GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 7 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (10-0)
2. Grayson (13-2)
3. Meadowcreek (13-3)
4. Discovery (13-3)
5. Wheeler (14-4)
6. Norcross (10-5)
7. Newton (10-3)
8. East Coweta (14-1)
9. Pebblebrook (11-4)
10. Berkmar (12-4)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (10-2)
2. North Atlanta (10-4)
3. Alexander (11-4)
4. South Paulding (12-4)
5. Chattahoochee (12-3)
6. Tri-Cities (10-4)
7. Sequoyah (11-3)
8. Evans (14-0)
9. Lakeside-Evans (13-2)
10. Sprayberry (12-2)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (11-1)
2. Fayette County (13-2)
3. Southwest DeKalb (12-5)
4. Eagle’s Landing (10-3)
5. Woodland-Stockbridge (10-3)
6. Kell (11-3)
7. Lithonia (11-6)
8. Jones County (12-3)
9. Warner Robins (9-3)
10. Lithia Springs (13-3)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (12-1)
2. Sandy Creek (10-2)
3. St. Pius X (13-2)
4. Henry County (15-1)
5. Americus-Sumter (11-1)
6. Chapel Hill (7-3)
7. Baldwin (8-4)
8. Carver-Columbus (9-3)
9. Salem (10-3)
10. Thomson (11-2)

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (13-1)
2. GAC (10-4)
3. Dawson County (12-3)
4. Hart County (11-3) 
5. Cedar Grove (10-2)
6. Pace Academy (11-5)
7. Central-Macon (11-3)
8. Johnson-Savannah (8-6)
9. Jefferson (10-5)
10. Kendrick (10-3)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (14-0)
2. Therrell (11-5)
3. Northeast-Macon (10-2)
4. South Atlanta (11-5)
5. Thomasville (11-1)
6. Vidalia (14-1)
7. Elbert County (11-2)
8. Bleckley County (10-5)
9. Spencer (10-3)
10. Washington County (9-4)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (10-3)
2. Mt. Bethel (7-4)
3. ELCA (7-5)
4. Greenforest (9-4)
5. Walker (9-3)
6. Mt. Pisgah (9-5)
7. Wesleyan (9-4)
8. Christian Heritage (11-0)
9. Lakeview Academy (9-5)
10. Riverside Military (9-3)

Class A-Public

1. Calhoun County (12-0)
2. Hancock Central (8-3)
3. Treutlen (11-1)
4. Greene County (10-3)
5. Wilcox County (11-1)
6. Georgia Military College (6-2)
7. Pelham (7-2)
8. Terrell County (10-2)
9. Chattahoochee County (12-2)
10. Macon County (9-2)

 

The final ranking of 2018 sees elite competition both in-state and out lead to another week that has separated the teams with inflated records from the teams that have challenged themselves.

The Tournament of Champions shook up Class AAAAAAA as No. 2 Grayson rockets up five spots after winning the Peach Championship by beating Class 6A No. 2 North Atlanta 64-56, John Marshall (VA) 71-54 and defending state champion No. 3 Meadowcreek in the title game 55-51, getting their long-awaited revenge after being eliminated 57-55 by the Mustangs in last year’s Final Four. No. 5 Wheeler shined on their home floor, beating Langston Hughes 72-71, Class 5A No. 3 Southwest DeKalb 79-66 and Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis 82-64 to win the Apple Championship at TOC. No. 7 Newton rises two spots after dismantling Class 3A No. 2 GAC 81-57 and beating Southwest DeKalb 82-77 with a loss to St. Francis 70-68 sandwiched in between. Unsigned seniors Armani Harris and Tre Clark both earned All-Tournament selections. Winning the Red Bracket Championship at TOC was debutant No. 10 Berkmar. The Patriots beat Heritage-Conyers 61-55, Trinity Christian 51-47, Class 3A No. 6 Pace Academy 56-50 and avenged an earlier loss in the season to Shiloh (11-4) by beating the Generals 63-58 in the championship and replacing them in the rankings. Over in South Carolina at the Chick-fil-A Classic, No. 6 Norcross went 1-2, dropping three spots after losses to Salesian College Prep (CA) 50-40 and Roman Catholic (PA) 72-62.

Class AAAAAA is still trying to decipher who is for real and who is not quite ready for the big stage. No. 2 North Atlanta had a 2-1 showing at TOC, losing to Class 7A No. 2 Grayson 64-56 before defeating Class 3A No. 8 Johnson-Savannah 58-53 and Lakewood (SC) 74-60, Campbell-signee Messiah Thompson dropping 43 points and 6 assists. No. 6 Tri-Cities drops four spots after going 2-2 at TOC with losses to Holy Innocents’ 61-50 and Miller Grove 57-55. No. 3 Alexander moves up three positions after winning their first three games at the Lake City Classic to set up a title match with Class 5A No. 6 Kell on Monday. The Cougars beat Class 4A No. 7 Baldwin 67-50, Class 5A No. 4 Eagle’s Landing 51-50 and Evangelical Christian (TN) 58-41. No. 10 Sprayberry sinks six spots after losing to newly ranked No. 5 Chattahoochee 67-66 and Heritage-Conyers 77-73 at TOC. The Cougars have put it all together, winning five straight games now. Chattahoochee stole the show at TOC, beating Class 4A No. 6 Chapel Hill 87-63, Sprayberry and in the Blue Bracket Championship, Class A-Private No. 4 Greenforest 93-90 in 5OT, Franklin Bailey winning MVP with 17 points while AJ White and Cameron Sheffield both earned All-Tournament honors. Dropping out of the poll to make room for the Cougs is Brunswick (8-5). The Pirates went 1-2 at the Tift County McDonald’s Invitational losing to Lincoln (FL) 49-44 and Norland (FL) 66-59.

No. 1 Buford suffered their first loss of the season at the Arby’s Classic falling to nationally ranked Carmel Christian (NC) 67-62, but wins over Tennessee 51-45 and Cardinal Newman (SC) 55-44 keep the Wolves at No. 1 in Class AAAAA. No. 2 Fayette County scored a win over Mountain View 87-78 at the Big South Shootout before surviving Creekside 70-68. No. 3 Southwest DeKalb beat Bishop Snyder (FL) 70-67 but fell to Class 7A No. 5 Wheeler 79-66 and Class 7A No. 7 Newton 82-77. No. 6 Kell is streaking, up three spots. The Longhorns will play for the Lake City Classic Championship on Monday against Class 6A No. 3 Alexander. Kell gutted their way to wins over Class 3A No. 5 Cedar Grove 61-46, Class A-Private No. 3 ELCA 55-54 and Class 2A No. 2 Therrell 67-63.

Two through four in Class AAAA continue to impress. No. 2 Sandy Creek knocked off Westlake 66-62 at the Big South Shootout behind Keith Williams III’s 19 points and 6 rebounds. Julian Alexander added 15 points while Drexel-signee TJ Bickerstaff tallied 13 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and Jabari Smith collected 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. No. 3 St. Pius X won their Christmas Classic Championship in thrilling fashion, edging Loyola Blakefield (MD) in overtime 72-68, Niko Broadway winning MVP. No. 4 Henry County won the Chuck Miller Classic in dominating fashion, blowing out previously ranked Westside-Macon 88-68 behind Josh Steele’s 6 threes and 30 points. The team to beat in Region 1 might be No. 5 Americus-Sumter. The Panthers rocked No. 8 Carver-Columbus 80-54 and then beat Class 3A No. 7 Central-Macon 49-48 to win the Lee County Roundball Classic, unsigned 6-foot-7 forward Joshua Lusane winning MVP for the second consecutive year. No. 6 Chapel Hill is up three spots after a 2-1 finish at TOC highlighted by a 56-55 win over Cedar Shoals. Woodward Academy (9-7) finally drops out of the poll after continuing to tread water, losing to Oak Ridge (TN) 61-56. They are replaced by returnee No. 10 Thomson, who got revenge against last week’s Class A-Public No. 1 Hancock Central, beating the Bulldogs 55-52.

The see-saw of Class AAA tips in No. 1 Morgan County’s favor as the Bulldogs regain control of the top spot after cruising to the Sweet South Classic Championship, beating Apalachee 72-61, Class A-Public No. 4 Greene County 91-56 and Druid Hills 68-58. No. 2 GAC’s eight game winning streak was snapped abruptly at TOC, losing 81-57 to Class 7A No. 7 Newton.  The Spartans got back on track however with wins over Blanche Ely (FL) 62-52 and Bishop Snyder (FL) 65-45. No. 5 Cedar Grove is down two spots after struggling at the Lake City Classic, losing to Class 5A No. 6 Kell 61-46 for their first loss of the season and then to Class 5A No. 9 Warner Robins 68-50. Since their loss to Class 2A No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins, No. 8 Johnson-Savannah has temporarily lost their mojo. The Atomsmashers have dropped four straight games and went 0-3 at TOC to sink two more spots. They fell to John Marshall (VA) 60-53, Class 6A No. 2 North Atlanta 58-53 and Class 5A No. 7 Lithonia 67-58. Out of the poll is Westside-Macon (10-4). The Seminoles were hammered by Class 4A No. 4 Henry County in the Chuck Miller Classic Championship 88-68. Debuting in the Top 10 is No. 9 Jefferson, the third team from Region 8 to crack the rankings following No. 1 Morgan County and No. 4 Hart County. The Dragons won the InnisFree Hotels Beach Basketball Championship in Pensacola, FL beating North Sand Mountain (AL) 82-72, St. Stanislaus (MS) and Fleming County (KY) 68-34. Donsha Gaither (16) and Jacob Radaker (10) combining for 26 points in the title game and both making the All-Tournament Team.

In Class AA, No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins handled their business at the Big South Shootout, beating Class A-Private No. 7 Wesleyan 57-45 and Morrow 55-40. Out of the Wolverines’ perfect 14 games, opponents have cracked the 50-point mark just three times. No. 2 Therrell went 2-1 at the Lake City Classic and plays Evangelical Christian (TN) in the third-place game on Monday. The Panthers survived Dacula 74-72 and Mill Creek 67-65 before falling short against Class 5A No. 6 Kell 67-63. No. 4 South Atlanta slips one spot after their fourth straight loss. The Hornets went 0-3 at the Hoodies Classic, losing to elite competition. No. 3 Northeast-Macon picked up a nice 53-47 win over a reeling Drew Charter team at the Big South Shootout. No. 7 Elbert County won the Christmas in Commerce Championship, defeating Monroe Area 66-44, Stephens County 74-60 and Eastside in the title game, 52-40. Unsigned 6-foot-3 senior AJ James won tournament MVP, averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds while posting 20 & 10 in the championship. Glenn Hills (14-3) and Chattooga (6-6) depart from the poll. The Spartans were beat by Swainsboro 63-51 while the Indians got a taste of Bartow County’s best home court advantage, losing at the Storm Center to Cartersville 73-63. Making their first appearance in the Top 10 is No. 9 Spencer. The Greenwave lost 54-51 to Auburn, but bounced back with big wins over Lanett (AL) 68-55 and Central (AL) 64-63. Following the wave is No. 10 Washington County. The Golden Hawks won the Florida First Coast Classic Championship 89-65 over Hamilton County (FL), Jamarius Dixon exploding for 40 points.

The top five in Class A-Private remains unchanged. No. 1 St. Francis beat Blanche Ely (FL) 82-77 and Class 7A No. 7 Newton 70-68 before falling to Class 7A No. 5 Wheeler in the title game of TOC. No. 2 Mt. Bethel has gone 2-1 at the Arby’s Classic so far with wins over Sullivan East (TN) 55-47 and Orem (UT) 59-54. No. 3 ELCA had a 2-1 week at the Lake City Classic with wins over Etowah 61-44 and Mill Creek 76-59 but losing to Class 5A No. 6 Kell 55-54. No. 4 Greenforest tallied victories against United Faith Christian Academy (NC) 68-60, Cedar Shoals 54-47 and Heritage-Conyers 85-59 before losing a classic in 5OT to newly ranked Class 6A No. 5 Chattahoochee 93-90. Trinity Christian (6-9) sinks out of the Top 10 again after getting swept at TOC by Class 7A No. 10 Berkmar 51-47, Miller Grove 57-51 and North Gwinnett 56-55. The Lions join Holy Innocents’ as two of the classification’s most talented teams that are both unranked due to overscheduling, which will hurt their Power Rating seeding come tournament time. Climbing back into the poll is No. 10 Riverside Military.

Following a 55-52 loss to Class 4A No. 10 Thomson, No. 2 Hancock Central relents its grip on the top spot in Class A-Public as lone undefeated No. 1 Calhoun County takes over. No. 5 Wilcox County endured its first loss of the season and drops two spots following a 73-64 defeat to Worth County. No. 7 Pelham had a nice 56-40 win over Early County before losing to Lowndes 54-50. No. 9 Chattahoochee County got a quality win against Schley County 71-65. No. 10 Macon County tumbles two spots after a 65-57 loss to Irwin County.

GHSA Basketball, Spielin' & Dealin' Podcast

Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 62: Holiday Tournaments

***SUBSCRIBE/DOWNLOAD/LISTEN ON iTUNES***
***FOLLOW/DOWNLOAD/LISTEN ON PODBEAN***

Kyle Sandy gives his take on results from around some of the GHSA’s biggest Christmas tournaments.

Lake City Classic [1:54]
Big South Shootout [12:23]
Class 4A Boys Update [17:31]

Girls Rundown:
7A [21:02]
6A [23:07]
5A [24:26]
4A [25:14]
3A [26:14]
2A [28:08]
A-Private [30:03]
A-Public [32:00]

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 6 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (10-0)
2. Collins Hill (12-1)
3. North Cobb (10-0)
4. Norcross (10-5)
5. Grayson (12-1)
6. Pebblebrook (10-1)
7. North Forsyth (8-2)
8. Mill Creek (10-2)
9. Marietta (8-4)
10. Cherokee (8-3) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (13-3)
2. Forest Park (12-1)
3. Glynn Academy (11-1)
4. Stephenson (9-4)
5. Northview (10-3)
6. Douglas County (11-4)
7. Lanier (10-1)
8. Dacula (9-2)
9. Valdosta (10-2)
10. New Manchester (10-1)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (10-0)
2. Buford (10-1)
3. Southwest DeKalb (11-2)
4. Eagle’s Landing (8-2)
5. Harris County (8-3)
6. Statesboro (12-0)
7. Carrollton (9-3)
8. Veterans (10-1)
9. Wayne County (10-1)
10. Warner Robins (7-4)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (13-0)
2. Spalding (8-2)
3. Madison County (12-0)
4. Henry County (14-2)
5. Flowery Branch (8-3)
6. Luella (10-2)
7. Perry (8-3)
8. Westover (6-1)
9. Northwest Whitfield (14-2)
10. Burke County (4-3)

Class AAA

1. Beach (14-1)
2. Morgan County (8-3)
3. Jefferson (11-1)
4. Johnson-Savannah (7-6)
5. Hart County (9-2)
6. GAC (6-6)
7. Dawson County (8-4)
8. Ringgold (10-1)
9. North Hall (9-3)
10. Rutland (11-3)

Class AA

1. Douglass (10-4)
2. Dodge County (11-1)
3. Laney (10-1)
4. Bryan County (12-0)
5. Fitzgerald (11-0)
6. Rabun County (7-1)
7. Putnam County (9-1)
8. Swainsboro (8-2)
9. Early County (7-1)
10. Banks County (9-3)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (11-0)
2. St. Francis (6-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (6-4)
4. Lakeview Academy (9-3)
5. Paideia (11-1)
6. ELCA (6-3)
7. Mt. Paran (11-0)
8. Stratford Academy (8-1)
9. Darlington (7-1)
10. Calvary Day (9-3)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (6-0)
2. Georgia Military College (7-1)
3. Telfair County (9-3)
4. Wheeler County (9-3)
5. Greenville (11-1)
6. Calhoun County (11-1)
7. Wilcox County (8-3)
8. Central-Talbotton (8-2)
9. Pelham (5-2)
10. Mitchell County (7-1)

 

A late surge just before Christmas leads to defending state champion No. 1 Westlake taking over the top spot in Class AAAAAAA, usurping No. 2 Collins Hill. The Lions dispatched of Class 6A No. 6 Douglas County 57-33 and Class 5A No. 3 Southwest DeKalb 60-37 in impressive fashion to win the Peach State Classic championship. The Eagles had a clean 3-0 week at the War Lodge Invitational beating Sequoyah 79-56, Class 3A No. 2 Morgan County 54-48 and South Forsyth 99-40. Senior Katherine Fourie drilled 8 threes against Sequoyah en route to 30 points and followed up with a 9-three encore against the War Eagles. No. 6 Pebblebrook leapfrogs inactive No. 7 North Forsyth following their 63-62 win over Class 5A No. 7 Carrollton.  No. 3 North Cobb edged No. 9 Marietta 49-39, but the Blue Devils still hold tight ahead of No. 10 Cherokee, who defeated Creekview 51-43 on the road.

Over in Myrtle Beach at the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational, Class AAAAAA No. 1 Lovejoy went 3-1 with their lone loss coming to Riverdale (TN) 47-33. No. 5 Northview finished 1-2 at the event, losing to Southeast Raleigh 53-41, who Lovejoy defeated 48-42. But the most impressive performance came back in Georgia on another coast as nobody in the state rose their stock more than No. 3 Glynn Academy. The Terrors explode up six spots after a statement week. Glynn Academy scored wins over Richmond Hill 44-39, last week’s Class A-Private No. 7 Calvary Day 49-36, last week’s Class 3A No. 2 Johnson-Savannah 68-64 and Class 3A No. 1 Beach 49-46 – their opponents boasting a combined 42-12 record. Coach Sharnesha Smith has rode 2020 5-foot-11 forward Zoesha Smith, the High Major recruit averaging 18.1 points and 12.6 rebounds.

The lone casualty in Class AAAAA is Arabia Mountain (12-3). The Rams were beat 50-36 at No. 3 Southwest DeKalb. Replacing Arabia Mountain is debutant No. 10 Warner Robins. The Demonettes went 3-0 at the Bear Brawl Classic, beating three ranked teams on their way to the title at Houston County. They beat last week’s Class 3A No. 6 Peach County 67-48, last week’s Class 4A No. 9 West Laurens 63-44 and in the title game Class 4A No. 7 Perry 49-48.

No. 1 Carver-Columbus represented Class AAAA well as they went 3-0 to win the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina, escaping Bishop O’Connell (VA) 48-46 in the title game. No. 3 Madison County got 43 points from Kayla McPherson in their thrilling 74-72 win at Class 3A No. 5 Hart County to remain undefeated. West Laurens (10-4) slides out of the poll after a 3-2 week, losing to Northside-Warner Robins 48-47 and newly ranked Class 5A No. 10 Warner Robins 63-44 with a win over Class A-Public No. 4 Wheeler County 54-50 sandwiched in between. No. 9 Northwest Whitfield makes their first appearance in the Top 10 following a 2-1 showing at Mistletoe Madness. Undersized 5-foot-8 post Jada Griffin is averaging 19.9 points and 8.6 rebounds.

Even though they suffered their first loss of the year to Class 6A No. 3 Glynn Academy, No. 1 Beach is still the team to beat in Class AAA. Before their loss they notched a 40-37 win over Camden County. Up another spot is No. 2 Morgan County. The Lady Dogs went 2-1 at the War Lodge Invitational with dominant wins over Alpharetta 60-33 and Cambridge 78-30 with a loss to last week’s Class 7A No. 1 Collins Hill 54-48 in between victories. Peach County (6-3) sinks from the Top 10 after a 1-2 showing at the Bear Brawl, losing to Class 5A No. 10 Warner Robins 67-48 and Class A-Public No. 4 Wheeler County 50-48. Even though the results weren’t up to par with the Trojans’ expectations, Da’Nasia Shaw was sensational, averaging 31 points, 9 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 blocks to win tournament MVP. Peach County is replaced by Region 4 foe No. 10 Rutland. The Hurricanes suffered a tough loss to Class A-Private No. 8 Stratford Academy 40-32 but before that, they earned a huge win against Class A-Public No. 2 Georgia Military College 45-42, outscoring the Bulldogs 15-4 in the fourth quarter to storm back. Sophomore Kayla Shines tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds. The 6-foot post is averaging 10.5 points and 8.4 rebounds on the season while senior BreAsia Davis is the eye of the storm with 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4.3 steals a night.

Not liking their No. 2 ranking in Class AA, No. 2 Dodge County took out their frustrations on opponents last week, beating a good Washington County team 73-64 before smashing Class A-Public No. 3 Telfair County for the second time this season 87-60, Destanee Wright scoring 31 points and Europe Brown netting 27 on her way to her 1,000th career point. No. 3 Laney survived on the road at Class 4A No. 10 Burke County 61-60. No. 9 Early County slips two spots after suffering their first loss of the year to Bainbridge 49-39. No. 8 Swainsboro is up a spot after a nice 54-51 win at Tattnall County.

In Class A-Private, No. 2 St. Francis went 1-2 at the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational, losing to the No. 2 ranked team in the nation Bishop McNamara (MD) 74-43. Back home, No. 3 Holy Innocents’ knocked off Class 7A No. 4 Norcross 65-54. No. 4 Lakeview Academy climbs two spots to hit their glass ceiling after beating No. 5 Paideia 47-45 and losing to Lakeside-DeKalb 52-49 at the Storm Classic held at Providence Christian Academy. No. 6 ELCA is down a spot after losing to Class A-Public No. 2 Georgia Military College 63-61. No. 7 Mt. Paran and No. 8 Stratford Academy rise two spots after No. 9 Darlington took a 50-39 loss to Model to knock them from the unbeatens while No. 10 Calvary Day lost 49-36 to Class 6A No. 3 Glynn Academy and 66-49 to Camden County.

No. 2 Georgia Military College fell 45-42 to Class 3A No. 10 Rutland but climbs two spots in Class A-Public thanks to their 63-61 win over Class A-Private No. 6 ELCA. No. 3 Telfair County falls as spot after an 87-60 loss to Class 2A No. 2 Dodge County. No. 4 Wheeler County had wins over Peach County 50-48 and Jeff Davis 60-41, but fall one position after a 54-50 loss to West Laurens.  No. 5 Greenville annihilated No. 9 Pelham 76-47. Bowdon (8-3) drops from the poll after a 46-44 loss to undefeated Class 4A Central-Carrollton. Debuting in the rankings is first-year Head Coach Monte Killins and No. 10 Mitchell County. Sophomore Anyla Bell is averaging 9 points and 4 assists while senior Ayanna Dennard helps balance the attack with 8.4 points per game.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 6 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (10-0)
2. Meadowcreek (11-2)
3. Norcross (9-3)
4. Discovery (13-3)
5. Wheeler (11-4)
6. Pebblebrook (10-2)
7. Grayson (10-2)
8. East Coweta (14-1)
9. Newton (8-2)
10. Shiloh (9-3)

Class AAAAAA

1. Coffee (8-1)
2. Tri-Cities (8-2)
3. North Atlanta (8-3)
4. Sprayberry (10-0)
5. South Paulding (12-4)
6. Alexander (8-4)
7. Sequoyah (11-3)
8. Evans (11-0)
9. Lakeside-Evans (11-2)
10. Brunswick (7-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (9-0)
2. Fayette County (11-2)
3. Southwest DeKalb (11-3)
4. Eagle’s Landing (8-2)
5. Woodland-Stockbridge (7-3)
6. Lithonia (9-5)
7. Jones County (12-3)
8. Lithia Springs (11-2)
9. Kell (8-3)
10. Warner Robins (7-2)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (12-1)
2. Sandy Creek (9-2)
3. St. Pius X (10-2)
4. Henry County (12-1)
5. Carver-Columbus (7-2)
6. Americus-Sumter (8-1)
7. Baldwin (7-2)
8. Salem (9-2)
9. Chapel Hill (5-2)
10. Woodward Academy (7-6)

Class AAA

1. GAC (8-3)
2. Morgan County (10-1)
3. Cedar Grove (9-0)
4. Dawson County (10-2)
5. Hart County (9-2) 
6. Johnson-Savannah (8-3)
7. Pace Academy (9-4)
8. Central-Macon (8-2)
9. Kendrick (8-2)
10. Westside-Macon (8-3)

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (12-0)
2. Therrell (9-4)
3. South Atlanta (11-2)
4. Northeast-Macon (9-2)
5. Thomasville (8-1)
6. Vidalia (11-1)
7. Elbert County (8-2)
8. Bleckley County (10-5)
9. Glenn Hills (12-2)
10. Chattooga (6-5)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (8-2)
2. Mt. Bethel (5-3)
3. ELCA (5-4)
4. Greenforest (6-3)
5. Walker (9-3)
6. Trinity Christian (5-6)
7. Mt. Pisgah (9-5)
8. Wesleyan (8-3)
9. Christian Heritage (8-0)
10. Lakeview Academy (7-4)

Class A-Public

1. Hancock Central (8-2)
2. Calhoun County (12-0)
3. Wilcox County (11-0)
4. Treutlen (9-1)
5. Greene County (8-2)
6. Georgia Military College (6-2)
7. Pelham (6-1)
8. Macon County (9-1)
9. Terrell County (8-2)
10. Chattahoochee County (10-2)

 

Our final week of games before Christmas wrapped up with the nation’s longest winning streak falling, cross-classification warfare and state dominance across borders – welcome to just another week of GHSA basketball.

For the first time this season there is no movement but Class AAAAAAA stole nationwide headlines as No. 1 McEachern mauled its way to a City of Palms championship while No. 4 Discovery beat Class 5A No. 4 Eagle’s Landing 62-48 but more importantly ended Class 4A No. 1 Upson-Lee’s 75-game winning streak, 75-57, Hasahnn Reynolds pouring in 27 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The Indians proved once again that the best TRUE high school basketball in the country belongs in Georgia as the pride of Powder Springs beat Miami Christian, FL (71-48), Paul VI, VA (59-52), Mountain Brook, AL (50-29) and Imhotep Charter, PA (68-47). Sharife Cooper earned MVP honors of the tournament after going for 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the championship while Jared Jones (Northwestern) and Isaac Okoro (Auburn) both made the All-Tournament Team. No. 3 Norcross scored a 64-60 win over Class 6A No. 6 Alexander while No. 5 Wheeler and No. 6 Pebblebrook both went 2-1 against out of state competition.

No. 2 Tri-Cities defeated Region 5 foe No. 6 Alexander 70-65, but both teams hold their spots in Class AAAAAA. No. 5 South Paulding suffered two heartbreakers, seeing a 38-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter evaporate against Class 2A No. 2 Therrell in a 50-47 loss and then melting down in double overtime against Marietta 73-65. While the top six remain unchanged, the bottom of the poll has two newcomers after Mundy’s Mill (11-3) fell to Class 5A No. 3 Southwest DeKalb 66-53 and Class A-Private No. 3 ELCA 63-53. Back in the Top 10 for the first time since Week 1 is No. 7 Sequoyah. The Chiefs clicked on all cylinders at the War Lodge Invitational beating The King’s Academy 73-54, Class 2A No. 10 Chattooga 92-70 and running a Kamar Robertson-less Cambridge (10-5) out of the gym and out of the rankings with a 109-80 blitzing. Still trying to get 100% healthy, the Chiefs have gone 10-1 since getting Myles McGee and DJ King off the football field and unbeaten since Ayden Watson shook off the cobwebs in his first game of the season, Sequoyah’s last loss against South Cobb. Replacing Cambridge is No. 9 Lakeside-Evans. The Panthers shutdown Peachtree Ridge 47-39 before losing to North Augusta (SC) 67-58. All-State guard Kalen Williams is averaging 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists while three-point specialist Tyshun Briscoe is netting 18.5 points per game. No. 10 Brunswick slides down three spots after getting swept at the City of Palms by La Crosse Central (WI) 70-57 and Glens Falls (NY) 80-65, giving up 59 points to Syracuse-commit Joe Girard III.

Back atop the heap in Class AAAAA is No. 1 Buford. It was another easy week for the Wolves in comparison to the rest of the top three, beating Banks County 73-26 and Archer 66-56. No. 3 Southwest DeKalb drops two spots after beating Mundy’s Mill 66-53 but losing to new No. 2 Fayette County 67-65. The Tigers also clipped Class A-Private No. 3 ELCA 65-54 at the Peach State Classic but ultimately fell to Westlake in the championship 79-68. Statesboro (9-3) sinks from the poll after losses to Dougherty 75-60 and Westover 48-44. Carrollton (7-4) also drops following losses to debutant No. 9 Kell 80-75 and Class 2A No. 2 Therrell 64-61. The Longhorns climb into the poll behind a blend of veterans and youth, seniors Justin Perry and CJ Henderson teaming with sophomore Najhae Colon and freshman Scoota Henderson to play key roles. Following Kell into the rankings is defending champ No. 10 Warner Robins, who resurfaces after pounding Perry 84-52 and defeating Class 2A No. 8 Bleckley County 67-52.

All good things must come to an end as No. 1 Upson-Lee’s 75-game winning streak came to an end against Class 7A No. 4 Discovery 75-57, but the Runnin’ Knights still top Class AAAA. There is no movement in the classification but No. 4 Henry County did grind out a Holiday Round Ball Classic championship in Augusta by beating Class 2A No. 9 Glenn Hills 65-52. Walker Kessler is back healthy for No. 10 Woodward Academy, who split a pair of games at the War Eagle Classic, losing to Zachary (LA) 57-40 but rebounding with a 59-53 win over Miramar (FL).

Class AAA saw No. 2 Morgan County steal the show at the Palmetto Winter Classic taking care of Ridgeview (SC) 89-87, Holly Springs (NC) 60-58 and Blythewood (SC) 77-66 en route the championship. No. 6 Johnson-Savannah falls two spots after losing their Savannah showdown with Class 2A No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins 66-58. East Hall (7-6) exits the Top 10, losing three-straight to South Carolina competition while Liberty County (5-3) also is gone following a 72-70 loss at Swainsboro. Region 4 deploys first-timer No. 9 Kendrick and returnee No. 10 Westside-Macon to fill the poll. The Cherokees are a win away from matching last year’s win total and are closing in on their best finish since 2013-14. They outlasted Jordan in overtime 90-82. The Seminoles bounced back with a 74-50 win at Pike County.

No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins’ reign over Savannah has officially begun if it hadn’t already before last week, the Wolverines proving the best team on the coast resides in Class AA as they closed on a 12-3 run to race past Class 3A No. 6 Johnson-Savannah in the Memorial Health Holiday Classic championship 66-58. Preston Crisp (17), Charleston Willingham (14), Bernard Pelote (13) and Deante Green (11) all scoring in double figures. No. 2 Therrell is still hot on Woodville’s track however. The Panthers survived No. 3 South Atlanta 54-52 without Robbie Armbrester and then proceeded to earn a second-place finish back at full strength at the Carrollton Christmas Classic, knocking the host Trojans off 64-61 and Class 6A No. 5 South Paulding 50-47 before falling to Oxford (AL) 76-64 in the title game. No. 5 Thomasville slips two spots after losing to PK Yonge (FL).  No. 6 Vidalia climbs four positions with wins over Tattnall County 60-37 and Montgomery County 58-36. No. 8 Bleckley County drops a spot but clings onto a Top 10 position after beating Jeff Davis 72-70 but suffering losses to Veterans 68-63, Class 5A No. 10 Warner Robins 67-52 and Houston County 68-54, the trio combining for a record of 25-8. Also hanging on by a thread is No. 10 Chattooga. The Indians had hard fought losses to Alpharetta 54-47 and Class 6A No. 7 Sequoyah 92-70 at the War Lodge Invitational before bouncing back with a 56-54 win over The King’s Academy. The Indians’ 50-48 loss to No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins back at the SportalShowcase has served as a buoy for Chattooga, keeping them afloat in the Top 10. Washington County (6-4) isn’t as lucky, as they went 0-3 at the Savannah River Christmas tournament, blowing a double-digit lead against North Augusta (SC) to lose 80-79 in overtime and then getting beat by South Carolina’s Silver Bluff 64-57 and South Aiken 57-54. Reappearing from the CSRA is No. 9 Glenn Hills. The Spartans squeaked out wins over Clarke Central 53-48 and Tift County 62-57 before falling in the title game at the Roundball Holiday Classic to Class 4A No. 4 Henry County 65-52.

The top four in Class A-Private has clearly separated itself from the rest of the pack, but the rest is a jumbled mess with teams beating each other weekly. No. 1 St. Francis is above the mayhem and notched a 71-60 win vs. Mountain View. No. 5 Walker holds onto their spot but were beaten by newly ranked No. 8 Wesleyan 71-62. No. 6 Trinity Christian is right back in the poll following their 62-50 win over No. 7 Mt. Pisgah. Riverside Military (9-3) narrowly exits the Top 10 after a 76-60 loss to Denmark while Holy Innocents’ (2-7) is officially gone after a misreported score led to the Golden Bears stealing another week in the poll after they actually lost to Starr’s Mill 66-57.

The Class A Power Classic has shifted Class A-Public as expected. No. 2 Calhoun County rises three spots after taking care of Drew Charter 74-69 and knocking off No. 4 Treutlen 79-72. No. 3 Wilcox County, the only other unbeaten, escaped No. 9 Terrell County 81-79.  No. 5 Greene County falls back two spots with a 58-54 loss to Clarke Central.  No. 7 Pelham got by Lanier County 69-63 while No. 8 Macon County won a nail-biter at Dooly County 48-46.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Barron & Hulsman help extinguish No. 8 Chattooga comeback

Alpharetta 54, No. 8 Chattooga 47

Playing one of the toughest schedules in Class AA and by far the most strenuous out of the North Georgia mountains instead of hiding and padding their record like so many other schools have in the past, No. 8 Chattooga (5-4) has made a concerted effort to test themselves, not for Region 7 play but for the big picture – the state tournament. The undersized Indians were back on the road Thursday afternoon making the 69-mile drive to the War Lodge Invitational at Sequoyah where they battled Alpharetta (8-4), a Class AAAAAA school starting to find its groove.

With 5-foot-6 Jundraius “Nuk” Adams benched to start the game, Alpharetta took advantage of the smaller offense-less Indians by jumping out to an 8-2 lead behind a Kalik Brooks And-1 and threes from North Carolina A&T-signee Brandon Barron and Machi Sibblies. 6-foot-5 junior Josh Spencer made his season debut after an ankle sprain and broken finger sidelined him for the first 11 games and quickly made an impact inside with his rebounding and defense.

At the end of one, Alpharetta led 14-4, but much like at the SportalShowcase against No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins, once Adams entered the game and hit his first shot, the wheels began to turn for the Indians. Back-to-back Adams hoops cut the score to 17-9 at the 6:46 mark before Jamarious Mosteller banked in a jumper to make it 22-14.

As the Indians inched closer and closer, the backcourt of Barron and Brooks held them at arm’s reach. Saddled with foul trouble in the first quarter, Brooks went 4-of-4 from the line while Barron nailed his second three and added a layup to combine for nine of the Raiders’ 14 second quarter points.

With 1:15 remaining in the half, Jayden Stephens cleaned up a Barron miss and made the score 26-17.

Alpharetta entered the half up 28-20 but Coach Jared Groce made adjustments to find more open looks for Chattooga as the Indians sparked a 5-0 run with Mosteller finishing inside to trim the lead to 28-25 at the 6:05 mark.

Adams scored to make it 33-27 with 1:57 remaining but the Raiders stole momentum heading into the fourth quarter closing on a 7-2 run ignited by a Barron assist to Kyle Hulsman in the corner for three and capped by a Barron layup before Clayton Johnson hit a late layup to send the game into the final frame with the Indians trailing 40-29.

The Raiders led 42-31 at the 6:38 mark following a Barron fast break dunk, bouncing the ball to himself and throwing it down with Johnson on his hip.

Johnson answered back with a hoop of his own, but Spencer wore down the smaller Indians on the offensive glass, garnering another rebound and put-back to edge the lead out to 44-36 with 4:40 to play.

 

Thirty-seven seconds later, not knowing he had four fouls, Johnson fouled out at half court leaving the Indians without one of their top scorers down the stretch, Johnson finishing his night with 12 points.

Trying to claw their way to a one possession game, Chattooga got burnt twice in a 36-second span by Hulsman who drilled back-to-back threes to give the Raiders a comfortable 52-42 lead with 2:23 remaining.

Tre Flowers gave Chattooga one last breath when he knocked down his second three of the night to bring the deficit to 52-45 with 1:47 to play, but Stephens scooped up a loose ball and laid it up to push the lead back out to nine to officially put the game out of reach.

 

My Take

Alpharetta has their best basketball coming over the next few months now that they are healthy. Josh Spencer was a major lift inside and once he gets his conditioning and feel back, he will be an important piece that can battle in the paint for Coach Eric Blair. Brandon Barron was steady throughout and played a great floor-game finishing with a game-high 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, leading the Raiders in all categories. His quickness and athleticism helped him slice into the lane at will and his two three-pointers helped stretch the defense. Speaking of stretching the defense, Kyle Hulsman looked like Robert Horry, nailing crushing threes in the second half. His nine points were the difference late in the game. Kalik Brooks sat for a majority of the first half with foul trouble but he was productive when on the floor and earned rave reviews from the Indians after the game. His length gave them fits on defense but it was his slithery ability to maneuver into the lane for layups which got him going.

Chattooga’s inability to score in the first quarter came back to haunt them. Nuk Adams is so important for their offensive flow, he is their engine. Without Adams buckets are hard to come by, but once he sees his first shot drop, it energizes the entire team. Having a streaky 5-foot-6 point guard as their best shot creator can be tough at times, but the Indians playing against teams with great length will prepare them for the state tournament where they won’t have to worry about too many lineups that can start four players over 6-foot-4. Clayton Johnson played a very nice game offensively with 12 points and hit two timely threes. Having his three-point shot calibrated helps the Indians space the floor and allow Adams to create shots for others. Lefty Tre Flowers stepped up with eight points and nailed two threes while Jamarious Mosteller impacted the game on both sides of the ball. The Indians needed more production from their forwards Malachi Mack and Devin Price who combined for three points. Mack rebounded the ball well in the first half and finished with three blocks, but Price could never find a niche to impact the game like he usually does. The Indians have proven they can compete with bigger and better teams and that they aren’t just another prototypical North Georgia team that feasts on cupcakes. They are a serious threat come February. Chattooga’s lack of true full-time basketball players may hurt them down the stretch, but their competitiveness and athleticism will keep them in every game, especially in Class 2A.

Top Performers

Alpharetta
Brandon Barron – 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Kalik Brooks – 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Kyle Hulsman – 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Josh Spencer – 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks
Jayden Stephens – 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal
Machi Sibblies – 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Chattooga
Nuk Adams – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Clayton Johnson – 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Jamarious Mosteller – 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
Tre Flowers – 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Malachi Mack – 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks

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