GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Final Regular Season Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. McEachern (24-2)
  2. Norcross (24-3)
  3. Newton (24-3)
  4. Pebblebrook (24-2)
  5. Peachtree Ridge (23-4)
  6. Meadowcreek (21-6)
  7. Mountain View (21-5)
  8. Etowah (23-2)
  9. Tift County (20-6)
  10. Grayson (19-6)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Gainesville (20-6)
  2. Langston Hughes (22-5)
  3. Stephenson (21-5)
  4. Douglas County (21-6)
  5. Brunswick (24-3)
  6. Coffee (18-7)
  7. Jonesboro (20-8)
  8. Bradwell Institute (19-7)
  9. Tri-Cities (19-9)
  10. South Cobb (18-8)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (23-4)
  2. Warner Robins (23-3)
  3. Lithonia (22-6)
  4. Miller Grove (19-7)
  5. Stockbridge (22-6)
  6. Columbia (19-9)
  7. Eagle’s Landing (21-6)
  8. Starr’s Mill (19-7)
  9. Clarke Central (22-6)
  10. Maynard Jackson (24-2)

Class AAAA

  1. Upson-Lee (26-0)
  2. St. Pius X (24-3)
  3. Sandy Creek (22-5)
  4. Westover (21-6)
  5. Baldwin (21-6)
  6. Americus-Sumter (24-3)
  7. Salem (20-6)
  8. Mary Persons (23-4)
  9. Woodward Academy (19-8)
  10. Carver-Columbus (20-8)

Class AAA

  1. Morgan County (26-1)
  2. Johnson-Savannah (24-2)
  3. Greater Atlanta Christian (23-3)
  4. Cedar Grove (21-6)
  5. Jenkins (21-5)
  6. Central-Macon (21-5)
  7. Cook (18-9)
  8. Westside-Macon (18-10)
  9. Pace Academy (16-11)
  10. Dawson County (18-9)

Class AA

  1. Therrell (18-7)
  2. Laney (25-3)
  3. Dublin (22-3)
  4. Glenn Hills (24-2)
  5. Thomasville (23-3)
  6. Jeff Davis (21-7)
  7. South Atlanta (23-4)
  8. Swainsboro (20-6)
  9. Banks County (24-4)
  10. Washington County (17-8)

Class A-Private

  1. Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (25-3)
  2. Christian Heritage (26-2)
  3. St. Francis (24-3)
  4. North Cobb Christian (21-6)
  5. Aquinas (23-5)
  6. Greenforest (15-11)
  7. Stratford Academy (18-7)
  8. Holy Innocents’ (15-9)
  9. Mt. Vernon Presbyterian (17-10)
  10. Lakeview Academy (20-7)

Class A-Public

  1. Wilkinson County (22-6)
  2. Calhoun County (26-2)
  3. Manchester (20-6)
  4. Montgomery County (24-3)
  5. Central-Talbotton (21-3)
  6. Woodville-Tompkins (24-3)
  7. Lanier County (24-3)
  8. Georgia Military College (23-3)
  9. Terrell County (19-9)
  10. Wilcox County (21-7)

 

Everything you need to know about this week’s rankings can be sorted out HERE. Stay tuned for this year’s #FebruaryFrenzy Bracket Challenge which will be hosted by sportalspace. The brackets will be able to all be submitted electronically without the hassle of printing/scanning/emailing them to me.

But for a semi-quick recap of a phenomenal week of Region Tournament hoops, here we go.

In Class AAAAAAA, No. 2 Norcross used a Kyle Sturdivant buzzer-beater to stun No. 6 Meadowcreek. Even with their two heart-breaking losses to Norcross, expect the Mustangs to be a trendy pick to make the Final Four this year. No. 4 Pebblebrook won Region 2 on a Grant Howard floater at the buzzer to beat Wheeler and win their 22nd game in a row. If you listened to Spielin’ & Dealin’ before the season, my prediction on defending state champion No. 9 Tift County was right on the money. The Blue Devils won their region and eclipsed the 20-win mark and now debut in the Top 10 for the first time all season – uh-oh.

No. 9 Tri-Cities has started to fall apart in Class AAAAAA and will have a tough first round game against Region 6 champion and debutant No. 10 South Cobb. The Bulldogs are 2-4 in their last six games, sliding into the four-spot in Region 5. Their two wins over that span have come by a combined three points against 9-17 South Paulding and 13-12 Mays. If they can regain their mid-season form, Tri-Cities is a threat for a deep run, if not, it will be a massively disappointing year.

The already lopsided-on-paper matchup between Region 5 and Region 6 in Class AAAAA just got that much more unfair. No. 4 Miller Grove and No. 6 Columbia fall to the 3 and 4 seeds, meaning the very vocal Jaguars of No. 10 Maynard Jackson have an opportunity to prove themselves a title contender if they can beat Columbia.

Class AAAA sees Cartersville (19-6) drop from the Top 10 with a Region 5 Championship loss to No. 3 Sandy Creek. No. 4 Westover won the competitive Region 1 title over No. 6 Americus-Sumter while No. 9 Woodward Academy edged No. 7 Salem in overtime for the Region 4 crown after 6-foot-10 Walker Kessler hit a late three to send the game to the extra period. The War Eagles are an interesting group with an imposing front court, but their limited backcourt could be what ultimately hinders them.

No. 1 Morgan County survived the scare of a lifetime at Emmanuel College as they outlasted Hart County 71-68 in 2OT, the last region tournament game to finish in the GHSA. The Bulldogs from Hart County have gone toe-to-toe with Morgan County twice now out of their three meetings. Hart County draws East Hall in Round 1, which should be an interesting matchup. No. 2 Johnson-Savannah is rolling with a 72-59 win over No. 5 Jenkins. Windsor Forest (15-10) went from No. 10 in the state to not even making the big dance. Two-time defending state champion No. 9 Pace Academy has crept their way into the Top 10. Yale-signee Isaiah Kelly struggles with consistency against other formidable post players, but with the right draw and some outside shooting, Pace could scare some teams in state.

Scheduling tough pays off in the end. Hopefully this isn’t the end just yet for No. 1 Therrell, who grabs the top spot in Class AA in the final week of the season. The Panthers beat No. 7 South Atlanta for the third-time in the Region 6 Championship, 80-73. Therrell is loaded with freshmen and sophomores and might be on the verge of becoming Atlanta’s next small school powerhouse. No. 4 Glenn Hills crumbled when the pressure was on, submitting to the much smaller No. 2 Laney Wildcats. No. 3 Dublin was edged by No. 10 Washington County 61-60 in the Region 3 Championship. No. 8 Swainsboro picked the wrong time to have the wheels fall off, finishing as the 4-seed in Region 2 after going 14-0 during the regular season in region play. They are now pitted against No. 5 Thomasville. It may sound crazy, but give the slight edge to Swainsboro. Thomasville struggles against good guard play, but if the Tigers get in foul trouble, the Bulldogs could overwhelm them with their size.

My, my, my. Yes, there is a new title contender in Class A-Private. After holding serve at No. 1 the entire season, St. Francis drops to No. 3. The state was sent notice by the boys from Dalton as No. 2 Christian Heritage defeated the Knights 64-62, leading wire-to-wire, then routed No. 4 North Cobb Christian 71-47 to win the Region 6 title. Christian Heritage has size across the board, going 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 and topped off by 6-foot-7 matchup nightmare Christian Koneman, who eliminated any buckets at the rim for St. Francis. Plucky guards Zach Gentry and Sam Dindoffer are small, but Dindoffer is a big shot taker and maker, hitting St. Francis up for 27 points. After taking down one No. 1 team already, Christian Heritage and the rest of the state has their targets set on No. 1 ELCA. The Chargers have put it all together and won the Region 5 title over a much-improved No. 6 Greenforest team 66-54.

Class A-Public also has a new No. 1. Instead of a surprise like Christian Heritage, it’s who always rises to the top at this time of year: No. 1 Wilkinson County. Wins over Class A-Private No. 5 Aquinas and No. 8 Georgia Military in the Region 7 Championship give the Warriors all the momentum. Elsewhere, No. 3 Manchester lost their first game on the court this year to No. 5 Central-Talbotton.