Class AAA

Region 1

              Team                                      Overall           Region
(B) No. 2 Jenkins                      16-2                 8-0
(B) Johnson                                 13-5                 7-1
(B) Islands                                     15-5                 7-2
(A) Dodge County                    11-5                 5-2
(A) Tattnall County                 11-7                 5-2
(A) Brantley County               12-6                 6-4
(B) Savannah                                8-11                5-5
(B) Southeast Bulloch             10-11              3-5
(A) Appling County                   2-14                 2-5
(B) Beach                                        5-15                 2-6
(A) Toombs County                  3-16                 2-8
 (A) Pierce County                      3-12                1-10

The balance of power lies in sub-region B as defending state champion No. 2 Jenkins looks to fend off Johnson and the much improved Sharks of Islands. The Warriors play Johnson for the first time tonight at home, then travel to Johnson on the last day of the regular season, Feb. 6. 6-foot-5 junior Trevion Lamar has quickly made a name for himself with the Warriors, leading the team in both scoring (16.8) and rebounding (9.1) while adding 4.3 assists per game and team-highs in steals (2.7) and blocks (1.9). Point guard Zion Williams transferred from Savannah High and is averaging 14.5 points and 4.6 assists as a junior. Seniors Michael Coffee and Dimetri Chambers are both scoring in double figures. Johnson’s only region loss came in double overtime at Islands, 64-61. The Sharks, whose program began in 2010-11, have steadily improved. Their wins by year read: 2010-11: 0, 2011-12: 0, 2012-13: 1, 2013-14: 2, 2014-15: 11. This year the Sharks have clinched their first-ever winning record behind patient Head Coach Karl DeMasi and 1,000-point scorer junior Justin Cave, who averages 21.2 points. Only one senior is on the roster. DeMasi’s primary rotation consists of one freshman, two sophomores and four juniors.

Region 2

           Team                                       Overall             Region
No. 6 Central-Macon             17-2                 10-1
Southwest-Macon                  14-5                 10-2
Westside-Macon                     15-4                 10-2
Jordan                                           8-11                 6-5
Spencer                                        4-12                 4-5
Rutland                                         5-12                 4-7
Kendrick                                      2-13                 2-7
Jackson                                        1-15                 1-9
Peach County                             2-16                 1-10

Region 2 has become one of the state’s most interesting regions located in Middle Georgia. No. 6 Central has won 10-straight including an 80-76 2OT thriller at Southwest last Saturday. The Chargers’ only loss came way back on Dec. 4, their second game of the season at Westside, 82-63. In their rematch, Central won 75-72, but that early loss could still come back to haunt them and has left the door open for the Seminoles and Patriots. There is some interesting talent in Macon. Central has senior point guard Derrick Evans and juniors Kentrevious Jones and Anterious McCoy. All three are constant 20-point threats. Jones may be the most intriguing of the bunch, standing 6-foot-10 and 280 pounds. Westside flaunts one of the most sought after prospects in the Class of 2018 in 6-foot-8 guard Khavon Moore. He averages 21.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.7 blocks. Southwest counters with its own pair of aces in senior Justin Slocum and junior Nick Hargrove. Slocum is 6-foot-6 and posts 21.5 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks a night while Hargrove, a private school transfer, records 20.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Region 3

             Team                                       Overall            Region
No. 5 Laney                                     17-2                 6-1
No. 9 Westside-Augusta        10-3                 5-1
Josey                                                    8-9                   5-2
Butler                                                  9-6                   3-4
Washington County                   8-10                 3-4
Glenn Hills                                        2-15                 2-5
Hephzibah                                        0-19                 0-7

No. 5 Laney’s record looks like the Wildcats are having another strong year, but if you dig deeper into the results, the Cardiac Cats have shown signs of vulnerability. Countless times this season Laney has had to rally from down double digits in the second half to pull out a victory. Laney has won seven games by six points or less. No. 1 Morgan County edged them on Jan. 9, 65-63 and took over first-place from the Wildcats. Laney then slipped again just a week later, falling to Josey 66-55. Christian Keeling (Charleston Southern) and Zep Jasper (College of Charleston) are the heartbeat for new head coach Shawn Parks’ team. Keeling averages 24 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists while Jasper goes for 20.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists. No. 9 Westside has proven to be tough, losing to Laney at home 69-64 and again on the road 62-60 in the Richmond County Christmas Tournament, meaning it didn’t count in the standings and that Westside has one last crack at the Wildcats tonight with a chance to take over first-place. Damontrez Hawes leads the Patriots with 18.3 points per game while Dekwan Lewis (12.6) and Christian Robinson (11.1) are both valid options.

Region 4

            Team                                         Overall            Region
(A) No. 4 South Atlanta           16-4                 6-0
(B) No. 7 Westminster             17-2                 5-0
(A) North Clayton                       12-8                 5-1
(B) Blessed Trinity                      11-9                 4-2
(B) Decatur                                      9-12                 4-3
(B) Douglass                                    12-8                 3-3
(A) Cedar Grove                             8-8                   3-3
(A) Jackson-Atlanta                   13-8                 3-3
(B) Therrell                                      10-7                 2-3
(A) Towers                                       5-14                 1-5
(B) Washington                             1-18                 0-7
(A) McNair                                       3-14                 0-8

No. 4 South Atlanta made possibly the biggest statement out of any team in the classification with a wire-to-wire win over 1A-Private No. 1 Greenforest at the Blue Collar Basketball MLK Showcase at Peachtree Ridge on Monday, 62-57. The Hornets are long, quick and athletic. Everyone Coach Michael Reddick throws on the court has a chance to sting the opponent. Orlando Bebee, Devontae Dean, Frank Bailey and Devonta Pullins make up a deep backcourt while Tyler Thornton, Korbian Bell, Demonte Roberts and Artavious Banks do yeoman’s work inside. Quietly, No. 7 Westminster is the hottest team in the state outside of No. 3 Calhoun with 16-straight wins. Bo Jackson clone Will Benson leads the offense and is headed to Duke to play baseball. Tyler Barry, former NBA player and announcer Jon Barry’s son, pulls the trigger from deep while Mikael Sampson is an improving post and Philip Jones, a steady point guard. North Clayton might not have the prettiest record, but watch out. The Eagles lost 58-52 at home vs. South Atlanta on Jan. 5 and get another crack at the Hornets on Feb. 2. Junior Ahsan Asadullah is 6-foot-8 and has displayed elite footwork and passing skills down low while averaging a team-high 16.1 points.

Region 5

         Team                                       Overall            Region
(A) No. 8 Callaway                  10-3                 5-0
(B) Pepperell                              11-6                 4-1
(B) Rockmart                               4-14                 2-3
(B) Cedartown                            6-10                 2-3
(A) Central-Carroll                   9-9                   1-4
(A) Haralson County               2-17                 1-4

Talk about a down year for the diminutive region. Last year saw both No. 8 Callaway and Rockmart crack 20 wins, this season it looks as if only Callaway has a shot. The Cavaliers lost back-to-back games vs. LaGrange, 80-68 at home then 63-60 on the road before falling weeks later to Lanett (AL), 72-54, the Panthers’ record this season at 18-4. Callaway hasn’t quite had the explosive offense it had last season, but Braylon Sanders, Earnest Patillo, Dre Martin, Quantrez Cooper and Joe Brown make up a formidable five in the wide open classification. Pepperell has played well after an 11-15 season and was selected as a Sandy’s Spiel Super Sleeper entering 2015. The Dragons are a competitive bunch, but the Cavaliers are a lock to roll through the region undefeated and capture the No. 1 seed. Callaway’s average margin of victory against region opponents this season is a whopping 27.6 points, with their closest game coming against Central, 84-76.

Region 6

      Team                                       Overall            Region
No. 3 Calhoun                            18-0                 11-0
Coahulla Creek                         16-4                 10-2
Ringgold                                      8-10                 7-5
North Murray                          13-7                 7-5
Sonoraville                                 8-9                   5-5
Murray County                         7-14                 5-7
Lakeview-Ft Oglethorpe      6-14                 4-7
Adairsville                                    6-13                 2-9
Gordon Central                            2-16                 0-11

The Yellow Jackets are the only unbeaten team left in Class AAA. No. 3 Calhoun has handled every team placed in front of them and has established their legitimacy as being a title contender by sweeping through the SmileGeneration.com bracket of the Lake City Classic to win the tournament by an average margin of victory of 15 points. Jireh Wilson is a 1,000-point scorer and Wofford football signee averaging 13.7 points. Kaelan Riley, the star quarterback going to Mercer, posts team-highs of 15.9 points and 8.3 rebounds. Chapin Rierson, a 6-foot-5 junior, is a versatile X-factor with a motor that doesn’t quit. He chips in 12.9 points and 6.6 rebounds a night. Ray Reeves is the team’s best three-point shooter at 36 percent and averages 7.9 points. Much like Islands of Region 1, Coahulla Creek is an upstart program enjoying its best season ever in its short existence. After finishing 14-11 last year, the Colts are off to a 16-4 start. Seniors Alex Fisher and Caleb Lewis power Coach Matthew Queener’s offense. The Colts lost 60-52 against Calhoun and a 56-52 falter at Murray County likely erases Coahulla Creek’s shot at catching the Yellow Jackets, but the two teams play at Calhoun on Feb. 2.

Region 7

           Team                                       Overall            Region
No. 10 Banks County             18-2                 8-0
Lumpkin County                       16-5                 6-2
East Hall                                        13-6                 6-2
West Hall                                     10-9                 4-4
Franklin County                        7-14                 2-6
Dawson County                       10-10               1-6
Fannin County                           8-11                 0-7

Only three points separate No. 10 Banks County from being undefeated. A 67-66 loss to North Hall on Dec. 21 and a 42-40 loss in the Commerce Christmas Classic championship to 6A No. 10 Collins Hill are the Leopards’ only two blemishes. Coach Mike Cleveland overlooks the play of Zez Steeple, Zac Orr and Kahmal Wiley. Steeple, a 5-foot-7 guard, is an electric playmaker with his passing and scoring. Orr is a rugged 6-foot-6 center that is difficult to handle down low while Wiley at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds is a tank inside and cleans the glass alongside Orr. Head Coach Jeff Steele has brought over his magic touch after leading Johnson-Gainesville to a 29-1 record a year ago. Lumpkin County finished just 9-20 in 2014-15 and behind Steele and senior 1,000-point scorer Jack Howard, the Indians have revived their program. Brandon Zarate inside and guard Zach Pulley make Lumpkin County a dangerous team come tournament time. Lurking in the shadows is Coach Joe Dix’s East Hall Vikings. They won’t have a chance to catch the Leopards after falling 82-66 to them on Tuesday, completing the sweep, but the Vikes do get another crack at Lumpkin County next Tuesday, who they already beat 73-63 at Lumpkin. The boys from Valhalla don’t have much size, but Tylor Brown and Markese Jackson are active attacking the rim while brothers Triston and Luke Cooper can get hot from deep.

Region 8

         Team                                       Overall            Region
No. 1 Morgan County           16-4                 8-0
Jackson County                        12-8                 5-3
East Jackson                               9-10                 4-4
Jefferson                                       7-12                 4-5
Elbert County                             8-11                 3-5
Oconee County                         5-13                 2-5
Hart County                                6-15                 2-6

The prevalent theme across AAA has been surprise teams and momentous turnarounds. No program has fit the bill more than Jackson County, who finished 4-22 last year. Coach Chuck Butler has established a winning mentality with upperclassmen and have lived and breathed by the motto EAT: Effort, Attitude, Toughness. The Panthers have feasted on opponents this year, especially one program that elected to stray from the homegrown route, East Jackson. There is no way to sugarcoat it anymore, the Eagles’ season has been a disappointment after opening the year ranked No. 4 with the amount of talent Coach David Boyd has at his disposal. Sophomores Drue Drinnon and Travis Anderson are among the best young guards in the state, but it hasn’t resulted in wins. Lamont Smith left mid-way through the season and is back in Gwinnett County helping Duluth win games. Jalen Morgan is now eligible for the second half of the season, but the Eagles’ lack of post production is what has hurt them the most. The Panthers swept the season series in a pair of emotional wins, 67-63 at East Jackson and 74-73 at home on Tuesday. No. 1 Morgan County is still the class of the region after a state championship in 2014 and a runner-up finish in 2015. Florida Atlantic signees DeVorious Brown and Jailyn Ingram have given Coach Jamond Sims exactly what he needed after losing 3,000-point scorer Tookie Brown to Georgia Southern. Freshman guard Alec Woodard has stepped up while 6-foot-6 senior Jordan Ford has brought an explosive long athlete to the interior.