Class AAAAA

Region 1

   Team                  Overall            Region
Carver                 13-4                 4-1
 Shaw                     13-6                 5-2
Northside          13-4                 4-2
LaGrange          15-4                 4-2
Columbus          7-10                 2-4
Hardaway          2-11                 1-5
Harris County 5-12                 1-5

 LaGrange and its explosive backcourt find itself in a struggle to climb the standings after losing on Tuesday at Northside 53-50. Trailing 45-33 heading into the fourth, the Grangers made a late push but could not get over the hump. First-place Carver has split with Northside, but its Dec. 21 loss came in a Christmas Tournament, meaning it does not reflect on the standings. The two teams will meet at Northside on Feb. 2. Carver’s lone region loss came to Shaw, 76-72 on Jan. 12. Dakeen Diaz led the Raiders with 21 points while Kourtney Shakespeare chipped in 18. Shaw finished just 8-16 a year ago and has enjoyed an impressive turnaround behind Coach Terry White. Things have gotten tougher however, as the Raiders are losers of their last two of three games, including a bad 82-67 loss at last-place Harris County on Tuesday.

Region 2

            Team                                     Overall         Region
(B) No. 8 Warner Robins     12-2                3-0
(A) Richmond Academy       15-4                6-0
 (B) Jones County                      12-8                2-1
(A) Greenbrier                            12-9                4-2
(A) Lakeside                                 8-10                3-3
(A) Cross Creek                         10-8                3-3
(B) Northside                              10-8                1-2
(A) Grovetown                            9-9                  1-5
(A) Evans                                      10-11              1-5
(B) Houston County               6-13                0-3

 Region 2’s sub-regions will finally meet in the region tournament. Last year it was Houston County, who finished 10-16 and 0-7 in region play, stealing away a playoff berth from Grovetown (17-7, 9-1), 63-60 in the tournament. It looks like Warner Robins, fresh off a Final Four appearance and a 63-57 win over Miller Grove in the Elite 8 stopping the Wolverines’ quest for seven straight championships, is the favorite to win the region. Marquez Callaway is a dual-sport star and can get to the basket at ease. He went 17-of-17 from the line in last year’s win over Miller Grove. 6-foot-8 senior power forward Donovan Brown provides size inside and game-changing length on defense. Nelson Phillips can fill it up from the outside as a 6-foot-4 wing. Richmond Academy has won nine straight games and is powered by Illinois State-commit Madison Williams, who transferred in over the offseason from a private school in Augusta. DT Stephens, Nick Roberts, Rashad Calloway, Chris Jones and Moses Williams make up a talented core. Jones County isn’t a team to sleep on. The Greyhounds got off to a slow start after an Elite 8 appearance a year ago, but are starting to find their groove. Senior Devin Wooten has taken his game to the next level. The explosive 6-foot guard averages 25.4 points per game and nearly four three-pointers.

Region 3

              Team                                     Overall            Region
No. 10 Effingham County    16-3                 8-0
Camden County                         15-3                 6-2
Brunswick                                      15-4                 6-2
Richmond Hill                              13-8                 6-2
Statesboro                                     13-6                 5-3
Coffee                                                9-8                   4-4
Ware County                                 8-10                 2-6
Glynn Academy                            9-9                   2-7
South Effingham                          6-12                 1-6
Bradwell Institute                       5-13                 1-8

 If there were ever a region to keep one eye on, it’s Region 3. South Georgia’s region doesn’t make too many trips up to the Metro area, making them a bit of an unknown, but after Brunswick marched to its first ever state championship last year, the rest of the state should be on alert. Camden County was the last undefeated team in the state to fall, making Region 5’s No. 2 Allatoona the only unbeaten left. The Wildcats had sneaked up to No. 7 at 12-0, but current No. 10 Effingham County crushed them 77-63 on Jan. 8. Four players average double figures for the Rebels led by Deshaun Wilkenson’s 16.2 points. Both Jaden Rodriguez and PJ Brown pitch in 13.1 points a night while Rashad Griffin adds 11.1. On Jan. 23, the Rebels will host defending champ Brunswick in their lone meeting. The Pirates started a modest 2-2 overall before righting the ship and are now winners of eight in a row. 6-foot-8 junior center Kymani Dunham is a load inside. Zach Moore and Skyler Baggs are important pieces as well.

Region 4

         Team                         Overall           Region
(A) No. 3 McIntosh     17-2                 12-0
(A) Drew                       10-2                 8-1
(A) Morrow                 14-5                 9-3
(A) Mundy’s Mill      13-7                 9-4
(B) Woodland            10-8                 8-4
(B) Stockbridge         10-7                 6-3
(A) Starr’s Mill          7-9                   6-6
(B) Dutchtown           7-12                 4-6
(B) Union Grove        7-12                 4-8
(A) Forest Park             7-13                 2-11
(B) Luella                       6-10                 1-8
(A) Northgate             2-16                 2-9
    (B) Ola                            3-14                 1-10

No. 3 McIntosh is the class of the region and will go undefeated baring a major upset. Furman signee Jordan Lyons is averaging 18.9 points, Wofford signee Dishon Lowery is posting 11.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while Will Washington is notching 13.8 points and 8.5 assists per game and may be the most important of the trio. Interesting officiating at Morrow on Tuesday led to a 68-63 squeeker. A dark horse in the region to make the state tournament and score an upset is Stockbridge. The firepower between seniors Virgil Fields and Jadon Davis is nearly unmatched. Fields hit a floater in the lane with three seconds left to knock off Dutchtown 81-80 on Tuesday. His final stat line read: 27 points, 19 rebounds, 7 assists. Davis’? 37 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists. Another lethal scorer lies at Drew. Senior James Ruiz may only be 5-foot-9, but the pure scorer is pouring in 26.4 points per game.

Region 5

          Team                         Overall            Region
No. 2 Allatoona            19-0                 12-0
No. 7 South Paulding 16-3                10-2
New Manchester         14-4                 10-2
Alexander                       10-8                   7-5
  Villa Rica                        13-5                   7-5
Hiram                                 8-11                 5-7
Lithia Springs                6-13                 4-8
Paulding County            4-15                 2-10
Chapel Hill                         3-16                 2-10
East Paulding                   4-15                 1-11

 Region 5’s calling card (outside of East Paulding) is defense. Nobody does it better than No. 2 Allatoona, winners of now 68-straight region games. The Buccaneers aren’t as sexy as some other teams around the state with big offensive numbers, but the experienced team finds ways to win. Sophomore Trey Doomes and Ephraim Tshimanga do it all for the Bucs with their stifling defense atop their matchup zone and their decision making on offense. The only team with the right mixture of discipline and fire power that could potentially end Allatoona’s reign of terror is No. 7 South Paulding. Coach Gil Davis’ team laid an egg in their first meeting back on Dec. 18, losing 65-46 on the road. Last Friday they played much better and lost by just nine at home, 53-44. In the region tournament championship last year, South Paulding pushed Allatoona to the brink, but couldn’t drive the dagger into the beast, losing to the Bucs 72-68 in triple overtime. Kane Williams is a constant triple-double threat at guard while 6-foot-7 Ja’Cori Wilson can carry the Spartans at time. New Manchester is much improved coming off a 13-14 season, but don’t quite have the juice to take down the two big boys just yet. Region 5 matches up against Region 8 come state tournament time, which could provide some of the most interesting pairings across the state.

Region 6 

                 Team                                           Overall          Region
(A) No. 1 Miller Grove                      19-2                 9-0
(A) No. 9 Southwest DeKalb        18-3                 8-1
(B) Tri-Cities                                           6-9                   4-1
(B) Mays                                                    8-10                 4-2
(A) Druid Hills                                       9-10                 5-4
(A) Stephenson                                     8-9                   4-4
(B) Creekside                                       11-10               3-3
(B) Carver                                                7-9                   1-3
(A) Dunwoody                                      5-15                 2-7
(A) Clarkston                                        4-15                 2-7
(B) Banneker                                        4-17                 1-4
(A) ML King                                           3-16                 1-7

 No. 1 Miller Grove hasn’t lost a region game since Jan. 20, 2012 at Chamblee 56-54. If No. 9 Southwest DeKalb doesn’t nip them next Tuesday at SWD, then the Wolverines will go perfect again. The Panthers put up a great fight on Dec. 15 before bowing out 76-69. Miller Grove is of course led by McDonalds All-American and UConn signee Alterique Gilbert. Coach Sharman White has an embarrassment of riches with new additions Colin Young (Laney), Aaron Augustin (Peachtree Ridge) and Tae Hardy (Southwest DeKalb). Homegrown horses are also in the stable. 6-foot-7 forward Raylon Richardson, Aidan Saunders and Joshua Jackmon are all important contributors while freshmen Tworn Seals and Maurice Harvey are names to remember in the upcoming years. Even though they lost Hardy to a cross-town rival, the Panthers have enjoyed their best season since 2012’s 22-10 campaign and have now matched last year’s 18-win total with four regular season games remaining on the schedule.

Region 7

               Team                      Overall           Region
(B) No. 6 Riverwood    20-1                 8-0
(A) Sequoyah                   13-7                 7-1
(A) Dalton                          15-5                 6-2
(B) Sprayberry                14-6                 6-2
(A) Creekview                 13-7                 5-2
(A) Rome                            11-8                 5-3
(B) Kell                                11-9                 5-3
(B) Forsyth Central      8-13                 3-5
(A) River Ridge               8-11                 3-6
(B) North Atlanta         6-13                 2-5
(A) Cass                              8-11                 2-7
(B) North Springs         2-13                 1-5
(B) Cambridge               5-15                 1-6
(A) Woodland                3-14                 0-8

Region 7 has been controlled by No. 6 Riverwood. After a 20-9 overall record with an 11-3 region mark in 2014-15, the Raiders have taken the next step and are a loss to Carrollton at the Lake City Classic away from being undefeated. Kohl Roberts is a tank inside and came up big against Sprayberry on Tuesday in a 58-52 win on the road. Roberts, the 6-foot-8 senior center, posted 27 points, 17 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. He is averaging over 16 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and four blocks a game. Coach Buck Jenkins’ son Elijah has had a big junior year, improving his shooting and pitching in over 12 points a night. Charnchai Chantha provides a spark on the perimeter with his passing and three-point shooting while Isaiah Gaddy is an athletic forward with bounce.

Region 8 

                 Team                                   Overall            Region
No. 4 Gainesville                       13-4                 10-0
No. 5 Cedar Shoals                  19-2                 9-1
Heritage-Conyers                  15-5                 7-3
Apalachee                                   14-4                 6-3
Salem                                             12-7                 6-3
Discovery                                   11-9                 4-6
Clarke Central                          7-13                 4-6
Flowery Branch                      12-7                 3-6
Lanier                                             7-13                 3-7
Winder-Barrow                      1-17                 1-9
Loganville                                    0-16                 0-9

Region 8 has emerged as a powerhouse and has put three teams in the top 10 for the entire season until this week’s rankings came out. Following a 15-1 start, Heritage-Conyers has now lost four straight games. The Patriots have more than enough fire power to get back into the rankings and make the state playoffs however. Three juniors are among the team’s top four leading scorers. No. 5 Cedar Shoals has put together an impressive resume and has used its balanced attack to do so. The region has both star power in No. 4 Gainesville’s D’Marcus Simonds (GSU) and Apalachee’s Kamar Baldwin (Butler) and balance with each of the top four teams having multiple players averaging in double figures. Gainesville has survived every region test thus far, beating Heritage 85-79 and Cedar Shoals in double overtime 80-77, both games they trailed at the half. Last Friday the Red Elephants escaped Apalachee 59-55. If there is any region tournament to go check out, it would be Region 8. Anyone in the top four realistically has a shot at winning the tournament.