-49 on the road. No. 5 Calhoun defeated visiting No. 9 Haralson County 74-65, dropping the Rebels five spots. Monroe sinks five spots as well to No. 10 after they were beaten by poll debutant No. 7 Cook, 68-43. Cook now grabs ahold of first-place in Region 1. With the Hornets’ arrival in the Top 10, Hart County (19-4) drops out after a 49-48 loss to Morgan County.

Class AA No. 2 Dodge County dispatched of Class A-Public No. 2 Telfair County on the road 58-48 to make up for an early season 66-64 loss. Rabun County was edged by No. 6 Banks County 49-45, dropping the Wildcats to No. 5. Region 2 is getting messy as Bryan County (9-3), Swainsboro (10-2) and Vidalia (9-2) go 7-8-9 in the poll with Swainsboro holding a slim lead for first-place. The Tigers beat Bryan County 54-51 before the Redskins pounded Vidalia 60-35.  Heard County (16-6) and Hapeville Charter (14-6) depart from the poll. The Braves lost 19-18 to Temple and 44-42 at Jordan while the Hornets were upset at South Atlanta 70-65. Swainsboro and No. 10 Dade County return to the Top 10.

Class A-Private’s top three schools are the best top three out of any classification. No. 1 St. Francis beat Class AAAAAA No. 1 Harrison 64-45, No. 2 Holy Innocents’ beat No. 3 Wesleyan for the second time 81-74 before the Wolves took a bite out of Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford 73-50 at the Buford City Schools Arena. No. 5 Calvary Day finally solved Class A-Public No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins 64-63. Stratford Academy (14-5) and First Presbyterian Day (14-5) fall out. The Eagles beat the Vikings in overtime 45-39 but lost at Tattnall Square Academy 52-46. Into the poll for the first time is No. 9 Aquinas (17-5) and returnee No. 10 Fellowship Christian.

Mitchell County (15-5) was knocked from the Class A-Public Top 10 after a 54-41 loss to No. 1 Pelham and a 36-32 loss to Worth County. Greenville moves ahead of Wheeler County for the No. 4 spot following the Bulldogs’ tough 62-51 loss at No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins. No. 6 Marion County rides a 10-game winning streak into Tuesday’s showdown with Greenville. Treutlen (15-6) was defeated by No. 2 Telfair County 70-46, dropping the Vikings from the rankings. Back into the statewide picture is No. 9 Wilcox County and No. 10 Taylor County.

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (19-2)
2. McEachern (14-6)
3. Collins Hill (16-2)
4. Archer (16-4)
5. Brookwood (15-5)
6. Lambert (18-2)
7. Mill Creek (17-3)
8. Colquitt County (15-4)
9. Marietta (16-4)
10. Newton (16-4) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (17-3)
2. Winder-Barrow (14-5)
3. Lovejoy (18-2)
4. Douglas County (19-3)
5. Grovetown (15-6)
6. Northview (17-3)
7. Tucker (15-4)
8. Stephenson (14-6)
9. Mays (10-7)
10. Gainesville (13-5) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (17-1)
2. Flowery Branch (16-3)
3. Southwest DeKalb (18-4)
4. Griffin (19-0)
5. Maynard Jackson (16-1)
6. Carrollton (18-1)
7. Warner Robins (18-1)
8. Villa Rica (19-1)
9. Eagle’s Landing (18-3)
10. Harris County (16-3) 

Class AAAA

1. North Oconee (17-2)
2. Cross Creek (17-4)
3. Columbus (15-3)
4. West Hall (16-5)
5. Northwest Whitfield (16-4)
6. Americus-Sumter (16-3)
7. Heritage-Catoosa (19-2)
8. Carver-Columbus (15-4)
9. Sandy Creek (14-4)
10. Henry County (15-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (18-1)
2. Johnson-Savannah (19-1)
3. Greater Atlanta Christian (12-6)
4. Haralson County (18-3)
5. Monroe (15-3)
6. Franklin County (15-4)
7. Hart County (17-3)
8. Calhoun (16-4)
9. Ringgold (15-5)
10. Peach County (14-3) 

Class AA

1. Laney (19-1)
2. Dodge County (17-2)
3. Rabun County (19-1)
4. Model (15-5)
5. Vidalia (17-3)
6. Fitzgerald (13-2)
7. Bryan County (14-3)
8. Heard County (16-4)
9. Hapeville Charter (14-5)
10. Banks County (13-6) 

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (16-4)
2. Holy Innocents’ (21-1)
3. Wesleyan (17-3)
4. Lakeview Academy (16-4)
5. Calvary Day (16-3)
6. Pinecrest Academy (14-3)
7. Landmark Christian (15-3)
8. Darlington (14-5)
9. Stratford Academy (13-4)
10. First Presbyterian Day (13-4)

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (16-1)
2. Telfair County (17-1)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (17-3)
4. Wheeler County (17-2)
5. Greenville (17-3)
6. Mitchell County (15-3)
7. Hancock Central (13-3)
8. Marion County (16-4)
9. Treutlen (13-5)
10. Macon County (13-6)

The top three in Class AAAAAAA remains unchanged, but under them there has been major movement. Archer climbs to No. 4 after beating South Gwinnett 55-42, who beat No. 10 Newton 64-58. The Rams slide five spots following their loss to the Comets and a 72-59 MLK Day loss to Fayette County. Mill Creek slips three spots to No. 7 after losing 54-47 to No. 5 Brookwood and 64-42 to No. 3 Collins Hill. Westlake and Tift County both fall out. The Lions (15-6) were upset by North Clayton 50-49 while the Blue Devils (15-6) beat Class AA No. 6 Fitzgerald 55-42, but were part of Lowndes’ boys-girls sweep at the Palace, 46-41. Reentering the Top 10 is No. 8 Colquitt County and No. 9 Marietta. The Packers were road warriors in South Georgia, beating Lowndes in 2OT 78-71 and Camden County 53-36. The Blue Devils stopped North Paulding 69-59 and will run into buzz-saw No. 2 McEachern this Friday. The Indians knocked Marietta from the poll two weeks ago when they beat the Blue Devils 70-38.

In Class AAAAAA, Douglas County slips to No. 4 after a bad 50-46 loss against Columbia at the MLK Classic. Lovejoy rises to No. 3 after beating No. 8 Stephenson 40-37 and Jonesboro 50-46. The Wildcats get a chance to score another resume building win as they visit No. 7 Tucker on Tuesday. The Tigers earned a 43-40 victory over Jonesboro and won at Forest Park 62-52 this past week. No. 6 Northview crushed Chattahoochee (14-5) in a Region 7 showdown 68-43. The Cougars exit the poll after their loss to the Titans and a 48-45 loss to Johns Creek. In just his first year on the job, head coach Kirk Call has successfully turned the Gladiators program around. The former Parkview leader has seen Johns Creek improve from 6-19 to 15-6 this year. Along with Chattahoochee, Creekview (15-7) also exits the poll after a 52-46 loss at Woodstock. No. 10 Gainesville reappears while No. 9 Mays is back in the poll after a long hiatus. The Raiders are gearing up for another postseason run and are now 10-7 riding a five game winning streak.

Buford suffered their first loss of the year against Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis 53-45, but the Wolves still retain their No. 1 ranking in Class AAAAA. They scored wins at Loganville 47-35 and against Class AAAA No. 4 West Hall, 61-33. No. 3 Southwest DeKalb destroyed a good Arabia Mountain team in Region 5 action, 63-29. No. 7 Warner Robins held off No. 10 Harris County 51-49 on the road. After the loss, Harris County rebounded with a 44-42 victory over Bainbridge, knocking the Bearcats from the poll. Bainbridge also lost to Veterans 52-38. No. 6 Carrollton hosts No. 8 Villa Rica on Tuesday with first-place in Region 7 on the line. Cracking the poll, finally, is No. 9 Eagle’s Landing.

Cross Creek climbs up to No. 2 in Class AAAA after Carver-Columbus sinks all the way to No. 8. The Tigers lost to No. 3 Columbus 77-53 and at No. 6 Americus-Sumter 62-52. No. 5 Northwest Whitfield looks to stay perfect in Region 6 as they visit No. 7 Heritage-Catoosa. No. 1 North Oconee will have their hands full as they host Jefferson. Both teams are 5-0 in Region 8.

The stage is set in Class AAA as No. 1 Beach visits No. 2 Johnson-Savannah on Friday with the No. 1 ranking up for grabs in Round 3. It is the rubber match after the Atomsmashers beat Beach 45-42 on the road before losing in overtime to the Bulldogs 62-56 in the Memorial Health Holiday Classic Championship. Haralson County jumps up to No. 4 after handling No. 8 Calhoun 74-55 to pick up their 13^th straight win. Franklin County survived Morgan County 66-61 and now sits at No. 6. Redan (13-4) was blown out at Lovett 49-28 and goes from No. 4 to unranked. The Raiders are replaced by No. 10 Peach County who has won 11-straight and is currently 8-0 in Region 4.

A pair of Wildcats are streaking in Class AA. No. 1 Laney has won 18 in a row while No. 3 Rabun County has reeled off 17-straight. No. 4 Model was drilled at Class A-Private No. 3 Wesleyan 81-46 and No. 6 Fitzgerald fell at Tift County 55-42, but both teams hold onto their rankings and are not punished for going out and playing premier competition. Swainsboro (12-6) drops out of the rankings after a 38-34 loss at Statesboro. The Tigers are replaced by the Leopards of No. 10 Banks County.

There is a new No. 1 in Class A-Private, even though none of the top nine teams in the state lost a game. No. 1 St. Francis edges past No. 2 Holy Innocents’ as the two match quality win for quality win. The Golden Bears went on the road and beat Class AAA No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian 86-70 while the Knights handed Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford their first loss of the year at the ginormous Buford City Schools Arena, 53-45. The Knights take over the top spot thanks to their Buford win but more importantly, their undefeated record in the state of Georgia. The Golden Bears’ lone loss came against Class AAAAAAA No. 2 McEachern at Holiday Hoopsgiving, 78-71. Even though the result was months ago, the win at Buford does just enough to push the Knights ahead with their unblemished GHSA record also in mind. While it is a three team race with St. Francis, Holy Innocents’ and No. 3 Wesleyan, one of the best-of-the-rest teams, No. 6 Pinecrest Academy rode star Margaret Metz to a few more wins. Metz, the new all-time leading scorer in Paladin history, poured in 42 points in a 59-47 win at Fellowship Christian on Tuesday. No. 8 Darlington and their all-time leading scorer, Wofford-signee Anna Claire Atha, knocked Christian Heritage from the rankings with a 60-56 victory. Atha poured in 33 points and now has 2,015 for her career. Replacing Christian Heritage is No. 10 First Presbyterian Day, who returns after outscoring Tattnall Square Academy 23-4 in the fourth quarter to win 50-41 on the road. Kate Patterson dropped in 27 points.

If there was any doubt who the best team in Class A-Public is, there shouldn’t be anymore. No. 1 Pelham pummeled defending state runner-up Terrell County 70-19. No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins will attempt to beat Class A-Private No. 5 Calvary Day for a third time this Friday at Calvary. No. 4 Wheeler County went to No. 9 Treutlen and drilled the Vikings 55-38. Treutlen falls four spots. Taylor County (13-5) is replaced by No. 10 Macon County after the Bulldogs crushed the Vikings for the second time this season. Macon County won at home 67-35 on Dec. 22 and won this past week at Taylor County 57-39. The Bulldogs are now 11-2 in Region 4.

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (17-2)
2. McEachern (11-6)
3. Collins Hill (15-2)
4. Mill Creek (16-1)
5. Newton (14-2)
6. Archer (13-4)
7. Westlake (13-5)
8. Brookwood (12-5)
9. Lambert (15-2)
10. Tift County (14-5)

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (15-3)
2. Douglas County (16-2)
3. Winder-Barrow (11-5)
4. Lovejoy (15-2)
5. Stephenson (12-5)
6. Grovetown (12-6)
7. Northview (16-3)
8. Creekview (12-6)
9. Tucker (12-4)
10. Chattahoochee (12-3) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (15-0)
2. Flowery Branch (14-3)
3. Southwest DeKalb (15-4)
4. Griffin (16-0)
5. Maynard Jackson (15-1)
6. Carrollton (15-1)
7. Warner Robins (15-1)
8. Villa Rica (16-1)
9. Harris County (14-2)
10. Bainbridge (12-4)

Class AAAA

1. North Oconee (14-2)
2. Carver-Columbus (15-2)
3. West Hall (14-4)
4. Cross Creek (15-4)
5. Columbus (13-3)
6. Northwest Whitfield (13-4)
7. Heritage-Catoosa (17-2)
8. Americus-Sumter (14-3)
9. Sandy Creek (11-4)
10. Henry County (13-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (16-1)
2. Johnson-Savannah (16-1)
3. Greater Atlanta Christian (11-4)
4. Redan (11-3)
5. Calhoun (15-3)
6. Haralson County (14-3)
7. Monroe (14-3)
8. Franklin County (14-4)
9. Hart County (15-3)
10. Ringgold (13-5) 

Class AA

1. Laney (16-1)
2. Dodge County (14-2)
3. Rabun County (17-1)
4. Model (13-4)
5. Vidalia (14-3)
6. Fitzgerald (11-1)
7. Bryan County (12-3)
8. Heard County (14-4)
9. Swainsboro (10-5)
10. Hapeville Charter (11-5)

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (16-1)
2. St. Francis (13-4)
3. Wesleyan (14-3)
4. Lakeview Academy (14-4)
5. Calvary Day (13-3)
6. Pinecrest Academy (10-3)
7. Landmark Christian (13-3)
8. Darlington (11-5)
9. Stratford Academy (11-4)
10. Christian Heritage (9-5)

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (14-1)
2. Telfair County (15-1)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (15-3)
4. Wheeler County (15-2)
5. Treutlen (11-4)
6. Greenville (14-3)
7. Mitchell County (14-3)
8. Hancock Central (12-3)
9. Taylor County (12-4)
10. Marion County (13-4)

Each of the top three teams in Class AAAAAAA lost, but there is no change as Norcross, McEachern and Collins Hill go 1-2-3. The Blue Devils defeated No. 8 Brookwood on the road 48-40, but dropped to national power Riverdale, TN 69-50 at the Krossover Classic. McEachern blew out Marietta 70-38 and in the process knocked the Blue Devils from the Top 10. The Indians proceeded to lose to National Christian Academy, MD 57-48. Collins Hill’s loss came to Class A-Private No. 2 St. Francis 45-33. No. 5 Newton swaps places with No. 6 Archer after defeating the Tigers 56-53 on the road. New to the rankings is No. 10 Tift County. Another set of Blue Devils, Tift County beat Colquitt County in overtime 56-53 and won at Camden County 40-37.

Class AAAAAA No. 1 Harrison lost to Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford 49-43, but retains their hold atop of the state. Before their non-region loss, the Hoyas defeated No. 8 Creekview 56-41. The Grizzlies debut in the poll this week after knocking rival Sequoyah from the rankings with a 62-39 victory over the Chiefs. Also out of the Top 10 is Forest Park and Gainesville. Forest Park was crushed by No. 4 Lovejoy 57-16 while the Red Elephants lost at No. 3 Winder-Barrow 66-59 and to Class AAAAAAA No. 7 Westlake 57-43. Winder-Barrow drops a spot after they were crushed by Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ 68-33. New to the rankings this week is No. 9 Tucker and No. 10 Chattahoochee. The Cougars are in the statewide picture for the first time this season. They visit No. 7 Northview this Friday with a chance to cement themselves in the poll.

Buford’s victory over Harrison is as good as it gets right now in Class AAAAA. The Wolves are continuing to roll and have a firm hold on the No. 1 ranking. No. 7 Warner Robins suffered its first loss of the season and slips two spots. No. 10 Bainbridge defeated the Demonettes 48-43 and their victory propels them back into the Top 10. They replace McIntosh who was beat by No. 4 Griffin, 66-46. Villa Rica has been stuck at the No. 8 position, but the Wildcats are playing extremely well. They trounced Cass on the road 75-37. Region 7 will come down to Villa Rica’s rematch January 7 rematch at No. 6 Carrollton.

Class AAAA No. 1 North Oconee survived a scare from St. Pius, edging the Golden Lions 59-53. No. 2 Carver-Columbus turned back a tough No. 8 Americus-Sumter 50-47.  No. 7 Heritage-Catoosa spanked rival Class AAA No. 10 Ringgold 69-53.  No. 3 West Hall had a sluggish 35-32 victory over Chestatee.

No. 1 Beach over in Class AAA escaped a potential upset, winning at Glynn Academy 39-29. Hart County falls five spots after a 70-54 loss at home to Franklin County, who reenters the poll at No. 8. Ringgold tumbles four spots to No. 10 after their loss to Heritage-Catoosa and the fact that everyone behind them won out except for Central-Macon. The Chargers lost 42-40 to a surging Peach County. The Trojans are knocking at the door of busting into the Top 10.

The race for the No. 2 ranking in Class AA rages on. This week its Dodge County moving ahead of No. 3 Rabun County. The Indians have impressed out of Region 3. They went on the road and hammered Washington County 58-37, knocking the Golden Hawks from the poll. Dodge County also took it to Dublin on the road, 67-41. Fitzgerald was upset by Berrien 71-57 and falls two spots to No. 6. No. 4 Model is starting to regain their form, getting revenge against Class A-Private No. 10 Christian Heritage, beating the Lions 68-42 on the road after losing 63-52 earlier in the season. Dade County exits the poll after Model clipped them 63-48. Replacing the Wolverines is No. 9 Swainsboro. The Tigers have been playing sneaky good basketball and could play spoiler down the road in Region 2 as they are housed with No. 5 Vidalia who they split with and also No. 7 Bryan County who beat them by 12.

Both No. 1 Holy Innocents’ and No. 2 St. Francis made statements to not only the rest of Class A-Private, but the entire state. The Golden Bears crushed Winder-Barrow 68-33 while the Knights handled No. 6 Pinecrest Academy 71-53 and dispatched of host Collins Hill 45-33. First Presbyterian Day drops out of the rankings after a 37-29 loss to Wilkinson County. No. 9 Stratford Academy is back in the poll. The Eagles have rebounded from their ugly 24-13 loss to First Presbyterian Day which knocked them out of the poll. Stratford Academy defeated rival Tattnall Square Academy 42-32 and followed up with a road win over Wilkinson County 52-31.

Class A-Public No. 1 Pelham suffered its first loss of the year at Lowndes 71-70, but still remains the team to beat. No. 2 Telfair County boosted its resume with a 58-43 victory over Wilcox County, dropping the Patriots from the poll. Greenville slips two spots to No. 6 after a 56-49 loss at new No. 10 Marion County. Treutlen benefits from Greenville, Wilcox County and Taylor County all losing ahead of them and rise to No. 5.