Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 11 Girls Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (21-0)
2. Collins Hill (22-1)
3. Cherokee (21-3)
4. North Cobb (21-2)
5. Grayson (21-2)
6. North Forsyth (19-4)
7. Norcross (15-9)
8. Brookwood (16-6)
9. Pebblebrook (19-3)
10. Colquitt County (19-2)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (20-3)
2. Forest Park (21-2)
3. Northview (19-4)
4. Douglas County (19-4)
5. Stephenson (15-9)
6. Valdosta (20-2)
7. Glynn Academy (20-3)
8. Lanier (20-3)
9. Creekview (19-4)
10. New Manchester (21-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (20-2)
2. Villa Rica (23-0)
3. Veterans (22-2)
4. Southwest DeKalb (17-6)
5. Jones County (19-4)
6. Harris County (17-5)
7. Eagle’s Landing (17-5)
8. Wayne County (19-3)
9. Carrollton (17-6)
10. Arabia Mountain (17-3) 

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (24-0)
2. Henry County (22-2)
3. Flowery Branch (21-3)
4. Spalding (17-4)
5. Madison County (21-2)
6. West Laurens (17-5)
7. Luella (18-4)
8. Sandy Creek (18-4)
9. Northwest Whitfield (20-4)
10. Baldwin (17-6)

Class AAA

1. Jefferson (20-2)
2. Beach (20-4)
3. Johnson-Savannah (14-7)
4. Hart County (18-5)
5. Peach County (17-4)
6. Morgan County (17-6)
7. Dawson County (16-7)
8. GAC (12-11)
9. Tattnall County (18-5)
10. North Murray (17-7)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (21-1)
2. Douglass (18-5)
3. Fitzgerald (21-0)
4. Bryan County (22-0)
5. Rabun County (21-1)
6. Laney (21-2)
7. Swainsboro (19-3)
8. Banks County (19-4)
9. Early County (19-3)
10. Southwest-Macon (16-4)

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (16-7)
2. St. Francis (18-3)
3. Wesleyan (22-2)
4. ELCA (17-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (19-4)
6. Stratford Academy (21-1)
7. Mt. Paran (18-2)
8. Paideia (18-3)
9. Calvary Day (20-3)
10. Greenforest (16-4)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (22-0)
2. Georgia Military College (15-1)
3. Wheeler County (17-4)
4. Telfair County (17-4)
5. Greenville (21-2)
6. Calhoun County (20-2)
7. Mitchell County (17-4)
8. Dooly County (17-4)
9. Bowdon (19-4)
10. Central-Talbotton (13-6)
 

Don’t look now, but unranked McEachern (12-9) is starting to climb the Region 3-AAAAAAA standings with five-straight wins highlighted by a 36-30 grudge match victory over Marietta then stunning No. 4 North Cobb 63-40, giving the Warriors their first region loss of the season after winning at Marietta 54-47 and dropping one spot. The Indians can rise all the way to the number two seed if they knock off Kennesaw Mountain and Hillgrove (15-7) this week. The Hawks lost 73-61 to North Cobb and fall from the poll. They are replaced by No. 10 Colquitt County who has won 12-straight.

The long-awaited Class AAAAAA showdown between No. 1 Lovejoy and No. 2 Forest Park takes place this Tuesday at Lovejoy. The Panthers dominated the second half to rally from down 35-13 at the half to force overtime before falling 58-56 back on December 8th. No. 3 Northview held off Pope 67-56 and went to Savannah to edge defending state champion Class 3A No. 3 Johnson-Savannah 50-44 as Rice-signee Ashlee Austin led the way with 18 points. No. 7 Glynn Academy tumbles three spots after a bad 44-37 loss to rival Brunswick (11-10). No. 6 Valdosta survived Northside-Warner Robins 50-49 while No. 8 Lanier clinched a state playoff berth by sweeping Dacula 53-42, Kalen Surles scoring 17 points and Nala Lawrence adding 16.

There is a changing of the guard in Class AAAAA. It is just too difficult to ignore what No. 1 Buford has done this season without a star player after graduating Class 5A Player of the Year Tory Ozment (Michigan State) and Audrey Weiner (Air Force). The Wolves replace undefeated No. 2 Villa Rica atop the poll after beating last week’s Class A-Private No. 1 Wesleyan 54-52 on Sara Viti’s put-back with seconds left to hold off a Wesleyan comeback. Viti scored 15 points followed by Ebony Grant’s 10 and 8 apiece from Tate Walters and Tatum Ozment. The Wolves now have wins over Class 6A No. 6 Valdosta (70-46), Class 7A No. 5 Grayson (67-58), Class 3A No. 6 Morgan County (62-36), Class 6A No. 3 Northview (58-40), Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ (48-45) and Class 2A No. 8 Banks County (63-33). Villa Rica has mauled opponents for the most part behind Kentucky-signee Deasia Merrill, but they just haven’t seen the same level of competition. The Wildcats have a respectable resume with wins over Class 3A No. 3 Johnson-Savannah (53-43), No. 9 Carrollton (58-51; 66-58), Class 6A No. 10 New Manchester (57-37) and Rome (51-45), who has been in and out of the Top 10 this season and will travel to play Villa Rica this week. At the bottom of the poll, No. 7 Eagle’s Landing sinks four spots after losing 59-52 against Class 4A No. 8 Sandy Creek and failing to impress in a 53-48 win in OT against St. Pius X. Statesboro (21-3) and Woodland-Stockbridge (17-6) drop out. Ranked No. 6 last week, Statesboro lost 52-48 to returnee No. 8 Wayne County and at Ware County 49-47 while the Wolfpack stumbled at Locust Grove 61-52. No. 10 Arabia Mountain cracks back into the rankings and hosts No. 4 Southwest DeKalb on Tuesday looking to avenge a 50-36 loss.

No. 1 Carver-Columbus finally met some resistance in Class AAAA, but eventually put away Westover 72-61, their closest win since a 48-46 victory over Bishop O’Connell (VA) in December. The Tigers now host the Patriots on Friday. No. 4 Spalding defeated No. 6 West Laurens 50-44 while No. 8 Sandy Creek climbs four spots after beating Class 5A No. 7 Eagle’s Landing 59-52 and running their winning streak up to 13 after three subsequent wins. No. 10 Baldwin is down two spots after beating Warner Robins 63-56 but losing 55-46 at Burke County. No. 3 Flowery Branch blasted Marist (16-6) out of the poll, 77-48. The War Eagles are replaced by No. 9 Northwest Whitfield who resurfaces after a 65-34 win over Pickens. The Bruins will try to clinch the number one seed in Region 6 as they host 19-5 Gilmer sometime this week depending on the weather (initially scheduled for Tuesday).

Region 8-AAA provided more interesting results as a Lou Reid-less No. 6 Morgan County lost at No. 1 Jefferson 68-55 and to No. 4 Hart County 71-64. The same merry-go-round of wins and losses in Region 7 raged on as unranked Lumpkin County (17-7) finally got their signature win, 61-57 over No. 8 GAC, but the Indians couldn’t crack the Top 10 after losing 56-53 to No. 7 Dawson County and 41-31 to Gilmer. GAC ended their week with a 70-27 loss at Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ while Dawson County earned a 68-59 win over North Hall on Tuesday and have trimmed the Spartans’ lead in the region to a single game heading into the final week. Coahulla Creek (17-6) departs after two weeks in the Top 10, beating Sonoraville 56-52 but getting flattened by Ringgold 54-31. Fellow Region 6’er No. 10 North Murray debuts in the poll riding a seven-game winning streak which has seen the Mountaineers score wins over Coahulla Creek (51-46), Darlington (47-43) and most recently, at Ringgold 34-32 as Korbin Tipton finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds and the following night, senior guard Sarah Plemons committing to Georgia College.

There finally is some movement in the stalemate of Class AA. No. 6 Laney slips two spots after a 60-55 loss to Grovetown, giving way to undefeated No. 4 Bryan County and No. 5 Rabun County. The Redskins won at No. 7 Swainsboro 66-63 as junior Olonna Rawls obliterated the Tigers with 35 points which led to Kennesaw State trekking down south to watch Rawls’ encore performance of 30 points, 6 assists and 4 steals in a 66-43 win over Vidalia. Bryan County’s final hurdle to a perfect regular season comes this Tuesday at 18-5 Woodville-Tompkins. Rabun County won their 19th straight game thanks to two Destiny Deetz free throws with a second left to survive Monticello 61-59. Brooke Henricks led the way with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while Presbyterian-signee Georgia Stockton returned to action working her way back into shape for a playoff push. No. 3 Fitzgerald swept No. 9 Early County 75-65 as Hayleigh Ross (23), Trinity Jones (21) and Kyah Crook (15) combined for 59 points and helped ignite an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Washington County (16-6) drops out of the poll after getting whipped by No. 1 Dodge County 74-48 and losing to debutant No. 10 Southwest-Macon 54-44. For the Patriots to stick in the rankings, they will have to win at East Laurens on Tuesday, the Falcons beating Southwest-Macon 72-58 in their first meeting.

Following a rocky 1-3 start to the season and uncharacteristic disappointing losses to Top 10 competition throughout the year, No. 1 Holy Innocents’ has finally found its groove and has taken over the top spot in Class A-Private. Already holding a win over former No. 1 Wesleyan 68-63, the Golden Bears went back to work and destroyed Class 3A No. 8 GAC 70-37 on Saturday. No. 3 Wesleyan falls two spots after losing 54-52 to Class 5A No. 1 Buford. No. 2 St. Francis earned wins over Auburn (AL) 59-51, King’s Ridge Christian 65-56 and No. 7 Mt. Paran 72-56. No. 6 Stratford Academy is up a spot after beating Elite Scholars Academy 60-43 to atone for their lone 56-49 loss back on December 4th. No. 10 Greenforest ran over Strong Rock Christian 52-27.

Class A-Public belongs to No. 1 Marion County as the Eagles swept No. 5 Greenville 73-63 and dispatched of No. 8 Dooly County 62-39. No. 3 Wheeler County busts into the Top 3 thanks to a 64-54 win at No. 4 Telfair County. No. 7 Mitchell County beat rival Pelham in two nail-biters, 61-50 in OT and 45-44. Clinch County (15-5) and Wilcox County (14-7) exit the poll after the Panthers lost 40-32 to 8-15 Brooks County while the Patriots fell 47-45 to 6-12 Monroe. No. 9 Bowdon and No. 10 Central-Talbotton reappear. Bowdon completed a 3-0 week with wins over Christian Heritage 61-36, at Darlington 61-58 and at Gordon Lee 52-30 while Central-Talbotton’s week was highlighted by a 56-42 win over Kendrick.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 11 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (22-0)
2. East Coweta (23-1)
3. Meadowcreek (19-4)
4. Discovery (20-3)
5. Grayson (20-3)
6. Norcross (17-7)
7. Newton (17-5)
8. Milton (16-7)
9. Shiloh (15-7)
10. Pebblebrook (15-8)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (20-2)
2. Chattahoochee (20-3)
3. Douglas County (18-5)
4. Alexander (18-7)
5. Tri-Cities (18-6)
6. South Cobb (16-5)
7. Sprayberry (20-3)
8. Lakeside-Evans (20-3)
9. Lanier (16-6)
10. Tucker (20-4)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (20-2)
2. Eagle’s Landing (18-3)
3. Fayette County (20-4)
4. Southwest DeKalb (17-6)
5. Woodland-Stockbridge (19-3)
6. Jonesboro (16-8)
7. Lithonia (16-8)
8. Kell (19-5)
9. Carrollton (14-8)
10. Harris County (15-7)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (21-1)
2. Sandy Creek (19-3)
3. St. Pius X (20-3)
4. Henry County (22-2)
5. Americus-Sumter (18-3)
6. Woodward Academy (15-8)
7. Carver-Columbus (18-5)
8. Marist (16-7)
9. Thomson (16-4)
10. Druid Hills (16-7)

Class AAA

1. GAC (19-4)
2. Morgan County (22-2)
3. Dawson County (19-4)
4. Hart County (17-6) 
5. Pace Academy (16-7)
6. Johnson-Savannah (16-6)
7. Westside-Macon (18-5)
8. Central-Macon (18-5)
9. Monroe (16-6)
10. Windsor Forest (19-4)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (23-0)
2. Therrell (19-6)
3. South Atlanta (18-5)
4. Vidalia (20-3)
5. Spencer (19-3)
6. Washington County (17-5)
7. Northeast-Macon (18-4)
8. Glenn Hills (20-3)
9. Early County (16-6)
10. Elbert County (20-3)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (19-4)
2. Greenforest (16-5)
3. ELCA (15-7)
4. Mt. Bethel (17-6)
5. Walker (16-6)
6. Holy Innocents’ (13-10)
7. Riverside Military (17-4)
8. Wesleyan (17-6)
9. Lakeview Academy (16-7)
10. Mt. Paran (13-8)

Class A-Public

1. Calhoun County (22-0)
2. Hancock Central (17-4)
3. Treutlen (21-1)
4. Terrell County (20-2)
5. Irwin County (18-2)
6. Wilcox County (18-2)
7. Wilkinson County (14-9)
8. Greene County (17-5)
9. Pelham (17-4)
10. Marion County (17-4)

Continue reading Week 11 Boys Rankings →

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Basketball, Spielin' & Dealin' Podcast

Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 65: East Coweta + Class 3A/2A Girls Breakdown

***SUBSCRIBE/DOWNLOAD/LISTEN ON iTUNES***
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The Sidelines

Region/State tournament requests [2:00]
No. 2 East Coweta [3:45]
No. 1 Jefferson girls climb to top [10:28]
Can someone beat Savannah’s powers in Class 3A? [13:21]
Will the Class 2A state champion come from outside of Augusta? [16:47]
Class 2A girls state bracket preview [24:40]

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 10 Girls Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (19-0)
2. Collins Hill (19-1)
3. North Cobb (19-1)
4. Cherokee (19-3)
5. Grayson (19-2)
6. North Forsyth (15-4)
7. Norcross (14-9)
8. Brookwood (15-6)
9. Hillgrove (14-6)
10. Pebblebrook (17-3)

 Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (19-3)
2. Forest Park (20-2)
3. Northview (16-4)
4. Glynn Academy (18-2)
5. Douglas County (17-4)
6. Stephenson (13-9)
7. Valdosta (18-2)
8. Lanier (17-3)
9. Creekview (16-4)
10. New Manchester (19-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (20-0)
2. Buford (17-2)
3. Eagle’s Landing (14-4)
4. Veterans (20-2)
5. Southwest DeKalb (16-6)
6. Statesboro (21-1)
7. Jones County (17-4)
8. Harris County (16-5)
9. Woodland-Stockbridge (15-5)
10. Carrollton (15-6)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (21-0)
2. Henry County (21-2)
3. Flowery Branch (19-3)
4. Spalding (15-4)
5. Madison County (19-2)
6. West Laurens (16-4)
7. Luella (16-4)
8. Baldwin (15-5)
9. Marist (15-5)
10. Sandy Creek (14-4)

Class AAA

1. Jefferson (18-2)
2. Johnson-Savannah (12-6)
3. Beach (18-4)
4. Morgan County (16-4)
5. Hart County (15-5)
6. GAC (11-9)
7. Peach County (14-4)
8. Tattnall County (16-5)
9. Dawson County (14-7)
10. Coahulla Creek (16-5)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (18-1)
2. Douglass (17-5)
3. Fitzgerald (19-0)
4. Laney (19-1)
5. Bryan County (20-0)
6. Rabun County (18-1)
7. Swainsboro (16-2)
8. Early County (17-2)
9. Banks County (16-4)
10. Washington County (15-4)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (21-1)
2. St. Francis (14-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (13-7)
4. ELCA (14-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (17-4)
6. Mt. Paran (17-1)
7. Stratford Academy (18-1)
8. Paideia (16-3)
9. Calvary Day (17-3)
10. Greenforest (15-4)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (19-0)
2. Georgia Military College (13-1)
3. Telfair County (16-3)
4. Greenville (20-1)
5. Wheeler County (14-4)
6. Calhoun County (18-2)
7. Dooly County (15-3)
8. Mitchell County (15-4)
9. Clinch County (12-4)
10. Wilcox County (13-6)

Region play affords us some crucial Top 10 showdowns across all classifications as region tournament seeding is up for grabs. A handful of rematches will make us re-think what we thought we knew about the landscape of Georgia.

In Class AAAAAAA, No. 1 Westlake remained unbeaten, rallying from down 36-24 at the half to knockoff Class 5A No. 2 Buford on the road 58-51. Raven Johnson attacked the glass in the second half and led the Lions with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals and 2 blocks while 6-foot-3 junior center Lydia Freeman proved to be the ultimate difference maker, dumping in 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks as Buford had no answer for her size and girth inside. No. 7 Norcross fell to No. 8 Brookwood 54-44 as both teams continue their see-saw seasons. The Broncos return to the Top 10 riding a six-game winning streak and will try to avoid anymore trap games. They replace tough-luck Colquitt County (16-2) who outlasted Camden County 46-45 on the road. No. 5 Grayson held off Class 6A No. 6 Stephenson 70-69 behind freshman Catherine Alben’s game-winning free throw and 19 points and 6 assists. No. 9 Hillgrove edged archnemesis McEachern 57-55.

Outside of No. 6 Stephenson dropping one spot after a 70-69 loss to Class 7A No. 5 Grayson and Dacula (16-5) falling out of the poll following a 66-61 loss to Winder-Barrow, everything in Class AAAAAA was status quo. The Falcons are replaced by returnee No. 10 New Manchester who went a perfect 4-0 last week with wins over Alexander (57-48), Starr’s Mill (42-32), Tri-Cities (78-22) and South Paulding (79-17).

There is no movement in Class AAAAA. No. 1 Villa Rica pumped Cass 71-47 while No. 10 Carrollton sneaked out of White with a 50-47 win. No. 3 Eagle’s Landing turned back No. 7 Jones County 40-37. No. 4 Veterans defeated Class 3A No. 7 Peach County 63-56. No. 8 Harris County handled Warner Robins 74-51.

Westover (15-3) and Perry (10-7) are casualties in Class AAAA. The Patriots were upset by 8-11 Cairo 44-35 while Perry went 0-3 last week, losing to No. 4 Spalding (62-40), No. 6 West Laurens (42-32) and Class A-Public No. 7 Dooly County (47-34). No. 8 Baldwin rises above the wreckage even after a 50-38 loss to Cross Creek. The Braves rebounded with a big 60-56 win over Class 2A No. 10 Washington County. Returning to the Top 10 is No. 9 Marist. The War Eagles beat White County 61-48 and Chestatee 61-42 before losing to No. 3 Flowery Branch 64-48. No. 10 Sandy Creek debuts in the poll and are on a nine-game winning streak. The Patriots have beat up on a weak Region 5, their latest win coming at Central-Carrollton 49-34, who has sunk to 13-5 and 3-4 in region play after a 10-0 start to the season. 6-foot-1 junior post Daija Powell is powering the Patriots with 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

The gauntlet known as Region 8 in Class AAA claimed another victim as No. 4 Morgan County slips three spots from their top ranking after losing 77-63 to No. 5 Hart County. Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks controlled the game with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists while Taniya Alexander added 23 points and 15 rebounds inside. Rising to the perch for the first time is the third Region 8 team in the Top 5, No. 1 Jefferson. They came out of Carnesville with a 40-33 win over Franklin County and now have a rematch this Tuesday against visiting Morgan County, who slayed the Dragons 60-52 back on December 14th. No. 6 GAC has gained breathing room in Region 7, beating No. 9 Dawson County 53-41 and dispatching of North Hall 61-46. No. 10 Coahulla Creek narrowly survives their first week in the poll in a topsy-turvy Region 6. The Colts lost to North Murray 51-46, splitting the season series, but bounced back with a 55-42 win at Adairsville. The Region 6 standings are a logjam up top: Ringgold (15-6, 11-1), Coahulla Creek (16-5, 10-2), North Murray (15-7, 10-3) and Sonoraville (15-6, 9-3) are the leaders. The Colts get the nod over the rest of the pack due to their crucial 47-44 win at Ringgold. North Murray is close on their tail with five-straight wins. Ringgold could have gotten the final spot this week, but they lost 54-51 to Class 4A Heritage-Catoosa and are 2-3 in their last five games.

For a second consecutive week there are no changes to the Class AA poll, though major shakeup could be on the horizon. No. 1 Dodge County travels to No. 10 Washington County on Tuesday looking to complete a season sweep of the Golden Hawks, who they beat 73-64 last month. No. 3 Fitzgerald travels to No. 8 Early County. The host Bobcats will look to avenge their 62-60 loss the Purple Hurricanes two weeks ago. No. 7 Swainsboro welcomes No. 5 Bryan County on Tuesday, the Redskins beat Swainsboro 68-64 in their first meeting. This past week, No. 4 Laney swept 9-8 Burke County 59-54. No. 6 Rabun County, winners of 16-straight, did the same against rival No. 9 Banks County, winning 59-53 with Brooke Henricks’ 19 points leading the way.

Class A-Private’s hated rivals wrote another chapter in their storied history as No. 3 Holy Innocents’ handed No. 1 Wesleyan their first loss of the year 68-63 as freshman Marya Hudgins had a career night with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Starting point guard Paige Lyons did not play in the loss. Wesleyan retains their number one position. Dating back to 2016-17, the Golden Bears have gone 6-1 in the regular season/region tournament, winning four-straight against the Wolves but have lost the last two state championships to Wesleyan. No. 2 St. Francis welcomes No. 6 Mt. Paran on Friday as the Lady Knights look to sweep the Eagles after beating them 59-42 in their first contest. No. 10 Greenforest clings onto their spot in the poll following a 67-65 loss at Landmark Christian.

Class A-Public sees Bowdon (16-4) and Central-Talbotton (10-6) fall from the Top 10. The Red Devils were upset 45-42 at Trion while the Hawks were drilled by No. 1 Marion County 76-44 and lost 60-59 to No. 4 Greenville. Continuing the statewide theme of rematches, the defending state champion Greenville Patriots travel to Marion County on Tuesday. The Eagles handed them their only loss of the season back in December, 71-70. No. 3 Telfair County blasted No. 9 Clinch County 76-47, India Wells posting 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. The Panthers fall two spots after also getting torched by Gracie Brunel in a 59-51 loss to Lanier County, the unsigned senior who leads the state in scoring dropping in 38 points. No. 5 Wheeler County heads to No. 3 Telfair County for a rematch of their season-opening 65-60 loss to the Trojans. No. 7 Dooly County is up a spot after a big 47-34 win against last week’s Class 4A No. 10 Perry. Returning to the poll is No. 8 Mitchell County and No. 10 Wilcox County. The Eagles battle with rival Pelham this week while the Patriots try to ride momentum from their 73-59 win over Echols County. Wilcox County is led by freshman Destiny Tisdol’s 14.5 points per game and Coach Santita Coon boasts the state’s leading rebounder, 5-foot-10 sophomore Alayshia Dixon who averages 14.1 points, 16.7 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 1.8 blocks.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 10 Boys Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (18-0)
2. East Coweta (21-1)
3. Grayson (19-2)
4. Meadowcreek (17-4)
5. Discovery (18-3)
6. Norcross (15-7)
7. Pebblebrook (14-7)
8. Newton (15-5)
9. Wheeler (15-7)
10. Berkmar (15-5)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (18-2)
2. Chattahoochee (19-3)
3. Tri-Cities (16-5)
4. Douglas County (15-5)
5. Lakeside-Evans (18-2)
6. Alexander (16-7)
7. South Cobb (14-5)
8. North Atlanta (16-5)
9. South Paulding (15-7)
10. Sprayberry (17-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (17-2)
2. Fayette County (18-3)
3. Eagle’s Landing (15-3)
4. Lithonia (15-7)
5. Southwest DeKalb (16-6)
6. Woodland-Stockbridge (16-3)
7. Kell (17-4)
8. Jonesboro (13-8)
9. Lithia Springs (15-5)
10. Carrollton (13-7)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (19-1)
2. Sandy Creek (16-3)
3. St. Pius X (18-2)
4. Henry County (21-1)
5. Carver-Columbus (16-3)
6. Americus-Sumter (14-3)
7. Baldwin (13-7)
8. Woodward Academy (12-8)
9. Marist (14-7)
10. Salem (13-6)

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (19-1)
2. GAC (15-4)
3. Dawson County (17-4)
4. Hart County (15-5) 
5. Pace Academy (14-6)
6. Johnson-Savannah (14-6)
7. Westside-Macon (15-5)
8. Central-Macon (15-5)
9. Monroe (14-5)
10. Windsor Forest (18-4)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (21-0)
2. Therrell (16-6)
3. South Atlanta (16-5)
4. Northeast-Macon (17-3)
5. Elbert County (18-2)
6. Vidalia (18-3)
7. Spencer (16-3)
8. Washington County (14-5)
9. Glenn Hills (18-3)
10. Thomasville (17-3)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (16-4)
2. Mt. Bethel (15-4)
3. Greenforest (14-4)
4. ELCA (13-6)
5. Walker (14-5)
6. Holy Innocents’ (11-9)
7. Wesleyan (15-5)
8. Lakeview Academy (15-5)
9. Riverside Military (15-4)
10. Trinity Christian (9-10)

Class A-Public

1. Calhoun County (20-0)
2. Hancock Central (16-3)
3. Treutlen (19-1)
4. Terrell County (17-2)
5. Wilcox County (17-2)
6. Irwin County (14-2)
7. Greene County (15-5)
8. Wilkinson County (11-9)
9. Pelham (13-4)
10. Marion County (14-3)

 

Class AAAAAAA dominated the country again to prove the best basketball in the nation from top to bottom is played in Georgia, with Class 7A possibly being the deepest classification in the United States. No. 1 McEachern won the Bass Pros Tournament of Champions Championship by beating Springfield Catholic (MO) 75-42, Shadow Mountain (AZ) 73-61 and rallying to beat Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) in overtime in the title game 50-46 behind Sharife Cooper’s 20 points and Auburn-signee Isaac Okoro’s 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. No. 6 Norcross upset Roselle Catholic (NJ) 75-55 to hand the No. 11 ranked team in the nation their first loss of the season. The Blue Devils had their best week of the season and might finally be turning the corner and reaching their potential. They hammered both Parkview (80-42) and Brookwood (65-39) before winning at the Spalding HoopHall Classic with Brandon Boston’s 26 points leading the way. The bad news for McEachern and Norcross is that life gets much tougher back home believe it or not. No. 2 East Coweta jumps three teams and has cemented themselves as elite and a team that should garner nationwide attention. The Indians avenged their lone loss by beating No. 7 Pebblebrook 67-62 in OT before escaping Westlake, rallying from down 14 in the second half to win on the road 81-76. East Coweta finished the week with a thrilling 71-66 OT win at No. 9 Wheeler after leading 46-25 at the half before surviving a furious comeback. Outside of the vaunted Region 2, No. 8 Newton fell two spots following losses to No. 3 Grayson 70-61 and to Class 3A No. 1 Morgan County 56-51.

No. 2 Chattahoochee won their Top 3 Class AAAAAA showdown with No. 8 North Atlanta 64-56, sinking the Warriors six spots and taking control of Region 7. No. 3 Tri-Cities had a perfect week in Region 5, scoring wins over No. 9 South Paulding 66-50, New Manchester 86-71 and Langston Hughes 80-67. Sequoyah (16-5) drops out of the Top 10 after losing 78-64 to No. 7 South Cobb and nearly giving away a game to rival Cherokee, surviving 73-72. The Chiefs (9-3) are now stuck in third-place in Region 6 behind South Cobb (12-1) and returnee No. 10 Sprayberry (11-1) who blasted River Ridge 72-54 and Dalton 93-64.

In Class AAAAA, the spotlight was too bright for No. 2 Fayette County as their reign over Class 5A lasts just one week, slipping back to number two after a 62-52 loss to debutant No. 8 Jonesboro, who has now quietly won eight-straight games, allowing 42.3 points per game over their winning streak. No. 1 Buford returns to pole position after beating rival Clarke Central 67-43 and demolishing Walnut Grove 75-37. No. 5 Southwest DeKalb falls out of the Top 3 for the first time all season after losing to No. 4 Lithonia 75-62 and barely winning at Miller Grove 52-51. The Bulldogs are up three spots and have a chance to secure a No. 1 seed heading into the Region 5 tournament. Warner Robins (15-5), Statesboro (17-5) and Jones County (14-7) all slide out of the poll, giving us a new 8 through 10. The Demons were knocked off by Harris County 44-43, Statesboro was blown out by New Hampstead 67-46 and the Greyhounds were pounded by No. 3 Eagle’s Landing 77-52. Returning to the rankings is No. 9 Lithia Springs and No. 10 Carrollton. The Lions won two nail-biters against North Springs 62-61 and at Riverwood 62-57 and now have their work cut out for them against Class 6A No. 4 Douglas County who beat them 106-103 in their first meeting. Carrollton has won five-straight with their latest win coming at Cass 64-58. The Trojans will attempt to slow down Rome and prolific scorer Caleb Byrd this Tuesday.

The bottom of Class AAAA is becoming a barren wasteland with limited options worthy enough to crack the Top 10 with a handful of weak resumes. Thomson (14-4) falls out after losing 55-52 at Richmond Academy and narrowly defeating East Jackson 57-54. No. 9 Marist makes their first appearance in the Top 10 and will try to stick. The War Eagles have handled their business in an improved but still average Region 7. Last week’s three victories were highlighted by wins over White County 62-49 and Chestatee 79-40. First-place in the region is on the line at Blessed Trinity this Tuesday, who Marist beat 65-45 earlier in the season as one of their few signature wins. Marist’s respectable losses to powers Class 3A No. 5 Pace Academy (56-44), No. 3 St. Pius X (62-49) and Class 3A No. 2 GAC (64-51) are the War Eagle’s most reassuring results. Speaking of No. 3 St. Pius X, they kicked Cedar Grove from the Class 3A rankings with a 68-51 win. No. 4 Henry County is eagerly awaiting a slip up from the Top 3 as they continue to impress, beating No. 8 Woodward Academy 57-50, No. 10 Salem 66-60 and Hampton 60-40. No. 5 Carver-Columbus is playing great basketball as well, winning at Dougherty 79-71 and sweeping No. 6 Americus-Sumter in OT, 52-49.

No. 1 Morgan County and No. 2 GAC handled their business in Class AAA Top 4 bouts this past week and feel like virtual locks to meet in the state finals as they have separated themselves from the rest of the classification. The Bulldogs mauled No. 4 Hart County 70-53 on the road and then traveled to Class 7A No. 8 Newton to score a 56-51 win behind Tyrin Lawrence’s 26 points. The Spartans swept No. 3 Dawson County 72-60 with Hunter McIntosh pouring in 27 points while Clifton Baskerville (14), Belmont-signee Ben Sheppard (12) and Chris Hinton (11) combined for 37 points. No. 7 Westside-Macon climbs two spots after dropping No. 8 Central-Macon three slots with a 54-52 win over the Chargers. The Seminoles followed up with a 103-59 thrashing of Kendrick while Central-Macon lost to Class 2A No. 4 Northeast-Macon 54-52. Jefferson (13-7) is out of the poll after a 75-65 loss at Franklin County while Cedar Grove (11-7) was put out of their misery with losses to Class 4A No. 3 St. Pius X 68-51 and Redan 61-48, the Saints losing seven of their last nine games after starting 9-0. No. 9 Monroe sneaks into the Top 10 for the first time, coming out of the yucky four-team Region 1, which has a combined record of 21-36 outside of the Tornadoes’ 14-5 mark. Monroe very well may be a one-and-done candidate but a season sweep of Westover (69-36; 73-68), a 69-49 win over Early County and a tight 70-64 loss at Class A-Public No. 4 Terrell County might show that the Tornadoes aren’t just beating up on bad competition. They get their biggest test of the year on MLK Day against Class 4A No. 6 Americus-Sumter. Drama is afoot in Savannah. No. 6 Johnson-Savannah moves up a spot after beating Jenkins 65-44, but first-year Head Coach Rico Campbell will be hoping for some addition by subtraction as shot-hunter Shamar Jones has left the program after averaging a second-best 14.9 points per game. The Atomsmashers tried to load the deck with transfers but it has proven to be a combustible mix. With Jones leaving, 6-foot-6 junior Brandon Harris will likely get more shot attempts and will have to warrant all his High Major D-I offers and prove that his summer wasn’t just a flash in the pan. He holds averages of 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. No. 10 Windsor Forest breaks into the Top 10 for the first time this season and is the landing spot for Shamar Jones if he is somehow ruled eligible. At 18-4, its hard to believe the Knights still don’t have a signature win and have only beaten three teams with a winning record, their best win coming against 11-7 New Hampstead 68-47 back on December 22! 6-foot-3 senior Zim Fields averages 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals while 5-foot-10 sophomore Shamar Norman nets 15 points a night. If Jones is ruled eligible, it will be interesting to see whether he affects team chemistry as their rematch with Johnson-Savannah looms next Tuesday. Only the Atomsmashers and Knights have winning records in the nine-team Region 3.

The polar opposite of the Savannah area basketball in Class 3A is reflected in the special season that Class AA No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins is having. The Wolverines destroyed Swainsboro 81-47 and outlasted No. 6 Vidalia 53-50. No. 4 Northeast-Macon clipped Class 3A No. 8 Central-Macon 54-52. No. 10 Thomasville tumbles three spots after suffering an 83-68 loss at Class A-Public No. 9 Pelham. No. 8 Washington County moves up two positions after wins at Bleckley County 78-75 and at Class 4A No. 7 Baldwin 68-61, Jamarius Dixon (21) and Jarden Maze (20) combining for 41 points against the Braves.

The Top 5 remains unchanged in Class A-Private even after No. 2 Mt. Bethel’s 76-71 OT win at No. 1 St. Francis to split the season series, withstanding a 38-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist barrage from Xavier-commit Dwon Odom. The Knights hold onto the top spot barely thanks to a little bit stronger of a schedule and six Top 10 wins to Mt. Bethel’s five. The Eagles defeated No. 5 Walker 54-44 before taking down the Knights. No. 3 Greenforest edged No. 10 Trinity Christian 57-48, dropping the Lions two spots. No. 6 Holy Innocents’ rises three spots and have now won seven-straight games including beating No. 7 Wesleyan 59-54 on the road. Region 8 gets interesting this week as No. 8 Lakeview Academy battles No. 7 Wesleyan at the BCB MLK Showcase, but more importantly, meets the new and improved No. 9 Riverside Military Eagles on Friday. The Lions will need to play better after squeaking out a 57-56 win at Prince Avenue.

Here they come. The most feared team in Class A-Public and winners of three-straight state championships and five of the last six, No. 8 Wilkinson County is back in the Top 10 and have won six-straight games, their latest coming in a whipping of Macon County (12-5) 71-40, drilling the Bulldogs in Montezuma and knocking them out of the poll. Also out of the rankings is Georgia Military (9-5) continuing the theme of Region 7’s best being a revolving door. The Bulldogs lost at home to No. 7 Greene County 48-39 and then lost at Washington-Wilkes 58-56. Greene County turned around and were beat by Region 7 frontrunner No. 2 Hancock Central 62-55. The Bulldogs from Sparta then annihilated Washington-Wilkes 80-40. Outside of the Region 7 mayhem, No. 4 Terrell County rises two spots and are in hot pursuit of Region 1 leader No. 1 Calhoun County. The Greenwave beat Early County 67-63 and edged No. 9 Pelham 71-68 after the Hornets busted up Class 2A No. 10 Thomasvile 83-68. Pelham rebounded with a 53-50 win at Chattahoochee County. There’s a new threat in Region 2 as No. 6 Irwin County surges into the poll, winning 11-straight to debut. The Indians defended home court against No. 5 Wilcox County 71-66.

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