Category Archives: Girls Basketball

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).

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 12-19

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

 

Class AAAAAA

No. 5 Gainesville 81, Cedar Shoals 67: KaJuan Hale scored a team-high 15 points for the Red Elephants. Bailey Minor scored 12 points while Xavier Bledson scored 12 points and added 6 assists. Jarred Rosser (9), Jarrel Rosser (8) and Maurice Hector (8) all pitched in offensively. Cedar Shoals was led by Tyler Johnson’s 15 points and 5 rebounds. Quincy Canty scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Jaiden Williams tacked on 12 points.

No. 6 Jonesboro 53, Heritage-Conyers 52: Jamari Mosley hit a free throw with 3.2 seconds left to slip past the Patriots. Mosley finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Jamari Smith collected 14 points and 10 rebounds. Quinn Thomas hit 4 threes off the bench. Meco Lucas added 4 points and 7 rebounds.

No. 7 Douglas County 71, Mays 55: Malik Battle scored 22 points, Cam Copeland 18 and Rickey Clark 12 in the Region 5 victory.

Class AAAAA

Loganville 60, Griffin 44: Jamar Moore had 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 steals and 3 blocks in the win.

Paulding County 64, South Paulding 57: Tyron Summerour netted 17 points to pace the Patriots. Keon Sedgewick had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Brown chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds. Elijah Brown finished with 6 points and 9 rebounds.

Villa Rica 52, Cedartown 29: Phillip Zachery scored 12 points for the Wildcats. Javonte Hart, Elijah Fluker and Latrell Swanigan all scored 10 points apiece.

Lithia Springs 53, Soddy Daisy (TN) 49: Omarion Smith led the way with 13 points.

Class AAAA

No. 4 Mary Persons 75, Westminster 65: Cam Holden poured in 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Tre Edge added 21 points and 5 rebounds. Desmond Williams scored 12 and Tre Slaten tossed in 8 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.

LaFayette 66, Coahulla Creek 60: Dee Southern netted 16 points. Rylan Russell hit five threes en route to 15 points. Alex Kelehear (13), Andrew Pendergrass (11) and Jon Morgan (10) all cracked double figures.

Woodward Academy 56, Fayette County 53: Kevin Powell scored 12 points followed by Spencer Felix (11), Walker Kessler (11) and JaCorrei Turner’s 10 in the win. Ricky Knight netted a game-high 18 in the loss. JaKobe Coleman had 11.

Henry County 54, KIPP Academy 41: DeAndre Rice tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds. Casey Armour netted 11.

Shaw 71, Hardaway 41: Lincoln Smith produced 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Jalen Ken notched 12 points.

Class AAA

GISATrinity Christian 62, No. 5 GAC 57: The Lions rallied from down 16 points to beat the Spartans. Jamir Williams had 25 points and 10 rebounds while Brady Burnett added 11 points.

No. 9 Monroe Area 63, Marist 53: Isaiah Glasper scored 15 points and Dabarius Partee added 12 in the win. Devin Sheets collected 11 points and 10 rebounds. Elijah Goodman scored 9 points while Quontarius Lackey and Michael Gray each added 8.

No. 10 Dawson County 58, West Hall 49 OT: Campbell Reed drilled 7 threes and finished with 31 points as the Tigers got the win in their fourth game in five days. Cullen Reed added 12 points while Ryan Gallenkamp grabbed 15 rebounds; Trey Pruitt snatched 7 boards. Noah Edmondson scored 20 and Dee Buffington added 15 in the loss.

Adairsville 60, Cass 50: Mason Bowell finished with 17 points including 5 threes to stun the Colonels. Cody Henderson (14), Ethan Belcher (13) and Hunter Hice (11) all came up big. Mark Chester netted 14 points and Ashton Burley had 13 in the loss.

Maplewood (TN) 67, Lovett 64: Crawford Schwieger had 24 points and Lance Beck scored 20 in the loss.

Union County 59, Gilmer 30: Pierson Allison put up 19 points while Sawyer Drake (12) and Patrick Baggett (11) both came up big.

Class AA

No. 2 Banks County 66, Monticello 61: Dylan Orr dumped in 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 7 blocks as the Hurricanes had no answer inside. Carl Cleveland scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while Gabe Martin netted 16 points. Darius Bonds collected 2 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists.

Dodge County 67, Wayne County 48: Nick Cummings scored 25 points and RJ Carr dropped in 21. Marcus Caines pitched in 12 in the win.

Lamar County 66, Mt. de Sales 54: Quay Parks led the way with 20 points. Rondez Fletcher and Josiah Stewart scored 14 apiece.

Elbert County 65, Social Circle 25: Kobe Goudelock had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the win,

Class A-Private

GISAMt. Bethel Christian 55, No. 4 Wesleyan 46: Jordan Meka scored 23 points inside while Staney Eze added 15 in the Eagles victory. Christian McLean fouled out with 6:30 remaining in the game for Wesleyan. He netted 13 to lead the Wolves.

Stratford Academy 76, Hawkinsville 69: The Eagles struggled to put away Hawkinsville. Devin Butts finished with 28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Nathan Hunt scored 24 and Jaden Harris added 7.

Class A-Public

No. 2 Woodville-Tompkins 76, McIntosh County Academy 50: Deante Green led all scorers with 17 points. Preston Crisp had 15 points and AJ Hassel netted 15.

Bowdon 79, North Murray 73: Zach Ledbetter dropped in 24 points and Christ Parker added 21 in the win. Scott Cunningham chipped in 16.

Green County 79, Prince Avenue Christian 61: DJ Wright tallied 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the win.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 5 Cherokee 61, Marietta 49: Sydne Watts posted 18 points. Olivia Herrera and Kate Johnson scored 10 apiece. Lacie McCoy netted 8.

Rockdale County 55, McNair 39: Kourtlan Carter posted 19 points to pace the Lady Bulldogs.

Class AAAAAA

Pope 49, North Atlanta 29:  Abby McKinley and Talia Cloud led the Lady Greyhounds with 13 points apiece.

Class AAAAA

No. 2 Flowery Branch 49, Edison (VA) 46: Down at the KSA Tournament in Orlando, the Lady Falcons received 13 points from Caroline Wysocki and 12 from Taniyah Worth in the win. Lexie Sengkhammee and Ashlee Locke scored 8 apiece.

No. 4 Harris County 68, Fayette County 59: At the Crescom Bank Holiday Invitational, Mississippi State-signee Jessika Carter poured in 16 points, 19 rebounds and 3 blocks. Taziaha Fanning posted 19 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks inside while Ny’Azjha Carter put up 15 points and 7 rebounds. Fayette County was led by Maegan Barkley’s 12 points and 4 assists. Rikkelle Miller had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while Naomi Franco had 8 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.

No. 6 Villa Rica 70, Cedartown 35: Deasia Merrill finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 9 steals. Kyndal Coleman went for 15 points and 3 assists while Aliyah Hindsman put up 13 points and 4 steals. Jaila Orozco had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

No. 7 Maynard Jackson 67, Whitewater 36: Tamaria White scored 21 points and Jamilah Mitchell added 12.

Cass 58, Adairsville 34: Kyla Michienzi led the Lady Colonels with 14 points while Payon Stoddard added 13. Amber Brittian scored 9 points followed by Aaliyah Curtis (7) and Alexis Ware (6).

Class AAAA

No. 10 Jefferson 60, Columbia 20: Livi Blackstock finished with 14 points followed by Mariah Starks’ 13 and Jazmin Allen’s 12.

West Hall 61, 3ANo. 9 Dawson County 45: Anna McKendree dropped 24 points in the win.

Class AAA

Sonoraville 56, Pepperell 41: Maliyah Parks and Alexa Geary had 12 apiece in the Lady Phoenix win. Sandi McMullin chipped in 11 points and Harleigh Chastain, Grace Darnell and Abby Chambers each scored 7. Pepperell was led by Kaylee Mansell’s 20 points.

Union County 68, Gilmer 61: Bailey Daniel pumped in 19 points while Brooke Dockery and Kait McCarter added 17 apiece.

Class AA

No. 5 Putnam County 82, No. 2 Rabun County 53: Jashanti Simmons dropped 25 points, Hailey Hyman had 22 and Rykia Pennamon netted 18 in the massive statement game for the Eagles. Georgia Stockton scored a career-high 38 in the loss.

No. 6 Banks County 62, Monticello 37: Allison Smith scored 20 points and Jaycie Bowen added 16 in the Region 8 win. Amber Williams and Morgan Lyons each scored 6 points.

No. 7 Dodge County 52, Wayne County 51: The Squaws rallied in the fourth quarter to stun Wayne County, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 32-11 in the fourth. Zanessia Mitchell scored 14 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter. Destanee Wright had 12 points, 10 coming in the final quarter. Europe Brown finished with 11 points.

Rockmart 69, Mt. Zion-Carrollton 23: Freshman Keyarah Berry hung 26 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Cambree Stanley added 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Madison Davis collected 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.

Bryan County 49, Long County 31: Olonna Rawls pumped in 22 points and 8 rebounds. Jay Black added 9 points and 11 rebounds. Kelsey Leggett scored 8 points as did Alicia Fabin.

Class A-Private

No. 2 Wesleyan 96, Miller Grove 40: AC Carter tallied 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals. Amaya Register pitched in 18 points and 5 assists. Alyssa Phillip scored 12 points and Sutton West finished with 11 points and 7 steals.

Athens Academy 54, Oglethorpe County 22: Gabby Mastandrea posted 11 points followed by Maddie McCleary’s 10 and Greer Moseley’s 9. Reagan Hatch had 6 points and 7 rebounds while Rose Bone collected 6 points and 6 rebounds.

Prince Avenue Christian 40, Greene County 30: Madison Britt scored 16 points to pace the Lady Wolverines. Ansley Hall and Janie Henderson added 10 apiece.

Class A-Public

No. 1 Telfair County 86, Treutlen 26: India Wells (23), NyAsia Howard (20), Tanajawa Graham (20) and Brandy Mackey (10) led an overwhelming attack for the Lady Trojans.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 5 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (7-2)
  2. Alpharetta (9-0)
  3. Northview (7-2)
  4. Lovejoy (9-1)
  5. Winder-Barrow (7-1)
  6. Sequoyah (8-1)
  7. Lanier (8-2)
  8. Forest Park (7-2)
  9. Northside-Warner Robins (7-1)
  10. Tucker (5-3) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (8-0)
  2. Flowery Branch (6-2)
  3. Dutchtown (9-1)
  4. Harris County (6-0)
  5. Bainbridge (11-2)
  6. Villa Rica (8-0)
  7. Maynard Jackson (6-0)
  8. Eagle’s Landing (8-4)
  9. Carrollton (3-2)
  10. Southwest DeKalb (4-3)

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

It’s still early in Class AAAAAAA, but as of right now, it looks like we might officially have a few new leaders in the clubhouse to win the state championship as No. 9 McEachern continues to fall back into the pack. The Lady Indians were beat by debutant No. 8 North Cobb on the road, 57-51. The Lady Warriors’ only loss this season has come to No. 5 Cherokee, 58-44. The Lady Warriors from Canton picked up a 54-39 win at River Ridge while No. 4 Newton hammered a good Grayson team 63-43 and slipped past Mill Creek 58-54. Cherokee and Newton benefit the most from McEachern and No. 10 Colquitt County’s slides. The Lady Packers were knocked off by Class 5A No. 5 Bainbridge 47-42 and now have the unenviable task of playing No. 1 Westlake at the Peach State Holiday Classic on Wednesday. The Lions are coming off an 85-54 mauling of Douglas County. No. 2 Collins Hill is hot on Westlake’s track, scoring impressive wins over Mountain View (81-33) and Class 6A No. 1 Harrison (42-39) at the Queens of the Hardwood Classic. Brookwood (5-2) exits from the poll after losing to Class 6A No. 7 Lanier.

Yes, that’s right, we have a new No. 1 in Class AAAAAA: No. 1 Harrison. Even with the Lady Hoyas’ 42-39 loss to Class 7A No. 2 Collins Hill, Harrison showed they can impose their will and control the tempo of any game. They defeated Region 6 opponent River Ridge 59-48 prior to their loss. No. 4 Lovejoy lost their hold of No. 1 thanks to a 56-53 loss to Stephenson (6-4) who drops out of the rankings after losing to No. 10 Tucker 48-38. Lovejoy played without star sophomore Anaya Boyd due to an eye injury, but with the stakes so high and the top teams so even, there is limited room for error. Region 7 now places teams two and three in No. 2 Alpharetta and No. 3 Northview. They will clash for first-place on January 4 at Alpharetta. The Lady Titans have a tough road ahead before worrying about the Lady Raiders. They tip-off the Deep South Classic against Hillgrove at Brookwood on the 28th. Lovejoy wasn’t the only team to falter this week as No. 5 Winder-Barrow is down two spots following their upset 63-58 loss to No. 7 Lanier, who reenters the poll. The Longhorns also beat Brookwood 48-46 behind Jamyah Montissol’s 21 points – 12 coming in the fourth quarter. No. 8 Forest Park beat Tucker 62-44 in convincing fashion. No. 9 Northside-Warner Robins earned a 43-36 win over Class 3A No. 6 Central-Macon.

Defending Class AAAAA state champion No. 1 Buford turned back No. 2 Flowery Branch for the fourth straight time dating back to last season, 58-48, but it still seems like the Lady Falcons are the team best equipped to challenge the Lady Wolves for a state title. No. 6 Villa Rica is making some noise, beating No. 9 Carrollton in Region 7 play, 67-60, dropping the Lady Trojans down six spots. Carrollton swept Villa Rica last year, but now it looks like the Wildcats are the early favorite to win the region. With Carrollton’s loss and No. 8 Eagle’s Landing’s 54-52 loss to Memphis Central at the Queens of the Hardwood Classic, No. 3 Dutchtown, No. 4 Harris County and No. 5 Bainbridge all rise into the Top 5. Dutchtown beat a good Locust Grove team 70-62 while Bainbridge took down Class 7A No. 10 Colquitt County 47-42 at Colquitt.

There will be a Class AAAA state championship rematch on Tuesday as No. 1 Carver-Columbus hosts rival Columbus. It will take a herculean effort for the Blue Devils to upset Class AAAA’s heavy state title favorite. No. 2 Henry County struggled with Eastside’s junk defense, double and triple-teaming Auburn-signee Brooke Moore, but Moore finally broke free late in the second half to help the War Hawks win 59-44. No. 10 Jefferson sinks five spots after losing at No. 6 Madison County 58-56. The Red Raiders held their own this week after losing in overtime to Class 2A No. 6 Banks County. They scored their win against Jefferson and followed up with a 64-56 win over Class 3A No. 10 Hart County. No. 5 Northwest Whitfield has a Region 6 showdown with red-hot 8-0 Pickens County. Coach Brandon Thomas has the Dragonettes clicking on all cylinders, but they haven’t played a well-oiled machine like the Lady Bruins. West Hall (7-4) exits the rankings after losing 46-44 at No. 8 Marist and to Banks County 55-36. No. 9 Americus-Sumter gets a crack at the Top 10 out of Region 1. Jykeria Long is averaging 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 5 steals for the Panthers.

While Class AAA No. 1 GAC has been taking care of business with wins over East Hall (78-44) and Mountain View (90-53), No. 2 Beach has done the same down on the coast. The defending state champs won their title game rematch with bitter rival No. 5 Johnson-Savannah 53-42 and will play the Atomsmashers again today for the Memorial Health Holiday Classic Championship. No. 6 Central-Macon is down three spots after a tough loss to Class 6A No. 9 Northside Warner-Robins, 43-36. North Murray (9-3) departs from the rankings following losses to Calhoun (49-44) and Murray County (53-45). Into the poll is No. 8 Peach County, who has played extremely well without Southern Miss-signee Daishai Almond, who suffered a season ending knee injury in the summer.

No. 1 Laney had a scare in Class AA, struggling to put away Butler 68-54. They rebounded however with an 80-57 win at Mays. No. 8 Fitzgerald falls five spots after a bad 60-55 loss at Cook. Last week’s teams four through eight all rise a position.  No. 6 Banks County could have jumped higher, but a 75-74 overtime setback against East Hall keeps their movement to a minimum. The Lady Leopards have played as tough a schedule as anyone in Class AA, earning wins over Class 4A No. 6 Madison County in overtime 60-53 and beating West Hall 55-36 last week. Berrien (8-3) disappears from the rankings following a 50-48 loss to Early County. They are replaced by No. 10 Washington County. The Golden Hawks have won five-straight including a 56-45 win over Bleckley County.

In Class A-Private, No. 1 Holy Innocents’ beat Lebanon (TN) 71-55 at the She Got Game Classic.  No. 2 Wesleyan raced past Fayette County 83-58 and No. 3 St. Francis fell to Hoover (AL) 53-51 at the Queens of the Hardwood Classic. No. 4 Our Lady of Mercy beat No. 9 Fellowship Christian 52-41, Florida State-signee Morgan Jones outscoring the Paladins with 42 points. No. 5 Christian Heritage is up five spots following their 57-42 win over Pinecrest Academy (3-4) knocking the Lady Paladins from the Top 10. Sisters Meghan and Kelsey Schneller are the twin engines for Coach Maggie Peeples’ Lions. Athens Academy (6-2) falls from the rankings after losing to returnee No. 10 Lakeview Academy 61-51. Making their first appearance in the poll is No. 8 Calvary Day. The Savannah-based Cavaliers hold wins over Jenkins (46-29) and Richmond Hill (54-39) to legitimize their resume.

Just like on the boys side, we have a state-altering upset in Class A-Public. No. 4 Pelham tumbles three spots after losing at No. 3 Terrell County 61-60, the Green Wave surging up five spots. That means defending state runner-up No. 1 Telfair County grabs the driver’s seat in Class A-Public after the Hornets were ranked No. 1 wire-to-wire last season. The Lady Trojans beat No. 5 Wheeler County for the second time this year on Saturday, 75-64 on the road. Ny’Asia Howard dropped 25 points while India Wells netted 22 and Brandy Mackey and Vashay Tillis each added 8 points. No. 8 Marion County suffered a bad loss to 2-5 Taylor County, 47-42, dropping the Eagles three spots. Wilcox County (6-3) exits the Top 10 after losing at Class 2A No. 7 Dodge County 50-34. They are replaced by undefeated No. 10 Georgia Military College. The Lady Bulldogs have gotten a spark from 5-foot-9 freshman Deandria Stephens, who is averaging 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals per game.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Game Stories

6A No. 2 Harrison controls tempo, but 7A No. 2 Collins Hill grinds out 42-39 win

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Contributed by Rob Grubbs  (@RCGJr226070)

Sponsored by:   @sportalspace

7ANo. 2 Collins Hill 42, 6ANo. 2 Harrison 39

Harrison was able to neutralize Collins Hill’s size advantage for most of the game

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – In men’s basketball, most games are won with athleticism and skill, the tallest players and those that leap the highest usually determine the outcome.  But the ladies game has more room for diversity of style, it can be more of a tactical match of wits and the ability for the head coach to relate and motivate his team.  In the nightcap of the Queens of the Hardwood Classic, two of the best teams in the state faced off with completely different roster styles. The Harrison Lady Hoyas (7-2), who lost the state championship last season to Mays by one point, are currently ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAAA while Collins Hill (9-1) is ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAAAA. Harrison has a small quick line-up, they start four guards and a forward, while Collins Hill is exactly the opposite, they start four forwards and one guard. The game was a low scoring affair as the Lady Hoyas dictated the pace, but the Lady Eagles held on for the 42-39 win.

Collins Hill has All-State forward 6-foot-2 Jada Rice (NC State) and University of Georgia-commit 6-foot-3 Jayvn Nicholson and as Head Coach Brian Harmon said, “We prefer to work our offense inside and which opens up our outside shots.”

That is how the game started, Nicholson scored the first basket in the paint for Collins Hill to set the tone early. The Lady Hoyas prefer to run a motion offense with multiple passes and controlling the ball for long periods of time. Their typical possession contained up to 15 passes as they looked for the open shot, with the entire team working in orchestrated precision that resembles synchronized swimming in some instances. You could sense that the Lady Eagles’ height inside was affecting Harrison, as most of their shots had a much higher arch than normal and at the halfway mark of the first quarter, the Lady Hoyas still had not scored a point. Senior Harper Vick finally broke the ice with a three at 3:34 mark in opening quarter to tie the game at 3.

The change of pace from Harrison caused frustration for Collins Hill, with the Lady Hoyas controlling offensive possessions for long periods of time, they effectively took away what the Lady Eagles do best. The patience was paying off for Harrison as they jumped out to a 10-8 lead after the initial quarter.

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With their post players effectively neutralized, Collins Hill showed that to be a champion you must adapt, and junior guard Bria Harmon (Purdue) took control of the Lady Eagle offense, hitting a runner early in the second quarter to tie the game up. Harmon, who is a Gwinnett Daily Post Super 6 pick (along with Nicholson) and Coach Harmon’s daughter, continued to look for scoring opportunities throughout the game.

Coach Harmon called upon junior Katherine Fourie off the bench to supplement the scoring and she came up big. She entered the game with the Lady Hoyas up 16-14 and scored six points in less than two minutes, including a three to push Collins Hill to a 22-16 halftime lead.

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Coach Harmon said, “Katherine can provide instant offense for us, which we needed, I just had to figure the right moments to get her in there.”

When he put her in, she came through, as she led all scorers with 15 points, all of them clutch.

Harrison continued the game plan in the third but behind Harmon, the Lady Eagles were slowly growing the lead behind Harmon and with the clock clicking down in the third quarter, Lady Hoya senior guard Sarah Woghiren hit a three at the buzzer to turn a 9-point deficit into a more manageable 31-25 game entering the fourth.

After a Jaron Stallworth basket, the Lady Eagles were up 37-30 with 4 minutes remaining, but Harrison head coach Steve Lenahan, in his 10th season, saw his plan coming into focus as the Lady Hoyas scored six unanswered to pull within one point with two minutes left.

Harrison had two possessions to take the lead but could not convert on either one and then “instant offense” Fourie hit a three-pointer with 1:13 remaining that seemed to ice the game at 40-36.

The Lady Hoyas didn’t bring the word quit with them on the bus from Kennesaw and when Vick converted a free throw to complete a three-point play to bring the game to 40-39 with 37 seconds, they were just a turnover away from another chance to snatch a win. However, Collins Hill broke the press and Nicholson hit two free throws to ice the game for the 42-39 win.

Coach Harmon was frustrated but pleased with the outcome. He closed with, “We have to do a better job of forcing our tempo instead of just allowing ourselves to play our opponents game, that is the lesson that we learned tonight.”

He had a classroom-style chat with the team on the bench for about ten minutes before they headed home.  Hopefully, it is a lesson his team learned, as the head coach of their next opponent was in the building to observe and scout.

Great teams separate themselves from the good teams by the way they adjust, Collins Hill has the roster, it us up to them to learn from tonight and move forward.

Rob’s Takeaways

  1. Junior Bria Harmon is a three-year starter at point guard and usually has the take of setting up the post players down low, but tonight, she took on more scoring responsibility and kept the Lady Eagles in the game throughout. She played excellent defense, and has extremely quick hands and feet. Being the head coach’s daughter can bring its own set of challenges, but she saw the direction the game took and understood it was her responsibility to score.
  2. I was excited to see Jada Rice and Jayvn Nicholson work inside and was disappointed they were regulated to a spectator role for much of the time. They will need to adapt, as several coaches from other top high school programs were in attendance for the game and took notes on how to neutralize their presence.
  3. The Players of the Game, as determined by the teams’ head coaches were UAB-signee Audrey Jordan for Harrison and Bria Harmon for Collins Hill.
  4. Coach Harmon had excellent utilization of Katherine Fourie, he brought her into situation when the Lady Eagles needed points and she delivered.
  5. As the region slate heats up, Harrison needs to find a consistent scorer to depend on, will that be Harper Vick, Sarah Woghiren, Audrey Jordan? Who will take the shots with the game on the line?
  6. Does Collins Hill get maximum exposure from “instant offense” Katherine Fourie off the bench or would she be better suited for the starting five? Coach Harmon will have to continue playing his hunch here as the region and playoff games get more important down the road.
  7. Up next – for Harrison, they face Lambert on Thursday night at the Hawks-Naismith Classic. Collins Hill plays Buford in the same tournament.

Top Performers

Collins Hill
Katherine Fourie – 15 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
Bria Harmon – 14 points, 4 rebounds
Javyn Nicholson – 6 points, 8 rebounds
Jaron Stallworth – 5 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks

Harrison
Amara Newsom – 10 points, 2 rebounds
Audrey Jordan – 8 points, 7 rebounds
Harper Vick – 7 points, 3 assists