January 23, 2018 (Lovejoy, GA): On paper, it appeared to be a great matchup, the Lovejoy Lady Wildcats (19-1, 10-1), ranked No. 1 in AAAAAA, against the No. 8 ranked Tucker Lady Tigers (14-6, 8-3) on Tuesday night, both from Region 4. Tucker had won seven of its last eight and played tough against the Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Westlake Lady Lions before Christmas and seemed poised to push Lovejoy for a chance at region supremacy. But as the game unfolded, it became apparent that while Tucker was a good team, Lovejoy was a great team.
Just as a fine-tuned sportscar has multiple components that work together in unison to provide maximum production, Head Coach Cedric King has built his team in a similar fashion. He has the power of a proven scorer in sophomore Genesis Bryant. Bryant is unique in that she can score at will, but she also brings her entire team for the ride. They have the proven leadership of senior low post player Kayla Brown who can dominant the game in the paint and provide a defensive stopper. Add to the mix sophomore Anaya Boyd who has the skills to run the court like a point guard, shoot from the outside and post up against anyone. Top all of that off with a roster full of role-playing stars who fit the mold to perfection, and Lovejoy can play with anyone.
In the end, the Lady Wildcats completely dismantled the Lady Tigers for a convincing 68-33 win. With the regular season winding down, Coach King has his team steadily improving and ready to make a championship run. Even the reserves who got to play the final minutes for Lovejoy in relief seemed to have something to prove, they play with an edge.
The game started slowly for Lovejoy, they picked up two quick fouls and seemed to be a little hesitant early. The score was tied just passed the halfway point of the first quarter when the Lady Wildcats stepped on the throttle. Bryant and J’Auana Robinson both hit threes and when Mariah Spain drove the length of the floor after a steal for a layup to end the first quarter, they capped off a 12-1 run in just three minutes.
Bryant was brilliant throughout, she scored 14 points in the first half alone to extend the lead. As good as she was at creating scoring opportunities, Kayla Brown, the only senior on the roster, was equally impressive down low, she dominated the middle and imposed her will on the glass, gathering 11 rebounds. Tucker could not keep up with all the offensive fire power of the Wildcats.
The second quarter was an offensive clinic by Lovejoy, they scored on a perfect inbound pass from Robinson to Brown, a baseball pass from Bryant the entire length of the court to Brown for an easy layup and a deep three from Avanna Preston. Everything was working in the repertoire.
In the second half, Coach King substituted in waves, he seemed to have unlimited depth at his disposal. Eight of his players had points in the first half and two more joined the scorer’s sheet in the second half. Each player seemed to bring a specific skill set that complimented the team as a whole. After a three-point play by Bryant near the end of the third quarter, the Lady Wildcats had extended the lead to 58-20. Lovejoy was solid from the charity stripe as well, hitting 22-of-33 free throws (67%).
For Tucker, the game got out of hand quickly and took them out of their game plan. Senior guard Kierra Guthrie was able to dribble and penetrate, but the shots would not fall for the Lady Tigers and the constant pressure eventually wore them down. Junior Jasani Buchanan continued to fight, she scored early in the third quarter off a steal and later scored on a nice drive to the basket. She led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 10 points.
Senior guard Kayla Baise would make two three-pointers in the fourth, hopefully giving Tucker something they can pull from the rubble to carry into the next game.
As bad as the final score, the Lady Tigers are still in third-place in Region 4-AAAAAA, only one game behind No. 7 Stephenson for second. It is time to put this one behind them and finish strong in their final four games in the regular season, including their finale at home against the same Lovejoy team.
Afterwards, Coach King still saw room improvement, but was pleased overall. “Our girls competed and executed well, but we still need to improve our mental toughness. We tell them, don’t let anyone steal your joy while playing, which is important to getting better.” He also cited the play of junior Preston as key, “Avanna played a big part of the win tonight, I was proud of her, but as a team, there are a lot of areas we can improve.” The thought of Lovejoy getting better and mentally tougher should cause a lot of concern for the rest of class AAAAAA and with their youth and good coaching, they will be good for a while.
The War Lodge was host to an important Region 6-AAAAAA matchup between Sequoyah (16-5, 7-4) and the River Ridge Knights (15-5, 8-3). Deadlocked at 7-3 apiece in the standings, the winner would control third-place in the top-heavy region while No. 3 Harrison (16-4, 11-0) and No. 4 Creekview (13-6, 8-2) manned the top spots. The Lady Knights shook off a nightmarish opening four minutes to regain their composure and methodically chip away at an early deficit, eventually gaining control and closing out a 54-48 road win behind sophomore Savannah Samuel’s sensational night.
The Lady Chiefs jumped all over the Knights, forcing four quick turnovers and leading 8-0 at the 6:09 mark. Coach Jason Taylor laid into his players, exclaiming they were about to get ran out of the gym if they didn’t take better care of the ball. Another two minutes went by and things didn’t get much better, the Lady Chiefs up 14-4 as Sydney Rosant and AnnaLynne Bennett scored six apiece in the frame.
River Ridge would close on an 11-4 run to end the quarter down 18-15, Mary Allen Mansell sparking the Lady Knights with six early points and Samuel adding five.
The two teams traded buckets in the second quarter. Peyton Satterfield got hot with two threes for Sequoyah, but River Ridge’s size began to pose a problem as 6-foot-2 Lexi Palmer and 6-foot Faith Arthur scored four points apiece around the basket. Arthur added a contested jumper in the lane at the buzzer as the Knights entered the half trailing 28-25.
In the third quarter, Samuel took over. The 6-foot-1 wing led the charge as the Knights pounded the smaller Lady Chiefs on the boards. Samuel’s first six points of the quarter all came on put-backs as River Ridge finally got over the hump and seized their first lead of the game at 33-31 with 3:55 remaining.
At the end of three, River Ridge held a 37-36 advantage. Samuel scored 10 points in the quarter while Arthur crashed the glass alongside Samuel for second chance opportunities.
The Knights shut down senior leader Alyssa Cagle, who had only two points, both coming from the free throw line in the first quarter. With Cagle unable to find a field goal, the Lady Chiefs scrambled for baskets. Sequoyah trailed 41-40 before Samuel drilled a three in the corner to go up four with 3:33 left.
Samuel would finish with a game-high 30 points, scoring 23 of her team’s 29 second half points.
Macy Williams knocked down two free throws for the Chiefs to cut the lead to 46-44 with 2:18 to play, but Samuel continued to score at will, netting 13 points in the final frame, going 8-of-10 from the line.
Rosant floated in a tough bucket in the lane with 54 seconds remaining to make it a 50-48 game, but the Lady Chiefs were unable to keep the ball out of Samuel’s hands as she punished them from the line.
Sequoyah had a last gasp to make it a one possession game, but the Lady Knights got a crucial stop that resulted in a Leigh Codiniera rebound and two free throws at the other end with 13 seconds left to ice the game 54-48.
Cherokee County girls basketball just got that much more interesting. It would be too cliché to say a star was born, considering Savannah Samuel has averaged 20.9 points and 5.6 rebounds, but the 6-foot-1 sophomore transfer from Collins Hill has changed the outlook of an entire program. Gwinnett County’s loss is Cherokee County’s gain. Samuel was phenomenal, taking over the game against one the state’s best programs over the past four years. A lanky, fluid athlete that’s all arms and legs, Samuel can get to the hoop and finish through contact. She can stretch teams out to the three-point line and is a nuisance on the glass. She has a High Major D-I ceiling and could be one of the best players the county has seen in quite some time, a county with a rich tradition of girls basketball. River Ridge’s frontline did major damage against the Chiefs; Sequoyah’s one glaring weakness. While the entire roster took a backseat to Samuel in the second half, Faith Arthur and Lexi Palmer were relentless on the boards, taking Samuel’s lead. Arthur has a physical, sturdy frame that allows her to play inside and out. With three players standing over 6-foot, the Knights have the ability to dominate the paint. Freshman Leigh Codiniera showed promise and composure while handling the point guard duties. She went 4-of-4 from the line including the final two points of the game. Depth will be a major issue for the Knights come state tournament time. Outside of their starters, Sabrina Roberts and Emily Ruth combined for three rebounds and one steal; the only stats contributed by the bench.
Sequoyah looked like they were going to blitz the Lady Knights, coming out with intense defensive pressure, but eventually River Ridge settled in and the Lady Chiefs’ large lead evaporated by the end of the first quarter. Sydney Rosant came out firing. There’s not many shots the high-scoring junior won’t take. She was finding baskets early on and hit her season average with 13 points. The insertion of AnnaLynne Bennett into the starting lineup over tallest player, 5-foot-9 Emily Seres, paid early dividends. The engine that makes Sequoyah go, unsigned senior Alyssa Cagle, was held to two first quarter free throws. While she was unable to score, she affected the game in other ways, the 5-foot-6 bulldog leading the Lady Chiefs with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Her offense hasn’t been as consistent this year, but credit some of that to her deferring to Rosant. Sophomore Macy Williams had six points. She’s instant energy off the bench for Coach Derrick DeWitt. Williams is the next in a long line of tenacious Lady Chief guards. She is a major competitor on the floor.
No one in Class AAAAAAA suffered a loss this week as the rankings remain set in stone. No. 1 Westlake blitzed Campbell 80-32, No. 3 Norcross earned an outstanding 62-58 win over Class 5A No. 1 Buford at the BCB MLK Classic and No. 5 Cherokee dumped rival Sequoyah 68-53. No. 6 North Forsyth completed a season sweep of Lambert with a 46-30 win. No. 7 South Gwinnett edged Brookwood 48-45, No. 9 Colquitt County grinded out a 39-24 win over Camden County and No. 10 McEachern picked up a 65-56 victory against Wenonah (AL) at the BallN Powher Prep MLK Classic.
Preseason Class AAAAAA No. 1 Northview (16-5) drops out of the rankings. The Lady Titans have not played up to their potential yet this season and are bounced out after a 37-34 loss to Lambert, who was missing two starters. No. 2 Winder-Barrow has a big week as they visit No. 5 Lanier on Tuesday. The Lady Doggs lost 63-58 on December 15 in their first meeting with McDonald’s All-American Olivia Nelson-Ododa sidelined. No. 10 Alpharetta clings onto the final spot in the Top 10 after a disappointing 61-46 loss to Marietta at the Johns Creek MLK Showcase. Into the rankings for the first time since Week 1 is No. 9 Douglas County. The Lady Tigers have shaken off a 1-3 start to the season and have won 7-straight, including a 66-54 win over Fayette County at the J4Sports MLK Classic where All-State forward Amari Robinson poured in a career-high 41 points.
No. 1 meets No. 2 in Class AAAAA as No. 2 Flowery Branch tries to finally get the monkey off their back when they host No. 1 Buford on Tuesday. The Lady Falcons lost 58-48 in their first meeting this season after losing thrice last year. No. 3 Harris County defeated No. 6 Bainbridge 59-52 in overtime, sending the Bearcats down two spots. Undefeated No. 4 Villa Rica hosts No. 9 Carrollton in a pivotal Region 7 showdown while No. 10 Rome, back in the rankings, waits for a shot at both. Fayette County (13-5) departs after their loss to Douglas County.
Class AAAA No. 1 Carver-Columbus drilled Americus-Sumter 76-41. No. 3 Spalding earned a nice 53-49 win over Class 3A No. 5 Johnson-Savannah 53-49. No. 4 Northwest Whitfield avoided setbacks against rivals Pickens (72-61) and Dalton (52-49). No. 6 Madison County took care of business on the road at Jefferson 54-38. No. 7 Baldwin leaps No. 8 Marist after knocking Cross Creek (14-6) from the Top 10 with a 61-43 clinic and beating Class 2A No. 3 Washington County 57-47. The Braves host returnee No. 10 Burke County on Friday with a share of Region 3 first-place on the line. The Lady Bears beat the Braves 55-48 earlier this season. Burke County is coming off a 49-47 win over Cross Creek.
No. 1 GAC’s hold over Class AAA has loosened since Auburn-signee Robyn Benton re-tore her ACL. The Lady Spartans still managed wins over Union County (66-53) and Dawson County (69-52) without her. No. 3 Franklin County is sitting pretty at 21-0 while No. 5 Johnson-Savannah slips two spots, challenging themselves but coming up short with losses to Class AA No. 1 Laney 73-53 and Class 4A No. 3 Spalding. Region 2 is heating up as debutant No. 10 Pierce County beat No. 9 Tattnall County 54-51 in Blackshear. The Lady Bears replace Sonoraville (13-5) following the Lady Phoenix’s 60-51 loss to Pickens.
In Class AA, No. 1 Laney earned a 73-53 win over Class AAA No. 5 Johnson-Savannah. The rest of Top 4 all suffered losses. No. 2 Banks County retains their ranking after getting upset at Monticello 51-41. No. 3 Washington County slides up a spot thanks to wins over Evans (54-43) and East Laurens (72-52), overshadowing their tough 57-47 loss to Class 4A No. 7 Baldwin. No. 4 Putnam County climbs a position after sweeping No. 7 Rabun County, 56-47 and winning at Elbert County 52-47. No. 6 Swainsboro tumbles three spots. The Lady Tigers beat St. Vincent’s 48-45 but lost to Statesboro 52-42 after clipping the Blue Devils back on December 2. No. 5 Josey cracks the Top 5 just ahead of Swainsboro. In their lone meeting with mutual opponent Statesboro, the Lady Eagles won 55-43 in late November. No. 10 Dodge County has fallen all the way to the final rung of the rankings after losing for the second time to East Laurens, 55-47. Bryan County (16-3) was the unfortunate casualty this week, losing 50-47 at Metter. Debuting in the poll is No. 9 Early County. The Lady Bobcats are powered by 6-foot-2 freshman Mykayla Timpson. The post presence is averaging 19.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocks. Early County has already matched last year’s win total and four of their five losses have come in season sweeps to Class 5A No. 6 Bainbridge and Class 4A No. 9 Westover. The Bobcats’ resume is highlighted by a 68-61 win at Fitzgerald and a 66-43 rout of Class A-Public No. 10 Terrell County on Tuesday.
Class A-Private saw Prince Avenue Christian (17-2) have their 15-game winning streak snapped by No. 10 Athens Academy 51-44 and get replaced in the poll by the Spartans. The Region 8 race is tightening up as Lakeview Academy (13-7, 9-1) holds a slim lead on the Wolverines (8-1) and Athens Academy (7-2). No. 9 ELCA received 44 points from freshman phenom Weronika Hipp in their 73-42 win at Lake Oconee Academy.
Class A-Public is hotly contested in the middle of the pack, but up top, No. 1 Greenville and No. 2 Pelham are starting to separate themselves. The Lady Patriots crushed No. 6 Macon County 90-59 as the Lady Bulldogs also suffered a 56-47 loss to newly ranked No. 9 Central-Talbotton. The defending state champion Lady Hornets avenged their 61-60 loss to No. 10 Terrell County by topping the Green Wave 63-43. No. 5 Wheeler County took care of Woodville-Tompkins 62-47. No. 7 Marion County travels to Central-Talbotton on Tuesday. Georgia Military College (17-1) exits the Top 10 after a 48-43 loss at Greene County.
No. 7 Grayson 77, Archer 66: Unsigned senior guard Nick Edwards continued his red-hot play, going off for 27 points. Deivon Smith posted 22 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Kenyon Jackson added 4 points and 8 boards.
Lambert 82, North Forsyth 59: Jordan McIlwain drilled 6 threes en route to 26 points and 8 rebounds. Mitch Ganote had 18 points and 10 assists. Andrew Hama added 11 points and 4 steals. Damon Stoudamire Jr. collected 9 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Parkview 79, Central Gwinnett 75: Ahmir Langlais powered the Panthers with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Berkmar 64, Brookwood 40: Tony Johnson dropped 23 points in the win.
Class AAAAAA
No. 2 Gainesville 89, Dacula 55: The Red Elephants blasted the Falcons. KJ Buffen (16), Bailey Minor (15), Griffin Nevel (12), Xavier Bledson (11) and Jarred Rosser (10) paced Gainesville. Clayton State-signee Arusha Hunter and Quincy Ademokoya led Dacula with 13 points apiece. Shayne Buckingham had 10 points and Brenden Tucker scored 8. Mekhail Bethea did not play.
No. 9 Bradwell Institute 60, No. 3 Brunswick 52: The Pirates ran out of late game magic, losing to the Tigers. Isaiah Scott scored 16 points, picking up the slack for an injured Javonte LeCounte.
Lee County 75, Northside-Warner Robins 60: TJ Harris (21) and Javian Johnson (20) combined for 41 points in the Trojan win.
Alpharetta 67, Centennial 62: Brandon Barron poured in 23 points and RJ Pass had 17. Ryan Jenei scored 16. Rodney Howard totaled 13 points in the loss for the Knights.
Lanier 70, Habersham Central 50: Sion James (18), Alex Walker (15) and Adrian Martin (14) paced the Longhorns.
Apalachee 64, Winder-Barrow 56: Derek Miller finished with 14 points, 19 rebounds and 3 steals. Jamonte Wallace had 18 points and Deron Collier tacked on 7. Brandon Bannis tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds. Parker Miller scored 6.
Chattahoochee 68, Northview 57: Will Bracknell and AJ White scored 21 points apiece while Grant VanBeveren had 9 points in the win.
Class AAAAA
No. 1 Warner Robins 68, Thomas County Central 38: Jacolbey Owens (18), Champ Dawson (15) and Keshun Houser (12) all scored double figures. Jaron Zanders added 8 points.
Flowery Branch 66, Loganville 38: Justin Quick finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Myles Janess had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Patsheko Lutumba added 10 points. Blake Coxworth chipped in 8 points and 5 assists. JJ Greene had 7 points.
Starr’s Mill 58, McIntosh 48: The Panthers avenged a 64-54 loss in the Battle of the Bubble round 2. Julian Lynch put up 17 points. Drew Hudson and Nate Allison each had 16.
Class AAAA
No. 1 Upson-Lee 89, No. 3 Mary Persons 58: The Knights embarrassed Mary Persons in front of a capacity crowd at The Castle. MTSU-commit Tye Fagan poured in 31 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Cameron Traylor had 17 points and Travon Walker posted 12 points and 15 rebounds. Cam Holden scored 21 in the loss.
No. 2 St. Pius X 71, Stephens County 56: Troy Stephens scored 17 points and snagged 3 steals. Kennedy Willis finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Matt Gonzalo had 12 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Niko Broadway had 10 points. DeUndra Singleton piled in 21 points, Ty Nails had 14 points and Tae Thornton netted 10 points for the Indians.
No. 4 Westover 85, Hardaway 50: Jordan Brown dumped in 28 points and 7 assists. Cam Weston had 18 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. Kris Gardner posted 16 points and 8 assists. Mike Isler Jr. had 7 points and 12 rebounds.
No. 7 Cartersville 58, Cedartown 25: Furman-signee Jaylon Pugh had 17 points and Perignon Dyer netted 10 in the win.
No. 9 Carver-Columbus 51, Columbus 37: AJ Watts scored 20 points and grabbed 6 rebounds to pace the Tigers. Jalen King added 8 points and 7 rebounds. Xaiyhir Jacobs finished with 5 points and 9 rebounds. Noah Lott led Columbus with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Gray Voltz had 6 points.
Northwest Whitfield 79, Pickens 42: In the loss, Seth Bishop had 13 points and 5 rebounds. Keinyuan Hooks added 10 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
Jefferson 63, Madison County 42: Coach Kevin Morris’ reclamation project in Year 1 continued to flourish as the Dragons earned their 14th win after going 4-21 last season. Jasper Gibson (14), Jacob Radaker (11) and Donsha Gaither (10) led the way.
West Hall 60, Marist 37: Dee Buffington dropped 20 points and Noah Edmondson pitched in 15 in the Region 7 win.
LaFayette 61, Ridgeland 39: Alex Kelehear had 26 points. Jon Morgan added 13.
Class AAA
No. 1 Morgan County 66, Franklin County 49: Alec Woodard finished with 17 points to lead the Bulldogs while Anthony Cooper had 14 and Tyrin Lawrence 11. Franklin County received 14 points apiece from Titus Brown and Micah Roebuck.
No. 4 GAC 75, Union County 31: Roy Dixon scored 17 points, Chris Hinton had 13 and Ben Sheppard netted 12 for the Spartans. Hunter McIntosh finished with 11 points.3d Pierson Allison led Union County with 12. Patrick Baggett tossed in 11.
No. 5 Westside-Macon 103, Kendrick 90: Greg Holloway scored 26 points as the lead man for the Khavon Moore-less Seminoles. Javian Mosley tacked on 20 points and Des Foston scored 17.
No. 8 Windsor Forest 68, Savannah 53: Benjamin Mitchell scored 19 points and Lamon Page had 16.
No. 9 Dawson County 71, Lumpkin County 42: Cullen Reed scored 16 points to lead four double digit scorers. Ryan Gallenkamp had 13 points, Campbell Reed 13 and Jeremiah Crumley 10. Kane Pelfrey scored 7.
Monroe Area 80, Jackson County 61: Isaiah Glasper (19), Lakendric Lyles (12) and Quontarius Lackey (10) led the Hurricanes in scoring. Elijah Goodman had 9 points and 4 blocks. Michael Gray added 8 points and 5 rebounds.
Hart County 59, East Jackson 40: Elijah Robinson scored 14 points to help the Bulldogs to their fourth-straight Region 8 win. Tay Howard had a game-high 17 points in defeat.
Long County 65, Tattnall County 62: The Blue Tide is surging. Henry Blair scored 23 points followed by Terry Smith’s 16 and Christian Bass’ 10 points as Long County moved into first-place in Region 2.
Class AA
No. 4 Dublin 73, Bleckley County 59: Kam Pauldo had 28 points and 7 assists. Clarence Jackson added 20 points and 14 rebounds.
No. 5 Elbert County 54, Social Circle 31: Jamison Syphore had 17 points and 9 rebounds.
No. 10 Banks County 68, Monticello 61: Carl Cleveland pumped in 25 points and had 7 assists for the Leopards. Dylan Orr added 21 points and 10 rebounds. Gabe Martin scored 16 points and blocked 2 shots. Darius Bonds tallied 11 assists.In the loss, Ashton Bonner finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Malik Crawford double-doubled with 21 points and 11 rebounds. De’Ivion Lawrence had 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Gordon Central 80, Armuchee 63: Quan Curtis dropped 30 points to power the Warriors. Christian Marycz had 13 and Turner Mathis scored 11 in Gordon Central’s first win of the season.
Dodge County 67, East Laurens 17: Nick Cummings had 20 points. DeMarcus Caines scored 18 and Chris Clark netted 13.
Jeff Davis 74, Metter 57: Ja’Queze Kirby erupted for 34 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks in an important region victory.
Class A-Private
No. 5 Stratford Academy 60, Mt. de Sales 48: Jaden Harris scored 21 points and Devin Butts had 10.
Wesleyan 42, No. 6 Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 41: Wesleyan received 10 points from Micah Smith and 8 from JD Kavel in an important win. Stevie Crawford snatched 8 rebounds. In the loss, Tahj Keeton posted 18 points and 10 rebounds. Marques Frye had 10 points and Cam Bennett finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
No. 7 Lakeview Academy 72, Towns County 55: Blake McIntyre had 19 points followed by Drew Cottrell’s 16 and Holden Cooper’s 10.
Darlington 65, Trion 54: JD Hull had 16 points and Sam Tackeberry netted 14 in the win. Griffin Brewster and Barrick Wade added 10 apiece.
Fellowship Christian 71, Walker 68: Walker’s struggles continued with a loss to the Paladins. The Wolverines were led by Chandler Baker’s 22 points. Darius Garvin had 11 and Omar Cooper had 10.
Class A-Public
Dooly County 78, Crawford County 43: Jarquavius Brown had 21 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Zeff Felton added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Non-GHSA
Oak Hill, VA (B-Team) 91, Dawson Christian Academy 87 OT: Luke Chism had 32 points. Ethan Bryant scored 16 followed by Ahmad Kamara (15), Eli Burruss (13) and Seth Davis (11).
GIRLS
Class AAAAAAA
No. 5 Cherokee 57, Roswell 37: Sydne Watts had 15 points. Kate Johnson scored 8 and Laiken Wade, Olivia Herrera and Chatham Brown all had 6 points.
No. 6 North Forsyth 46, Lambert 30: Catherine Shope had 23 points. Caroline Martin added 7 points and 9 assists. Cassie Markle posted 6 points and 9 rebounds.
Grayson 67, Archer 63: Jazmine Robinson had 18 points and 5 rebounds. Bianca Fizouaty had 16 points and 3 rebounds.
Class AAAAAA
No. 2 Winder-Barrow 54, Apalachee 28: UConn-commit Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored the 1,500th point of her career while College of Charleston-commit Latrice Perkins pumped in 15 points.
No. 7 Northview 71, Chattahoochee 20: Eden Sample outscored the Lady Cougars with 23 points. Ashlee Austin had 12 points. Alahna Richards and Megan Cistulli had 8 apiece.
Dacula 49, Gainesville 46: The Lady Falcons drilled five threes in the fourth quarter to beat Gainesville. Kendall Bollmer had 14 points and 4 rebounds. Aiyana Hamilton collected 11 points and 9 rebounds while Keyanna Gibbs finished with 8 points and 7 boards. Chelsey Abel contributed 8 points and 4 rebounds.
Class AAAAA
No. 2 Flowery Branch 73, Loganville 35: Lexie Sengkhammee had 16 points and 5 assists while Alabama-signee Taniyah Worth posted 14 points, 4 assists and 5 steals. Ashley Scott collected 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Ashley Woodroffe had 10 points and 4 rebounds. Caroline Wysocki chipped in 8 points and 4 assists.
Class AAAA
No. 1 Carver-Columbus 81, Columbus 33: Sya Hall had 18 points, Olivia Cochran posted 13 points and 6 rebounds and Mariah Igus surpassed the 1,000-point barrier with 13 points and 3 steals in the win.
No. 4 Northwest Whitfield 72, Pickens 61: The Bruins received 18 points from Holly Heath. Jada Griffin double-doubled with 16 points and 10 rebounds. MaLane Kyer had 11 points and 5 steals. Mykenzie Weaver had 32 points in a losing effort. Torie Williams put up 9 points and 7 assists. Shelby Cook chipped in 6 points and 9 rebounds.
No. 6 Madison County 54, Jefferson 38: Jordan Bailey dropped in 17 points to pace the Red Raiders. McKenzie Tyner scored 11 to lead Jefferson.
St. Pius X 63, Stephens County 44: Nana Eades (12) and Tykia Thompson (9) paced the Lady Indians in the loss.
West Laurens 69, Perry 56: Ja’Kerra Wilbur had 22 points and 5 assists while MaKayla Murray double-doubled with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Calmela Mack pitched in 16 points and 4 steals in the win.
White County 57, Chestatee 51: Naomi Crumley and Dasha Cannon scored 14 points apiece. Madi Phillips (9) and Erin Dorsey (8) chipped in.
Class AAA
No. 1 GAC 66, Union County 53: MTSU-signee Taylor Sutton dropped 21 points and Wofford-commit MaryMartha Turner added 13 in GAC’s win over Union County. The Lady Panthers were led by Bailey Daniel’s 25 points. Brooke Dockrey scored 11 and Kait McCarter added 10.
No. 8 North Murray 52, Murray County 40: Raven Stone scored 16 points. Korbin Tipton netted 15 and Sarah Plemons had 12.
No. 9 Hart County 62, East Jackson 29: Torrion Starks poured in 30 points in the win. A’cira Teasley added 9 points while Taniya Alexander finished with 8 points and 17 rebounds. East Jackson was led by Abbie Howington’s 8.
Jenkins 36, Islands 29: Ki Gaskins had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. Zaniyah Sealey put up 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Jessie Barre had 7 points and 4 rebounds.
Dawson County 43, Lumpkin County 22: A healthy Kaylee Sticker was a major difference, scoring 16 points in the win. Sticker did not play in their 46-39 loss to Lumpkin County in December. Anna Lowe scored 11 points and Cadey Ayers had 8.
Class AA
Monticello 51, No. 2 Banks County 41: Banks County had a chance to take a death grip on Region 8 but instead were upset by Monticello after skyrocketing in the rankings. Amber Williams had 12 points in the loss. Jaycie Bowen had 10, Allison Smith (8) and Maddie Thomas (6).
No. 5 Putnam County 56, No. 6 Rabun County 47: In the loss, Laken Stiles finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Georgia Stockton had 13 points and 4 rebounds while Destiny Deetz added 12 rebounds. Putnam County rallied, taking their first lead with 2:30 left in the game to close out the LadyCats.
East Laurens 55, No. 8 Dodge County 47: The Squaws continued their slide with another loss. Destanee Wright had 16 points, Europe Brown scored 13 and Zanessia Mitchell netted 12.
No. 10 Bryan County 53, Toombs County 42: Olonna Rawls went off for 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Kelsey Leggett added 11 points.
Class A-Private
No. 2 Wesleyan 77, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 17: Nicole Azar scored 14 points and Paige Lyons added 12 points and 6 assists. AC Carter had 11 points. Furman-signee Sutton West collected 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Athens Academy 51, No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian 44: Gabby Mastandrea had 19 points and 5 rebounds while Rose Bone posted 18 points and 6 rebounds. Maddie McCleary scored 7 points and Greer Moseley netted 7.
Galloway 65, SACA 47: Jada Ryce poured in 21 points followed by Caitlin Felts’ 16 points and Meredith Potts’ 13. Mel Hartz added 9 points.
Savannah Christian 46, Woodville-Tompkins 32: Paige Dennis scored 15 points and Keziah Goodway had 14 for the Lady Raiders.
Fellowship Christian 62, Walker 58: Colorado-signee Cameron Swartz exploded for 46 points (6 threes) on Senior Night to rally the Lady Paladins, scoring five points in the final 44 seconds to push past the Wolverines.
Lakeview Academy 58, Towns County 38: Maddy Towles had 14 points, 7 assists and 4 steals. Tori Taylor added 13 points and 7 rebounds while Sasvanna Kinsey posted 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Fitzgerald 64, Thomasville 62: Kirstin Crook had 18 points while Trinity Jones had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the win. Hayleigh Ross added 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Class A-Public
No. 3 Telfair County 68, Echols County 46: India Wells had 29 points and Tanajawa Graham added 10. Brandy Mackey pitched in 8 points.
Just like on the boys’ side, we have two new No. 1’s this week. In Class AAAAAAA, everything was status quo with the top seven remaining unchanged. No. 3 Norcross highlighted the action by stomping Brookwood 59-29 and beating Bearden (TN) at the Krossover Classic, 57-53. No. 5 Cherokee beat Woodstock 63-41 and No. 6 North Forsyth drilled rivals South Forsyth (59-37) and West Forsyth (78-24). No. 9 Colquitt County falls one spot after going 1-1 at the Rose Classic Super Jam. The Lady Packers defeated T.C. Williams (VA) 55-47 before losing to Rock Creek Christian Academy (MD) 75-53. No. 8 Hillgrove debuts after knocking out North Cobb (15-3). The Lady Hawks handled the Lady Warriors 51-34 and picked up wins over Marietta 66-46 and at Woodstock 58-41. Hillgrove now has its sights set on rival No. 10 McEachern. The Lady Hawks take the short eight-minute ride over on Tuesday and have a chance to take firm control of Region 3. The Lady Indians struggled to beat Marietta 62-55 last week.
No. 1 Lovejoy regains control of the top spot in Class AAAAAA for the first time since Week 4. The Lady Wildcats held off No. 6 Forest Park 52-48 on the road. No. 3 Harrison drops two places after losing to Class 5A No. 1 Buford 57-35. The Lady Hoyas survived No. 4 Creekview in double overtime 29-26 before the loss to Buford. Creekview surges up five spots after their defensive war with Harrison and their blowout of rival Sequoyah (14-3), who falls out of the Top 10. The Grizzlies sucked the life out of the Lady Chiefs winning 46-21 in the War Lodge after holding Sequoyah to a 5-point first half. Creekview has now won five consecutive meetings with their Hickory Flat foes. No. 8 Alpharetta plummets four spots after an upset 42-37 loss at Johns Creek. New to the poll this week is No. 10 Tucker, who returns for the first time since Week 5.
Down six spots in Class AAAAA is No. 8 Dutchtown. Eagle’s Landing avenged a 49-41 loss by beating the Lady Bulldogs 54-46. The Lady Eagles (12-6) are now knocking on the door of the Top 10 and are back in the thick of things in Region 4. No. 4 Harris County had a strong week, beating Veterans 50-35 and winning at McIntosh 65-52. The Villa Rica basketball program is now a combined 31-0 as the No. 6 boys are 16-0 and the No. 5 girls are 15-0. Chasing the Wildcats in Region 7 are No. 9 Carrollton and Rome (14-2). The two meet in Carrollton on Tuesday. No. 10 Fayette County earned a hard-fought Region 3 win at Starr’s Mill in overtime, 57-50.
Class AAAA No. 1 Carver-Columbus helped send Americus-Sumter (14-3) out of the Top 10 with a 69-51 defeat. The Lady Panthers also lost to new Region 1 representative, debutant No. 9 Westover 51-45. Elsewhere, No. 2 Henry County suffered their first loss of the year at the Elite Showcase in New York City, losing to Shenendehowa (NY) 73-51 after beating No. 5 Luella 68-61 at home. No. 7 Marist beat Class A-Private No. 9 Landmark Christian in convincing fashion, 54-35. No. 8 Baldwin falls two spots after a 55-48 loss at Burke County. The Braves now have to deal with newly ranked No. 10 Cross Creek on Tuesday. The Lady Razorbacks have been powered by freshman Jordyn Dorsey, who is averaging 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Cross Creek replaces Jefferson (13-5) in the rankings after the Lady Dragons fell to St. Pius X, 49-39.
In Class AAA, No. 4 Franklin County made a statement behind Mya Jones’ 28 points in a 64-46 win at No. 9 Hart County. Out of the poll are Peach County (11-6) and Haralson County (13-2). Peach County was thumped by No. 5 Central-Macon 42-22 while the Rebelettes lost to returnee No. 8 North Murray 50-49. Debuting in the poll is another Region 6 team, No. 10 Sonoraville. The Lady Phoenix have been paced by youngsters Alexa Geary (2021) and Maliyah Parks (2020). Sonoraville already holds a 60-51 win over Haralson County coming back on January 5.
The race in Class AA is tightening up as No. 1 Laney withstood another scare from No. 7 Josey, 67-60 to remain perfect. No. 8 Dodge County’s troubling trend continues. Every time I’m ready to push all my chips to the middle of the table to pronounce Dodge County as a legit title contender, the Squaws flop. They sink six spots after a 71-52 blowout home loss against No. 4 Washington County, who leaps five spots after also adding a 53-42 win at Southwest-Macon. No. 3 Swainsboro climbs two positions after dropping Metter (13-4) from the Top 10 with a 59-43 loss. The hottest team in Class AA however, is none other than No. 2 Banks County. The Lady Leopards have played a gauntlet thus far and it is paying off. The winners of 10-straight shoot up six positions after winning at No. 6 Rabun County 59-49 and hammering No. 5 Putnam County 61-40. At the bottom of the rankings, No. 10 Bryan County debuts behind the play of sophomore Olonna Rawls. The Redskins host Metter on Tuesday to cement their Top 10 status.
Everyone is streaking in Class A-Private, meaning there’s not much room for movement among the top seven. No. 1 Holy Innocents’ has won 14-straight after beating Hoover (AL) at the Krossover Classic 53-48. No. 4 Our Lady of Mercy now has 15-straight victories under their belt after a 50-38 win at newly ranked No. 10 ELCA. Remember the name Weronika Hipp. The freshman from Poland is averaging 24 points per game and knocking down 45% of her three-pointers. She was named MVP of the European FIBA Championships while playing on her U16 team back in Europe. No. 5 Calvary Day has run up 13-straight wins while No. 6 Stratford Academy beat rival Tattnall Square in overtime 50-41 to make it nine in a row. No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian knocked Athens Academy (14-3) from the Top 10 to earn their 14th straight W. No. 8 Christian Heritage scrapped out a 64-62 win at Class A-Public No. 9 Bowdon.
It will be extremely difficult for someone to take back the perch in Class A-Public from new No. 1 Greenville. Mississippi State-signee Brittany Davis is the best player in the classification and one of the best in the entire state, averaging 32.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 7 steals and 2.3 blocks. The Lady Patriots beat No. 8 Marion County 68-58 to secure their spot as the team to beat now that No. 3 Telfair County faltered against No. 5 Wilcox County and Wichita State-commit Trajata Colbert, who dumped in 24 points in the 45-30 upset. No. 4 Macon County handed Marion County their second loss of the week, 52-44. It took overtime for No. 6 Wheeler County to fend off Savannah Country Day, 55-48. No. 10 Georgia Military College sinks three spots even though they are the class’ lone unbeaten. The Lady Bulldogs won three nail-biters, beating 7-9 Hancock Central (36-33), 10-3 Glascock County (46-42) and 3-14 Aquinas (35-32).
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