Category Archives: Girls Basketball

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 8 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (13-1)
  2. Collins Hill (14-2)
  3. Norcross (14-3)
  4. Newton (13-2)
  5. Cherokee (13-2)
  6. North Forsyth (14-2)
  7. South Gwinnett (14-1)
  8. Colquitt County (14-3)
  9. North Cobb (13-2)
  10. McEachern (7-5)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (13-3)
  2. Lovejoy (15-1)
  3. Winder-Barrow (11-3)
  4. Alpharetta (13-1)
  5. Sequoyah (12-2)
  6. Forest Park (13-2)
  7. Northview (11-4)
  8. Lanier (13-3)
  9. Creekview (9-5)
  10. Stephenson (10-5)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (11-2)
  2. Dutchtown (14-2)
  3. Flowery Branch (13-4)
  4. Harris County (13-2)
  5. Bainbridge (16-2)
  6. Villa Rica (12-0)
  7. Arabia Mountain (13-1)
  8. Ware County (11-2)
  9. Carrollton (11-4)
  10. Fayette County (10-4)

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (16-1)
  2. Henry County (15-0)
  3. Spalding (12-2)
  4. Luella (13-3)
  5. Northwest Whitfield (13-2)
  6. Baldwin (14-1)
  7. Madison County (10-5)
  8. Marist (12-2)
  9. Americus-Sumter (13-1)
  10. Jefferson (11-4)

Class AAA

  1. Greater Atlanta Christian (11-3)
  2. Beach (13-1)
  3. Johnson-Savannah (9-3)
  4. Franklin County (16-0)
  5. Central-Macon (12-2)
  6. Lovett (12-4)
  7. Hart County (11-4)
  8. Peach County (11-4)
  9. Tattnall County (12-4)
  10. Haralson County (11-1)

Class AA

  1. Laney (14-0)
  2. Dodge County (12-1)
  3. Putnam County (12-1)
  4. Rabun County (12-2)
  5. Swainsboro (11-2)
  6. Josey (15-1)
  7. Model (11-3)
  8. Banks County (13-3)
  9. Washington County (10-3)
  10. Metter (11-3)

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (14-1)
  2. Wesleyan (12-2)
  3. St. Francis (9-3)
  4. Our Lady of Mercy (13-1)
  5. Calvary Day (14-1)
  6. Stratford Academy (11-2)
  7. Prince Avenue Christian (12-1)
  8. Landmark Christian (7-7)
  9. Christian Heritage (12-3)
  10. Athens Academy (12-2)

Class A-Public

  1. Telfair County (14-1)
  2. Greenville (13-1)
  3. Pelham (12-1)
  4. Wheeler County (10-2)
  5. Macon County (10-2)
  6. Terrell County (10-2)
  7. Georgia Military College (12-0)
  8. Wilcox County (9-4)
  9. Marion County (13-2)
  10. Bowdon (11-3)

 

Yet again, there is no movement in Class AAAAAAA, but No. 10 McEachern is on the verge of dropping out if they suffer an in-state loss. Their saving grace with their 7-5 record is that three losses have come in national tournaments. The Lady Indians’ listed results keep changing on MaxPreps, making it even harder to follow. A team that has been easy to track however has been No. 1 Westlake. The Lady Lions steam-rolled Wheeler 68-43 and Eagle’s Landing 78-51. No. 4 Newton beat rival Rockdale County 70-44 on the road. No. 8 Colquitt County has won 8-straight since their 55-46 loss to Westlake. The Lady Packers went into Camden County and earned a 51-42 win followed by a 55-34 thumping of Tift County.

No. 1 Harrison holds firm atop Class AAAAAA with No. 2 Lovejoy and No. 3 Winder-Barrow scoring great wins, close behind. The Lady Hoyas beat No. 5 Sequoyah in Hickory Flat 60-51. Lovejoy sent shockwaves through the state with a wildly impressive 55-49 win over Class 5A No. 1 Buford at the Big South Shootout. The Lady Doggs edged their evenly matched rivals, Class 5A No. 3 Flowery Branch, 50-49 in Hall County, Olivia Nelson-Ododa with 29 points and the game-winning free throw. No. 4 Alpharetta made a statement in Region 7 with their 59-53 win over the bipolar No. 7 Northview Lady Titans. River Ridge (11-4) and Northside-Warner Robins (11-3) exit the Top 10 after the Knights lost 54-36 to newly ranked No. 9 Creekview while the Eagles dropped in overtime at Valdosta 54-52. No. 10 Stephenson reenters the poll with a 38-36 win at Grayson.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Buford still has the target on their back even after their loss to Lovejoy. No. 3 Flowery Branch finally slips a spot, giving way to No. 2 Dutchtown. Region 1 places No. 4 Harris County and No. 5 Bainbridge. The Lady Tigers drilled Warner Robins 64-33 while the Bearcats took out Veterans 61-38. No. 6 Villa Rica can officially say they are the team to beat in Region 7. The Wildcats knocked Rome (10-2) from the Top 10 with a 66-51 victory and now sit at 7-0 in the region, with No. 9 Carrollton in second-place at 5-1, their lone loss to Villa Rica. Replacing Rome is No. 10 Fayette County. The Lady Tigers beat McIntosh 55-37 and travel to Starr’s Mill (11-4) on Tuesday with first-place in Region 3 up for grabs.

There were no changes in Class AAAA.  No. 2 Henry County blasted Locust Grove 81-49. No. 3 Spalding dispatched of Southwest DeKalb 66-52. No. 6 Baldwin holds onto their spot in the middle of the rankings even after suffering their first loss of the season at the Big South Shootout to Class 3A No. 2 Beach, 66-47.  No. 7 Madison County grinded out a 60-55 win at St. Pius X. No. 8 Marist did the same, beating the Golden Lions 28-26.

Class AAA No. 2 Beach looked good at Duluth, beating Baldwin and taking care of Duluth 53-33 at the Big South Shootout. No. 4 Franklin County has quietly run their record up to 16-0. They beat Stephens County at Currahee Arena 67-23. The Lady Lions will see a major test on Friday as they travel to No. 7 Hart County. No. 5 Central-Macon beat Southwest-Macon 61-46 and sent the Patriots out of the Class 2A Top 10. No. 10 Haralson County sinks three spots after losing to Sonoraville 60-51.

Region 8-AA has been one of the best groupings in the classification this year with No. 3 Putnam County, No. 4 Rabun County and No. 8 Banks County. The top five teams in the region (Elbert County & Monticello included) have a combined 57-18 record. Putnam County drops one position this week after Elbert County defeated them 54-52. Banks County took care of Elbert County 49-38 at Elbert and now the Lady Leopards have a Region 8 championship rematch at Rabun County on Tuesday to further sort out the logjam atop of the standings. Region 2 has some talent as well with No. 5 Swainsboro and newly ranked No. 10 Metter, who replaces Southwest-Macon after the Patriots lost to Central-Macon and Westside-Macon. Swainsboro won at St. Vincent’s 59-46, the much-improved Saints dropping to 10-2 after a 12-16 season. Metter gets a chance to prove their worth as they visit Swainsboro on Tuesday for a crucial region bout.

The trusty Sandy’s Spiel Rankings survived a coin-flip game in Class A-Private as No. 1 Holy Innocents’ defeated their bitter rival No. 2 Wesleyan 48-34 at Wesleyan, leading to no changes in the poll this week. No. 5 Calvary Day earned a nice 60-49 win over Woodville-Tompkins while No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian dispatched of prestigious Region 8 foe Lakeview Academy 54-34 at Lakeview.

In Class A-Public, Turner County (9-4) was bounced from the poll with a 71-56 loss at No. 8 Wilcox County. No. 9 Marion County slips two spots after an upset loss to Manchester, 55-46. Things don’t get easier for the Eagles as they travel to No. 2 Greenville on Tuesday.  The same goes for Turner County, as they host No. 1 Telfair County on Tuesday. Debuting in the Top 10 is No. 10 Bowdon. Over in the predominately private Region 6, the Red Devils have been sneaky good, sitting at 11-3 after a 9-16 campaign. Bowdon has strong wins over Class 7A 9-6 Kennesaw Mountain (43-42), Class 2A 10-4 Rockmart (66-49), Class A-Private 8-3 Mt. Paran (51-44) and Class 4A 9-5 Central-Carroll (50-39). Their three losses have come against No. 2 Greenville 78-55, at rival Bremen 64-43 (who they beat 62-47 in the rematch) and to Class 5A No. 6 Villa Rica 61-46.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-5

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 2 Norcross 80, Parkview 59: Ahmir Langlais put up 23 points and 8 rebounds in the losing effort for Parkview.

No. 3 Collins Hill 67, Mill Creek 54: The Eagles shook off an early 11-point deficit on the road. Queens-commit Chris Parks piled in 24 points while Elijah Wilson had 13 points and Northern Illinois-signee Justin Lee added 12. Kendall Latney scored 15 points and Chris Birch had 10 to lead the Hawks.

No. 4 Pebblebrook 63, Edgewater (FL) 60: Seniors Grant Howard and Mervin James led Pebblebrook in scoring with 15 points apiece.

No. 7 Newton 73, Rockdale County 52: UGA-commit Ashton Hagans went 9-of-11 from the field for 19 points. Dre Butler posted 21 points and Tyrease Brown knocked down three threes.

No. 10 Meadowcreek 80, Central Gwinnett 49: Jamir Chaplin had 23 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Detroit-commit Cory Hightower had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Dequarius Nicholas had 10 points and 5 assists.

North Cobb 59, Marietta 57: Kevin Hester Jr. collected 18 points in the win.

Brookwood 61, Lakeside-DeKalb 50:  Justin Randle scored 18 points followed by Toju Etiwe’s 12 and Jamison Collier’s 11.

Duluth 59, North Gwinnett 43: Adam Flagler netted 19 points and the electric Will Huzzie posted 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Kennesaw Mountain 82, Hillgrove 78: Joshua Strong led Kennesaw Mountain with 17 points, followed by Jaylen McCreary’s 13 points and Gabe Armstead’s 12 points. Christian Ramsey and John Barnes each scored 11 points (Ramsey also had 8 assists). Head Coach Jesse Bonner won his 500th game.

Woodstock 59, Lassiter 56: Josh Hardeman scored 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 steals. Will Allen scored Woodstock’s first 14 team points en route to 18 points and 6 rebounds on the night. Will Okonta led Lassiter with 19 points; Christian Jackson scored 11 points.

Class AAAAAA

No. 1 Langston Hughes 78, No. 4 Douglas County 67: Virginia Tech-signee Landers Nolley collected 24 points and 9 rebounds before being ejected. Tyler Smith helped with 15 points and 6 assists. Patrick Carter added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Douglas County was paced by Rickey Clark’s 17 points and 7 rebounds and Malik Battle’s 16 points and 4 assists.

No. 5 Gainesville 96, No. 6 Dacula 74: The Red Elephants pounded the Falcons in Region 8. KJ Buffen (24) and Xavier Bledson (17) led Gainesville. Brenden Tucker netted a game-high 30 for Dacula while Arusha Hunter put up 12.

Creekview 68, River Ridge 29: KJ Jenkins scored 13 points and Ty Allen netted 12 in the win. Paxton Nayman added 9 points and 9 rebounds.

South Paulding 52, Northgate 39: Cam Armstrong recorded 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.  Shane Gibson tallied 14 points, 25 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals.

Mundy’s Mill 71, ML King 63: Jordan Black scored 24 points. John Coats had 17 and Rayquan Brown netted 10.

Alexander 75, Creekside 71: Brady Spence led Alexander with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Chris Lunsford scored 17 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Jaylon Brown had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Sidni White filled the stat sheet with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals for the Cougars.

Class AAAAA

No. 2 Warner Robins 80, Harris County 55: Georgia State-signee Nelson Phillips poured in 27 points. Keshaun Houser added 13.

Chamblee 81, No. 3 Columbia 75: Chamblee threw a monkey wrench into the Region 5 picture with an upset of Columbia. Rodney Smith went for 23 points followed by Anathony Frazier (17), Zack Mackson (16) and Chance Moore (15).

No. 6 Miller Grove 47, No. 4 Lithonia 34: TJ Stargell had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals for the Wolverines.

No. 7 Southwest DeKalb 61, Arabia Mountain 52: James Glisson III had 16 points for the Panthers. Jaden Cyril added 12 points followed by Eugene Brown III (10) and Myles Lowe (8). Jordan Sterling led Arabia Mountain with 22 points and N’Kyzie Hawkins added 12 points in the loss.

No. 8 Villa Rica 67, Paulding County 59: Javonte Hart scored 20 points and Latrell Swanigan had 15. JJ Franklin scored 9 points, Kalil Humphreys netted 9 and took 5 charges and Phillip Zachery tallied 7 points and 7 assists.

Woodland-Stockbridge 63, Union Grove 60: Jalen Mason dropped in 20 points.

Carrollton 56, Cass 50: Cass received 11 points apiece from Carter Hedden and Ethan Carter in the loss.

Clarke Central 53, Flowery Branch 45: Justin Quick posted an 18 point/7 rebound/4 assist/ 3 steal statline to go along with Joey Nidoy’s 11 points in the loss for Flowery Branch.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Sandy Creek 63, Troup County 56: The Patriots withstood Jay Jefferson’s 31 points for a Region 5 win. Xavier Brewer had 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. Julian Alexander added 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Jarred Godfrey collected 10 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Kam Miller went for 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

No. 6 Westover 78, Shaw 74 OT: Kris Gardner broke out with 32 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.. Jordan Brown added 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. Ikenine Ochie posted 13 points and 5 rebounds. Shaw got 19 points and 6 rebounds from Jalen Ken. Rod Winfrey added 14 points and Lincoln Smith double-doubled with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Woodward Academy 50, Luella 27: Jacorrei Turner, Will Demorest and Walker Kessler all scored 9 points. Kevin Powell gobbled up 14 rebounds.

North Clayton 49, Eastside 46: North Clayton pulled out a close win against Region 4 foe Eastside behind balanced scoring: 9 points each from Joseph Wimbley, Xavier Valley, and Jaimonnie Watkins-Causwell, and 8 points from Derrius Martin.

Southeast Whitfield 58, Pickens 52: Zach Goss had 18 points, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Seth Bishop posted 16 points. Keinyuan Hooks finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals.

Blessed Trinity 57, West Hall 48: Noah Edmondson scored 19 points and Dee Buffington had 12 in the loss.

Class AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 63, Hart County 54: The shorthanded Bulldogs escaped Hartwell with a hard fought win. Alec Woodard had 22 points and Quin Williams added 16. Anthony Cooper finished with 13. Rex McCord had a team-high 11 for Hart County.

No. 4 Cedar Grove 69, Westminster 38: Jamari Dean shot lights out from the field to score 20 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Devon Barnes scored 12 points and Tworn Seals added 8 in the victory for Cedar Grove.

No. 6 Westside-Macon 89, Jackson 60: Khavon Moore hung 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Greg Holloway double-doubled with 21 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists. Kowacie Reeves Jr. tallied 9 points, 2 assists and 5 steals. JayShawn Booker scored 10 points and Javian Mosley added 6.

No. 8 Dawson County 94, East Hall 91 OT: Dawson County’s magical season continued, rallying from down 20 points in the second quarter to stun East Hall. Jeremiah Crumley dropped 26 points and 8 rebounds followed by Cullen Reed’s 21 points and 8 rebounds. Campbell Reed netted 21 points and Kane Pelfrey chipped in 14.

Lovett 53, Towers 44: Birthday boy Nick Jackson dumped in 21 points in the win.

Union County 76, Lumpkin County 54: Sawyer Drake scored 12 points early, but saw his night come to a premature end after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter. Crawford Colwell scored 21 and Pierson Allison added 11 in the win for Union County that saw them leading by as many as 29 points in the second half. Austin Black had 10 points for Lumpkin County.

Class AA

No. 10 Washington County 73, No. 3 Dublin 72: The Golden Hawks defended home court. Curtis Brown paced a wildly balanced attack with 10 points. Jarden Maze (9 points 5 assists), Conner Frazier (9 points), Shemor Robinson (9 points), Keith Foster (9 points 7 rebounds 3 blocks), Jawan Dukes (8 points 6 rebounds), Lazerionta Taylor (8 points) and Jamarius Dixon (8 points 9 rebounds) all came up huge.

No. 8 Jeff Davis 70, Bryan County 43: Jaqueze Kirby led the way for Jeff Davis with 25 points, Tae Thomas scored 16, and Kirese Manley scored 10 points.

Lamar County 60, Callaway 54: Dallas Ogletree powered the Trojans with 21 points, going 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Quay Parks pitched in 10 points.

Monticello 83, Rabun County 64: Malik Crawford posted 26 points and 11 rebounds while Ashton Bonner had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists.

Class A-Private

No. 1 St. Francis 70, Whitefield 45: Dwon Odom led the charge for St. Francis with 14 points and 6 assists, CJ Riley scored 13 points, Sam Hines posted 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Chase Ellis scored 12 points to stay unbeaten in the region.

Lakeview Academy 76, Tallulah Falls 60: Blake McIntyre posted 20 points and 11 assists while Adam Cottrell had 17 points. Arturo Varela scored 14.

Walker 67, Mt. Paran Christian 42: Burke Chebuhar led Walker with 14 points, Lake Boyer added 11 points, and Chandler Baker scored 8 points. All 11 players scored in the victory for Walker.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 6 North Forsyth 55, Forsyth Central 32: Caroline Martin scored 21 points and Catherine Shope netted 10. Cassie Markle finished with 8 rebounds and 7 steals.

South Forsyth 48, Milton 18: North Florida-commit Sara Idris collected 16 points and 6 rebounds. Olivia Woodison had 11 points. Milton was led by Grace Armfield’s 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block.

Class AAAAAA

No. 3 Winder-Barrow 57, Apalachee 23: UConn-commit Olivia Nelson-Ododa totaled 21 points and 12 rebounds. College of Charleston-commit Latrice Perkins netted 20 points.

Class AAAAA

No. 1 Buford 75, Walnut Grove 27: CJ Johnson scored 15 points and Tate Walters had 11 for the Lady Wolves. Mary Walters and Ebony Grant each scored 9.

No. 2 Flowery Branch 83, Clarke Central 50: Ashley Scott scored 17 points and Caroline Wysocki tossed in 16 points and 4 rebounds. Ashley Woodroffe had 13 points and 3 steals while Taniyah Worth added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Carly Shaw picked up 8 points and 6 rebounds. Lexie Sengkhammee notched 7 points, 9 assists and 3 steals.

No. 6 Villa Rica 74, Paulding County 25: Emmy Parham finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while Deasia Merrill posted 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Aliyah Hindsman had 10 points and 5 steals. Lexi Cooley produced 9 points and 3 rebounds.

Union Grove 48, Woodland-Stockbridge 45: Amia Brown netted 14 points in the defeat.

Eagle’s Landing 68, Locust Grove 58: Ashley Foster exploded for 25 points.Kiera Howard and Jasmine Atkins each scored 9 points. Reyonna Hopkins added 8 points and Briana Madison netted 7.

Class AAAA

No. 4 Luella 67, Woodward Academy 43: Shakira Lowery finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Pickens 69, Southeast Whitfield 36: Torie Williams put up 20 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, Mykenzie Weaver added 14 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Shelby Cook tacked on 7 points and 7 rebounds.

Stephens County 54, Oconee County 49: Keke Latner (16), Tykia Thompson (14) and Anaiah Wilson (12) paced the Lady Indians.

North Clayton 67, Eastside 62: Jasmine Holcombe was 2 steals short of a triple-double for North Clayton finishing the night with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 steals.

Class AAA

No. 6 Lovett 66, Towers 22: Stanford-commit Jenna Brown went for 30 points and 8 rebounds to pace the Lady Lions. Ellie McCollam and Sydney Johnson scored 14 apiece.

No. 8 Hart County 56, Morgan County 53 OT: Torrion Starks had a game-high 23 points in the win. Taniya Alexander scored 18.  Lou Reid powered Morgan County with 18 points.

Murray County 35, Coahulla Creek 27:  Allison Weaver netted 10 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Kasey Beavers had 9 points. Lily Snyder led the Colts with 11 points and Allie Young had 9 rebounds.

East Hall 64, Dawson County 61: Georgia State-signee Carly Winters paced the Vikingettes with 14 points. Jenny Lopez scored 12 and Maggie Griffin added 10. Tessa Rider (9), Ivey Shadburn (8) and Summer Lindsey (6) all got involved.

North Murray 50, Ringgold 48: Raven Stone scored 19 points and Sarah Plemons had 17 in the win.

Monroe Area 44, East Jackson 34:  Jemelah Jones scored 9 points for Monroe Area. In the loss, East Jackson received 13 and 12 points respectively, from Maurissa Thomas and Kenzie Whitehead.

Union County 53, Lumpkin County 34: Bailey Daniel scored 19 points and Kait McCarter posted 18. Lumpkin County was led by Isabel Davenport’s 19.

Jackson 66, Westside-Macon 65:  Freshman Kenyata Smith sunk 34 points and Gabbi Cartegena hit the game-winner and finished with 23 points.

Class AA

No. 4 Rabun County 72, Monticello 54: Georgia Stockton’s breakout season carried over into 2018, going for 29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. Kaitlin Coleman added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Laken Stiles chipped in 11 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals.

No. 6 Josey 57, Glenn Hills 16: Rhykeria Rolland scored 13 points and Tykedra Rolland had 12.

No. 8 Banks County 49, Elbert County 38: Jaycie Bowen scored 13 points to lead a balanced Lady Leopard attack. Allison Smith (11), Kailynn Gilstrap (8) and Amber Williams (7) all got in the scorebook.

Bleckley County 44, West Laurens 43: Jahnaria Brown finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks including the game-winning basket.

Bryan County 40, Jeff Davis 39: Olonna Rawls led Bryan County with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Jay Black netted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Class A-Private

No. 10 Athens Academy 52, Providence Christian 35: Gabby Mastandrea finished with 17 points while Greer Moseley had 16 points and 6 rebounds. Maddie McCleary tossed in a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Lakeview Academy 44, Tallulah Falls 30: Tori Taylor had 13 points and 6 rebounds while Sadie Thrailkill double-doubled with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Class A-Public

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-2-18

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 6 Mountain View 67, Mt. Bethel 53: Naheim Alleyne led Mountain View with 20 points, followed by Jalen Hayes with 16, Spencer Rodgers with 15, and Miles Long with 8 at the Big South Shootout. Mt. Bethel was led by Jaquez Gilbert’s five three-pointers and 22 points.

No. 8 Wheeler 59, Duluth 57: Duluth surged late in the second half but it wasn’t enough as EJ Montgomery was fed the ball in the paint and slammed it home to give Wheeler the lead with 1.7 seconds remaining in the game at the Big South Shootout. EJ Montgomery scored 24 and Austin Johnson had 20 of his own for Wheeler. Christian Kelly scored 18 points and Adam Flagler added 17 points for Duluth.

No. 10 Meadowcreek 60, Lincoln (FL) 53: At the Big South Shootout, Jamir Chaplin led Meadowcreek in the winning effort, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Emmanuel Collier went 4-for-5 from behind the arc to add 12 points, while Kedrick Green led Meadowcreek with 6 assists to bolster his 9 points on the day.

East Coweta 55, Milton 51: Fernandez Jones led East Coweta with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Chris Youngblood contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals while Brandon Stroud added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a solid AAAAAAA win for East Coweta at the Big South Shootout.

Class AAAAAA

No. 5 Gainesville 94, 5ANo. 2 Warner Robins 81: Jabo Bledson shoots 67% from the field (14-of-21) to lead Gainesville with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kejuan Hale added 16 points, Jarred Rosser 15 points, and KJ Buffen 14 points. Warner Robins was led by Jacolbey Owens’s 23 points and Nelson Phillips’s 10 points at the Big South Shootout.

No. 6 Dacula 82, North Clayton 60: Brenden Tucker scored 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Quincy Ademokoya dropped 19 points, while Arusha Hunter had 14 points for the Falcons in the Big South Shootout. Xavier Valley led all scorers with 22 points, and Joseph Wimbley added 15 points for North Clayton.

Cass 54, Woodland-Cartersville 29: Carter Hedden led Cass with 14 points, while Justice Hayes had 12 points. Jaylen Ballard led Woodland with 9 points.

Class AAAAA

Paulding County 102, East Paulding 79: Tyron Summerour had 23 points and  9 rebounds, Elijah Brown had 12 points, and KJ Shade had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Kevin Brown’s 11 points, Mike Seymour 10 points, and Jalen Sowells 10 points round out the double-digits scorers for Paulding County’s offensive showcase.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Sandy Creek 76, 5ANo. 10 McIntosh 53: TJ Bickerstaff led all scorers with 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Xavier Brewer had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks; Jared Godfrey had 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Kam Miller stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals for Sandy Creek. Chaz Hardin led McIntosh with 17 points and 4 rebounds, Cole Guenther had 8 points, and Bruce Carpenter had 6 points.

No. 4 Mary Persons 88, Veterans 48: Tre Edge led the scoring with 24 points, while Cam Holden recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Dee Morton added 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Desmond Williams added another 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Troup County 69, Chapel Hill 35: Jay Jefferson had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first half. Tristan Ware, King Mwikuita, and Andy Boykin had 8 points and a few rebounds apiece.  

Class AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 67, Franklin County 37: Tyrin Lawrence had 25 points and Alec Woodard scored 16 points in the win for Morgan County.

No. 5 GAC 82, Lumpkin County 22: Junior Hunter McIntosh scored 26 points to get him over the 1000-career point mark in the beatdown of Lumpkin County.

No. 6 Westside-Macon 60, Southwest-Macon 53: Westside-Macon was able to take care of business without Khavon Moore behind the 24 points and 11 rebounds of Greg Holloway and 14 points and 9 rebounds of Omar Jones.

No. 9 Central-Macon 67, Pike County 41: Kylan Hill led Central-Macon with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

East Jackson 73, Hart County 56: Kobe Haley led East Jackson with 22 points, Xavier Clark had 21 points, Makayl Rakestraw scored 15 points.

Long County 79, 2ANo. 8 Jeff Davis 56: Henry Blair led all scorers with 32 points, Terry Smith scored and even 10, and Stephan Hugley and Cristian Bass both contributed 9 points for Long County.

Class AA

No. 4 Banks County 81, Social Circle 63: Carl Cleveland and Dylan Orr led Banks County with 23 points apiece, the latter of whom also added 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Darrius Bonds (12 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) and Gabe Martin (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) also had solid nights to help Banks County stay unbeaten in the region.

No. 9 Elbert County 54, Putnam County 42: AJ James and Ty Hill led the charge for Elbert with 20 and 13 points, respectively.

Monticello 74, Oglethorpe County 61: Ashton Bonner accounted for more than half of Monticello’s points with 41 on the night. Malik Crawford added 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Northeast-Macon 57, Dodge County 54: DeMarcus Caines accounted for 29 of Dodge County’s points in the losing effort, followed by Nick Cummings’s 10 points and RJ Carr’s 5 points.

Class A-Private

No. 2 Aquinas 57, Creekside 47: DaJuan Hill led Aquinas with a 13-11 double-double, while Trent Bowdre added 11 points and 6 assists.

Walker 40, No. 4 King’s Ridge 35: Drew Miller led Walker with 15 points, Omar Cooper scored 10 points, and Burke Chebuhar scored 8 points.

Lakeview Academy 80, Hebron Christian 54: Blake McIntyre led Lakeview with 25 points and 8 rebounds, Adam Cottrell had 15 points and 5 assists, and Evan Pitts added an even 10 points.  

Class A-Public

No. 1 Central-Talbotton 64, Hawkinsville 52: Javares Copeland scored 21 points, ZyTavian Hill scored 17 points, and JaQuavius Smith had 12 points for Central-Talbotton.

No. 2 Manchester 71, Taylor County 45: Jah’Nile Hill had 19 points and 7 assists while Kalil Brawner had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in the win for Manchester.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

Class AAAAAA

No. 2 Lovejoy 55, 5ANo. 1 Buford 49: Lovejoy continues its streak of impressive play topping AAAAA favorite Buford behind Genesis Bryant’s 20 points and Anaya Boyd’s 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Cass 60, Woodland 24: Lyric Curtis led for Cass with 10 points, while the trio of Kyla Michienzi, Aaliyah Curtis, and Alexis Ware each had 9 points in the win.

Class AAAAA

Class AAAA

LaGrange 48, Central-Carrollton 44 OT: LaGrange opens up region play with a victory over the Central-Carrollton Lions. The Lions were led by the 17 points and 8 rebounds of Haley Fehring and Teonna Thomasson’s 10 points.

Sandy Creek 43, McIntosh 38: Da’ja Powell dominated the stat sheet with 22 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Paris Thompson helped the winning effort with 11 points, 7 steals, and 2 blocks. Rylee Calhoun led McIntosh with 19 points while Kennedi Miller dropped 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Class AAA

No. 5 Central Macon 68, Pike County 25: The Lady Chargers kicked off 2018 the right way led by Jada Clowers’s 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Central Macon had three other players in double digits: ReNesha Goolsby (15 points), JeNya Wilder (14 points, 6 rebounds), and Nakayia Greene (10 points, 5 rebounds).

No. 7 Haralson County 72, Spring Garden (AL) 50: Alexis Boykin led the Lady Rebels with 20 points, while Indiya Smith and Claire Robinson each chipped in 17 points in the victory.

No. 8 Hart County 58, East Jackson 37: Torrion Starks led Hart County with 26 points, Taniya Alexander scored 12 points, and Shakendra Grove had 11 points. Marissa Thomas led East Jackson with 16 points.

Class AA

Elbert County 54, No. 2 Putnam County 52: Niya Shumaker scored 21 points, Miya Turman had 15 points, and Maggie Campbell scored 7 in the upset win for Elbert County.

No. 4 Rabun County 75, Stephens County 55: Georgia Stockton scored 26 points and 7 rebounds, Hanna Cannon had 10 points, and Destiny Deetz was a point shy of a double-double with 9 points and 12 boards for Rabun County. Tykia Thompson scored 10 points and Tiana Teasley scored 9 points for Stephens County in the loss.

No. 6 Josey 54, Westside 43: Ebony Clark led Josey with 16 points, and Deajah Houck contributed 12 points to the winning effort.

No. 8 Banks County 80, Social Circle 34: Jaycie Bowen led the Lady Leopards with 20 points, Maddie Thomas scored 15 points, Allison Smith had 15 points, and Amber Williams had 9 points.

Class A-Private

No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian 59, Athens Christian 42: The Lady Wolverines had three scorers in double digits: Madison Britt (15 points), Ansley Hall (14 points), and Janie Henderson (11 points).

Lakeview Academy 59, Hebron Christian 34: Sadie Thrailkill scored 18 for Lakeview, followed closely by teammates Savanna Kinsey (11) and Maddie Towles (10).

Class A-Public

No. 1 Telfair County 74, Clinch County 61: India Wells exploded for 27 points, while Brandy Mackey scored 13 points, NyAsia Howard had 9, and Shalan Nelson scored 8 points in the win for Telfair.

No. 10 Athens Academy 36, George Walton Academy 30: Freshman Rose Bone dropped a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Greer Moseley contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 7 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (11-1)
  2. Collins Hill (13-2)
  3. Norcross (12-3)
  4. Newton (11-2)
  5. Cherokee (12-2)
  6. North Forsyth (11-2)
  7. South Gwinnett (12-1)
  8. Colquitt County (11-3)
  9. North Cobb (11-2)
  10. McEachern (7-4) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (10-3)
  2. Lovejoy (13-1)
  3. Winder-Barrow (9-3)
  4. Sequoyah (10-1)
  5. Northview (10-3)
  6. Alpharetta (12-1)
  7. Forest Park (12-2)
  8. Lanier (10-3)
  9. River Ridge (10-3)
  10. Northside-Warner Robins (9-2)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (9-1)
  2. Flowery Branch (11-3)
  3. Dutchtown (14-2)
  4. Harris County (10-2)
  5. Bainbridge (15-2)
  6. Villa Rica (10-0)
  7. Arabia Mountain (11-1)
  8. Ware County (8-2)
  9. Rome (8-1)
  10. Carrollton (8-4) 

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (15-1)
  2. Henry County (13-0)
  3. Spalding (11-2)
  4. Luella (11-3)
  5. Northwest Whitfield (11-2)
  6. Baldwin (11-0)
  7. Madison County (8-5)
  8. Marist (10-2)
  9. Americus-Sumter (12-1)
  10. Jefferson (10-4) 

Class AAA

  1. Greater Atlanta Christian (9-3)
  2. Beach (11-1)
  3. Johnson-Savannah (8-3)
  4. Franklin County (13-0)
  5. Central-Macon (10-2)
  6. Lovett (10-3)
  7. Haralson County (9-0)
  8. Hart County (8-4)
  9. Peach County (8-3)
  10. Tattnall County (9-4) 

Class AA

  1. Laney (13-0)
  2. Putnam County (11-0)
  3. Dodge County (10-1)
  4. Rabun County (10-2)
  5. Swainsboro (9-2)
  6. Josey (13-1)
  7. Model (10-3)
  8. Banks County (10-3)
  9. Washington County (9-3)
  10. Southwest-Macon (7-3) 

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (12-1)
  2. Wesleyan (11-1)
  3. St. Francis (8-3)
  4. Our Lady of Mercy (11-1)
  5. Calvary Day (12-1)
  6. Stratford Academy (9-2)
  7. Prince Avenue Christian (9-1)
  8. Landmark Christian (6-7)
  9. Christian Heritage (10-3)
  10. Athens Academy (9-2) 

Class A-Public

  1. Telfair County (11-1)
  2. Greenville (11-1)
  3. Pelham (9-1)
  4. Wheeler County (9-2)
  5. Macon County (8-2)
  6. Terrell County (9-2)
  7. Marion County (12-1)
  8. Georgia Military College (11-0)
  9. Turner County (7-3)
  10. Wilcox County (7-4)

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018. With national schedules in play, a handful of teams in Class AAAAAAA lost, but there is no movement in amongst the poll. No. 1 Westlake suffered their first loss of the year to nationally ranked No. 10 Mercer County, KY 77-73. No. 2 Collins Hill lost to No. 4 Riverdale, TN 70-61. No. 5 Cherokee lost in the Deep South Classic Championship to Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ by 23 while No. 7 South Gwinnett cruised past Class 3A No. 8 Hart County 70-45.

Class AAAAAA No. 5 Northview sinks three spots after losing to Hillgrove in the opening round of the Deep South Classic, 58-47. The Lady Titans rebounded with wins over Dacula (57-49) and Class 4A No. 7 Madison County (53-50). No. 1 Harrison went 2-1 at the KSA Holiday Tournament while No. 2 Lovejoy swept through the FBI Classic, posting a 3-0 mark.  No. 7 Forest Park went 2-0 at the Ball N Prep Invitational. Centennial (8-5) exits the poll after a week following a 1-2 showing out of state. The Knights are replaced by No. 9 River Ridge, who cracks the rankings for the first time. Sophomore transfer Savannah Samuel has been one of Cherokee County’s best players, dumping in 19.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game from her swingman position. The 6-foot Collins Hill transfer is a game-changer in Region 6.

No. 2 Flowery Branch romped its way to another Lanierland championship in Class AAAAA, beating East Hall for the title 64-44. No. 3 Dutchtown went 2-1 at the Holiday Basketball Classic in Palm Beach, one win coming via forfeit. No. 10 Carrollton slides two spots after a 1-2 showing at the Boo Williams Christmas Classic. Cedar Shoals’ (9-5) time in the poll was short-lived. The Lady Jaguars are out after losses to Class 3A No. 5 Central-Macon and Class 2A No. 9 Washington County. No. 9 Rome debuts in the rankings, coming off an impressive 74-71 win over Class 4A No. 4 Luella at Philips Arena.

Class AAAA front-runner No. 1 Carver-Columbus took their first loss at the Ball N Prep Invitational, losing to Alabama power Ramsay 68-46. No. 2 Henry County won the Chuck Miller Classic by besting Parkview 66-36. No. 7 Madison County has played one of the hardest schedules in the classification. They went 1-2 at the Deep South Classic, losing to Brookwood in 3OT 96-93 and to Class 6A No. 5 Northview 53-50. No. 6 Baldwin is on the move, up two spots after beating Class 3A No. 5 Central-Macon 66-62. No. 9 Americus-Sumter is hot, moving to 12-1. The Lady Panthers took out a good Tift County team 37-30 at the Ronalda Pierce Classic.

In Class AAA, No. 1 GAC dropped two games in Naples to No. 10 Mercer County, KY 84-68 and to Male, KY 74-64. No. 4 Franklin County made easy work in Augusta, going 3-0 at the Monterrey Christmas Classic, drilling Grovetown (43-19) and Cross Creek (49-23). No. 5 Central-Macon survived its gauntlet, going 2-1. The Lady Chargers defeated Class 2A No. 9 Washington County for the second time this year 53-49 and beat previously ranked Cedar Shoals 49-45 before falling to Baldwin. Dawson County (8-5) falls out of the Top 10 as the Lady Tigers await for Kaylee Sticker’s return. They finished 1-2 at the Cherokee, NC Christmas Tournament. No. 10 Tattnall County moves back into the poll.

As each week passes by, No. 2 Putnam County looks more and more like a true state title contender in Class AA. The War Eagles had a great week, beating Class 6A No. 10 Northside-Warner Robins (57-56), Upson-Lee (64-48) and Griffin (59-50). No. 4 Rabun County slips one spot after losing to undefeated Mountain Heritage, NC, 71-53. No. 9 Washington County defeated Cedar Shoals 52-47. Dublin (7-2) departs from the rankings to make way for debutant No. 10 Southwest-Macon, who beat the Irish 68-41 at home. The Lady Patriots’ only losses this season have come against ranked opponents: Central-Macon 55-31, at Washington County 61-57 and at No. 5 Swainsboro 63-52.

Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ won the Deep South Classic by beating Dacula (68-35), Hillgrove (68-48) and in the championship game, Class 7A No. 5 Cherokee 58-35. No. 2 Wesleyan went 3-0 at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational. No. 9 Christian Heritage plummets four spots after losing to Pickens 50-45 and to Coahulla Creek 56-52.  No. 8 Landmark Christian had a tough week but holds firm at No. 8 after going 0-3 in their out-of-state tournament.  Lakeview Academy (6-6) disappointed at Lanierland, going 1-2, losing to North Hall (53-46) and Chestatee (56-38), forcing the Lady Lions out of the Top 10. They are replaced by returnee and Region 8 foe No. 10 Athens Academy. The Lady Spartans earned a nice 44-37 win over Galloway.

Not much is going on in Class A-Public other than Woodville-Tompkins’ (9-5) slide out of the Top 10 after being ranked No. 6 last week following their 46-44 win over No. 6 Terrell County on Dec 22. The Lady Wolverines were upset by Emanuel County Institute 48-40. They are replaced by familiar face No. 10 Wilcox County. Elsewhere in the poll, No. 9 Turner County is getting in a grove. Outside of a bad 75-57 loss to Crisp County, the Lady Rebels dispatched of Treutlen 58-45 and more impressively, Fitzgerald 61-60.

GHSA, Girls Rankings

Week 6 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (9-0)
  2. Collins Hill (10-1)
  3. Norcross (12-3)
  4. Newton (10-1)
  5. Cherokee (10-1)
  6. North Forsyth (11-2)
  7. South Gwinnett (9-1)
  8. Colquitt County (8-3)
  9. North Cobb (9-2)
  10. McEachern (5-3)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (8-2)
  2. Northview (8-2)
  3. Lovejoy (10-1)
  4. Winder-Barrow (9-3)
  5. Sequoyah (10-1)
  6. Alpharetta (12-1)
  7. Forest Park (10-2)
  8. Lanier (10-3)
  9. Northside-Warner Robins (7-1)
  10. Centennial (7-3)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (9-1)
  2. Flowery Branch (8-3)
  3. Dutchtown (12-1)
  4. Harris County (8-2)
  5. Bainbridge (12-2)
  6. Villa Rica (9-0)
  7. Arabia Mountain (11-1)
  8. Carrollton (7-2)
  9. Cedar Shoals (8-3)
  10. Ware County (6-2)

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (12-0)
  2. Henry County (10-0)
  3. Spalding (10-0)
  4. Luella (11-2)
  5. Madison County (7-3)
  6. Northwest Whitfield (11-2)
  7. Marist (10-2)
  8. Baldwin (8-0)
  9. Jefferson (8-3)
  10. Americus-Sumter (9-1)

Class AAA

  1. Greater Atlanta Christian (8-1)
  2. Beach (11-1)
  3. Johnson-Savannah (8-3)
  4. Franklin County (10-0)
  5. Central-Macon (8-1)
  6. Lovett (10-3)
  7. Haralson County (7-0)
  8. Hart County (6-3)
  9. Peach County (8-3)
  10. Dawson County (7-3)

Class AA

  1. Laney (10-0)
  2. Putnam County (8-0)
  3. Rabun County (9-1)
  4. Dodge County (10-1)
  5. Swainsboro (9-2)
  6. Josey (13-1)
  7. Model (10-3)
  8. Banks County (8-3)
  9. Washington County (7-2)
  10. Dublin (6-1)

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (9-1)
  2. Wesleyan (8-1)
  3. St. Francis (8-3)
  4. Our Lady of Mercy (9-1)
  5. Christian Heritage (9-1)
  6. Calvary Day (11-1)
  7. Stratford Academy (6-2)
  8. Landmark Christian (6-4)
  9. Lakeview Academy (5-4)
  10. Prince Avenue Christian (6-1)

Class A-Public

  1. Telfair County (11-1)
  2. Greenville (9-1)
  3. Pelham (9-1)
  4. Wheeler County (9-2)
  5. Macon County (6-1)
  6. Woodville-Tompkins (9-4)
  7. Terrell County (7-2)
  8. Marion County (10-1)
  9. Georgia Military College (9-0)
  10. Turner County (5-2)

Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Westlake took home the Peach State Classic Championship, beating No. 8 Colquitt County 55-46, Maynard Jackson 77-36 and Tucker in the championship game, 61-40; three wins against teams that were ranked last week. No. 2 Collins Hill was just as impressive with a 56-48 win over Class 5A No. 1 Buford at the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic. No. 3 Norcross went 2-2 at the CresCom Bank Invitational.

No. 6 Alpharetta tumbles four spots in Class AAAAAA after losing to debutant No. 10 Centennial, 37-34. No. 4 Winder-Barrow finished 2-2 at the CresCom Bank Invitational. No. 8 Lanier is down one position after losing to Class 5A No. 7 Arabia Mountain 59-48. Tucker (7-4) departs from the Top 10 even after a 67-61 upset of Class 4A No. 4 Luella at the Peach State Classic. The Lady Tigers got beat by Westlake and lost on Dec. 15 to Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 61-57; a defeat that would have knocked Tucker from the polls last week if they would have reported the score to MaxPreps on time.

There are three new faces in the Class AAAAA Top 10. No. 7 Arabia Mountain, No. 9 Cedar Shoals and No. 10 Ware County. The Rams were squeezed out of the poll a few weeks ago but reemerge following 10-straight wins including a 59-48 win over Lanier. The Jaguars upset Class 7A No. 9 North Cobb 55-47 to earn their spot while the Gators won the Shane’s Rib Shack Tournament Championship by beating Class 2A No. 5 Swainsboro 62-53 and Class 4A No. 7 Marist 49-42. Out of the rankings are Maynard Jackson (7-2), Eagle’s Landing (9-5) and Southwest DeKalb (7-5). The Jags got hammered at the Peach State Classic on their home floor by Class 7A No. 1 Westlake 77-36 and by Class 4A No. 4 Luella 67-49. The Eagles suffered a 40-37 loss at St. Pius X while the Panthers went 2-2 at the Tarkanian Classic. At the top of the rankings, No. 1 Buford suffered their first loss of the year to Class 7A No. 2 Collins Hill. No. 2 Flowery Branch finished 2-1 at the KSA Holiday Tournament while No. 4 Harris County tallied a 2-2 showing at the CresCom Bank Invitational, beating Fayette County 68-59 in the process.

In Class AAAA, No. 1 Carver-Columbus won the William H. Shaw Christmas Tournament. No. 4 Luella clawed their way to a 2-1 record at the Peach State Classic. No. 5 Madison County jumps No. 6 Northwest Whitfield after their 50-42 win over Class 2A No. 8 Banks County. No. 9 Jefferson defeated West Hall 47-40, denying the Lady Spartans reentry into the Top 10 for at least another week.

No. 3 Johnson-Savannah climbs two spots in Class AAA thanks to their revenge win over No. 2 Beach, 48-43. No. 6 Lovett falls two positions after losing to Dutch Forks, SC 50-42 and Greenbrier 48-37 at the Savannah River Shootout. No. 5 Central-Macon won the State Bank & Trust Championship with a 65-44 win over Class 2A No. 9 Washington County. No. 10 Dawson County clings onto the final spot after a 61-45 loss at West Hall.

No. 1 Laney no longer seems unbeatable in Class AA. The Wildcats slipped by Cross Creek 62-59 and had to rally from down 25-8 to newly ranked No. 6 Josey to pull out a 70-57 victory. The Josey Lady Eagles pop up in the rankings at 13-1. With their measuring stick game finally in tow against Laney, there is confidence that Josey is a legit Top 10 team. Last season the Eagles put together an 18-9 record, but were steamrolled by Laney 74-32, 72-35 and 76-33. Outside of Laney’s two scares, the biggest result in the classification came in Region 8 where No. 2 Putnam County blasted No. 3 Rabun County 82-53. Jashanti Simmons poured in 25 points followed by Hailey Hyman’s 22 and Rykia Pennamon’s 18 to overpowered the LadyCats and Georgia Stockton’s game-high 38 points. Up three spots is No. 4 Dodge County, who continues to be a nightmare for larger schools. The Squaws stunned Wayne County 52-51 by outscoring the Lady Jackets 32-11 in the fourth quarter. Speaking of Class AA on Class AAAAA crime, No. 9 Washington County defeated Warner Robins 52-47.

Class A-Private No. 3 St. Francis went 3-1 at the CresCom Bank Invitational, beating Class 5A No. 4 Harris County 72-48 and eventually falling in the championship game to the No. 5 ranked team in the nation, New York’s Christ the King 67-61. No. 6 Calvary Day rises two spots after drilling Class A-Public No. 6 Woodville-Tompkins 69-40. Fellowship Christian (3-6) exits the Top 10. The one-man show of Colorado-signee Cameron Swartz hasn’t been enough to win games. They fell to No. 8 Landmark Christian 60-58 and finished 1-2 at the War Lodge Invitational. Replacing the Lady Paladins is returnee No. 10 Prince Avenue Christian.

In Class A-Public, No. 7 Terrell County’s win over No. 3 Pelham was short-lived, the Green Wave dropping four spots after a 46-44 loss to No. 6 Woodville-Tompkins, the Lady Wolverines still yet to be beaten by a fellow Class A-Public school. No. 2 Greenville pushed Class 4A No. 1 Carver-Columbus to the brink, 78-72 at the William H. Shaw Christmas Tournament. At the same event, No. 8 Marion County won the small schools bracket. Mitchell County (4-3) exits the poll on a two-game losing streak. They are replaced by No. 10 Turner County (5-2).