GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 2 Girls Rankings

sportal

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (3-2)
2. Forest Park (4-0)
3. Northview (2-0)
4. Lanier (5-0)
5. Stephenson (3-3)
6. Douglas County (1-2)
7. Valdosta (2-1)
8. Dacula (4-2)
9. Glynn Academy (3-0)
10. Pope (2-1)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (3-0)
2. Buford (3-0)
3. Harris County (3-0)
4. Southwest DeKalb (3-0)
5. Eagle’s Landing (2-2)
6. Rome (1-0)
7. Woodland-Stockbridge (3-2)
8. Carrollton (1-0)
9. Arabia Mountain (4-1)
10. Statesboro (4-0)

Class AAAA

1. Spalding (2-0)
2. Carver-Columbus (3-0)
3. Madison County (4-0)
4. Henry County (4-1)
5. Flowery Branch (1-1)
6. Luella (4-1)
7. West Laurens (2-0)
8. Westover (1-0)
9. Burke County (0-0)
10. Marist (2-1) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (3-0)
2. Johnson-Savannah (1-3)
3. Dawson County (3-0)
4. Jefferson (3-0)
5. Hart County (2-1)
6. Peach County (1-0)
7. GAC (1-2)
8. Morgan County (1-1)
9. Tattnall County (2-0)
10. Sonoraville (2-1) 

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

Class AAAAAAA is still trying to sort itself out early on in the season. No. 1 Collins Hill has a hold of the top spot but the pack is closing in. No. 9 Norcross, who drops three more spots, took Collins Hill to double overtime before falling 72-64. The Lady Blue couldn’t ride that momentum as they lost again to Class 6A No. 3 Northview 57-50. No. 3 Cherokee won an ugly low-scoring Keller Williams Classic Championship over host No. 8 North Forsyth 31-28. The Lady Warriors picked up the pace later in the week with an 80-43 rout of Mays. The bottom of the poll sees some teams on the climb after Brookwood (2-2) exits. The Lady Broncos were blown out by Class 5A No. 5 Eagle’s Landing 71-51 and by a young Sequoyah team 69-47. Brookwood’s slide from No. 4 to unranked opens the door for No. 4 Hillgrove and No. 5 Pebblebrook to round out the Top 5. Hillgrove suffered a 59-48 loss to Cherokee but bounced back with a 57-54 win over Class 2A No. 6 Douglass. Pebblebrook took care of Alexander 69-44 before beating Creekside 56-48. No. 6 McEachern rises three spots following a 67-52 win against Parkview while No. 7 Grayson does the same, beating last week’s No. 1 team in Class 3A, the defending state champs Johnson-Savannah 73-62. Debuting in the poll is No. 10 North Cobb. The Warriors have wins over Class 5A No. 9 Arabia Mountain 54-39, Class 4A No. 10 Marist 58-39 and Riverwood 45-24. They put their shiny new ranking on the line as they visit No. 3 Cherokee this Tuesday.

No. 1 Lovejoy lost both games at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Duncanville, Texas, but there is no need to panic in Class AAAAAA just yet. The Wildcats lost to DeSoto (TX) 53-36 and to Duncanville (TX) 43-39 while No. 2 Forest Park continued to make hay back in Georgia, dismantling Newton 49-22. Circle December 8th for not only the SportalShowcase, but for when Lovejoy visits Forest Park. The Panthers have the biggest frontline in Georgia going 6-foot-4, 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-2 with Destiny Thomas (UCF) and super sophomores Sania Feagin and Jasmine Stevens. They will test Lovejoy’s lack of major impactful size in the frontcourt. No. 3 Northview isn’t in the league of Lovejoy or Forest Park yet, but they picked up a 57-50 win over Class 7A No. 9 Norcross behind Asjah Inniss’ 18 points and the trio of Markiema Lancaster (13), Ashlee Austin (12 – Rice) and Maya Richards (10 – Charleston Southern). No. 6 Douglas County sinks two spots after struggling to score in a 43-40 loss to Class 5A No. 7 Woodland-Stockbridge. The Lady Tigers were tied at 30 heading into the fourth quarter before Clemson-signee Amari Robinson left the game and did not return for the final period for an undisclosed reason. She finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block in three quarters of action. No. 5 Stephenson moves into the Top 5, bouncing back from a 60-49 loss to Class A-Private No. 1 Wesleyan to beat Class 3A No. 7 GAC 56-50. No. 7 Valdosta holds tight at No. 7 after losing to Class 5A No. 2 Buford 70-46 but beating Class 3A No. 2 Johnson-Savannah 55-53.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Villa Rica held off Class 3A No. 2 Johnson-Savannah 53-43 thanks to Kentucky-signee Deasia Merrill’s 17 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Just when it looked like No. 2 Buford could be sliding back to the pack, the Wolves earned statement wins over Class 6A No. 7 Valdosta 70-46 and Class 7A No. 7 Grayson 67-58 to prove they are still in the title hunt. No. 4 Southwest DeKalb defeated No. 7 Woodland-Stockbridge 69-57 after the Wolfpack edged Class 6A No. 6 Douglas County 43-40. No. 5 Eagle’s Landing fared well against Class 7A beating Brookwood 71-51 and Lambert 53-19 but struggled against the best in Class 4A losing to No. 2 Carver-Columbus 70-52 and No. 1 Spalding 60-53. No. 8 Carrollton tipped-off their season with a 51-33 drubbing of Fayette County. Lithia Springs (2-2) and Wayne County (2-1) exit the Top 10. The Lions lost to Alexander 47-39 while the Yellowjackets were stung by Class 2A No. 1 Dodge County 62-50. Cracking the poll are No. 9 Arabia Mountain and No. 10 Statesboro. The Rams, anchored by 6-foot Anderson-signee Kennedi Manning and tough combo guard Alina Shoemake, hold wins over Roswell (71-49), Marietta (48-39) and Woodstock (57-54) with their lone loss 54-39 to Class 7A No. 10 North Cobb. Statesboro is coming off a 62-26 win over Cross Creek.

No. 1 Spalding tipped-off their Class AAAA title defense by beating Langston Hughes 54-38 and Class 5A No. 5 Eagle’s Landing 60-53. No. 2 Carver-Columbus answered with a 70-52 victory against Eagle’s Landing. No. 3 Henry County is hitting their groove as well. The Warhawks went 3-0 at the Beach Bash at Gulf Shores and returned home to beat Ramsay (AL) 60-49. 5-foot-9 senior guard Briana Juniel has proven to be an immediate difference maker for Henry County. The transfer from Sacramento already has 1,300+ points in her career and has been picking up major D-I interest. After spending a week out of the poll, No. 6 Luella shoots right back in to replace Baldwin (1-1), who was beat 64-42 by Jones County. Luella scored wins over Dutchtown 56-42 and Class 2A Preseason No. 1 Josey 65-48. Freshman Paris Miller posted 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists against Josey while junior Keely Brown has been averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.

Defending Class AAA state champion No. 2 Johnson-Savannah slides one spot after their 1-3 start. The Atomsmashers have tested themselves but have come up short thus far, losing to Class 7A No. 7 Grayson 73-62, Class 6A No. 7 Valdosta 55-53 and to Class 5A No. 1 Villa Rica 53-43. You won’t find a tougher start to the season in Class 3A considering that Johnson now travels to crosstown rival No. 1 Beach on Tuesday. The Atomsmashers come in much more battletested than the Bulldogs who have beaten up on Bradwell Institute 62-52 and May River (SC) 75-39. No. 4 Jefferson shoots up six spots after beating No. 5 Hart County 64-54 to win the Tabo’s Tip-Off Classic Championship. Sophomore Livi Blackstock was named tournament MVP after scoring 15 points in the title game in support of freshman Natalia Bolden’s 18. The Dragonettes withstood a 27-point outburst from Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks. Inactive Cook (0-0) exits the poll temporarily and is replaced by No. 9 Tattnall County who has wins over New Hampstead 66-35 and at Effingham County 53-44. The Warriors are powered inside by 5-foot-10 senior post Kayla Garrett.

Having a newfound target on their back in Class AA hasn’t gone so well for No. 7 Josey, who sinks four more spots. The Eagles have played pretty good competition, earning a 66-49 win over Class 7A North Gwinnett but losing to Class 4A No. 6 Luella 65-48. Josey opened the season with a 68-43 loss to Class 6A No. 7 Valdosta. The Eagles’ two blow out losses look bad in comparison to No. 6 Douglass who climbs three spots after three losses. No one in Class 2A has even come close to challenging themselves like the Lady Astros have. Even though they went 0-3 last week, no one can say they’ve played as well as the Stros did. Douglass lost 51-50 to Class 7A No. 8 North Forsyth, 57-54 to Class 7A No. 4 Hillgrove and 62-53 to Class 4A No. 5 Flowery Branch. All of Douglass’ pretty losses won’t mean a thing if they can’t handle their business in Class 2A play, but their results point to a team being able to compete with anybody on any given day. Jacksonville State-signee Nekiyah Thompson and the rest of the Astros are more than able to run the table the rest of the regular season. No. 1 Dodge County knocked Class 5A Wayne County from the Top 10 with a 62-50 victory paced by Destanee Wright’s 23 points and Europe Brown’s 19. No. 2 Swainsboro went on the road to crush Dublin 71-35. No. 4 Laney creeps up another spot even after seeing their 64-game winning streak snapped in a blowout loss against North Augusta (SC). No. 3 Rabun County and No. 9 Banks County will have golden opportunities to snag resume building wins at the North Georgia Showcase. Rabun County battles North Forsyth while Banks County takes on Class 3A No. 3 Dawson County.

No. 1 Wesleyan continues to cruise in Class A-Private, beating Class 6A No. 5 Stephenson 60-49 and Class 6A No. 10 Pope 69-42. No. 8 ELCA plummets five spots after a rough start to the season, losing to McMinn Central (TN) 60-46 and Collierville (TN) 74-49 at the Bradley Central Thanksgiving Tournament. The Chargers only had six players available and are dealing with eligibility issues. No. 4 Stratford Academy jumps two spots after wins over No. 9 Athens Academy 70-47 and Prince Avenue 55-35, who exits the poll (0-2) after also losing to Rutland 47-46. Also departing is Landmark Christian (1-3). The War Eagles lost 67-38 to Creekside. Into the rankings are No. 7 Calvary Day and No. 10 Darlington. Calvary Day has been one of the most consistent winners in Class A-Private, posting a 27-3 record a year ago. The Cavaliers have wins over Evans 65-40 and Islands 58-25 to open the year. Darlington has beaten Armuchee 71-40 and Calhoun 52-22.

Class A-Public may have a new title challenger in No. 4 Georgia Military. The Bulldogs were 10-0 to open last year with Deandria Stephens before she lost eligibility. Stephens is back for her sophomore season and has GMC rolling again, upping her average to 18 points per game early on. If she is able to make an impact all season, the Bulldogs are likely to improve upon last year’s 24-4 mark. They have already hammered First Presbyterian Day 63-19 and Tattnall Square 57-24. No. 2 Wheeler County looked human in an ugly 35-32 win over Jeff Davis. Defending champs No. 6 Greenville have wins over Shaw 69-61 and Kendrick 70-42 to highlight their opening week. Bowdon (1-2) exits the poll after losses to Central-Carrollton 46-45 and Bremen 60-55. The Sheryl Brown era is off to a rocky start at Taylor County (0-2). Legendary Head Coach Matt Troutman is gone and so are the wins for the Vikings, losing 59-17 to Heard County and failing to score in the second half against Upson-Lee in a 71-13 disaster. Entering the Top 10 are No. 9 Central-Talbotton and No. 10 Quitman County. Both teams have wins over Jordan, Central cruising 64-33 and Quitman winning 65-46. Central lost 56-42 at Class 5A No. 3 Harris County.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 2 Boys Rankings

sportal

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (3-0)
2. Meadowcreek (3-1)
3. Wheeler (3-1)
4. Discovery (5-1)
5. Grayson (5-1)
6. Norcross (1-2)
7. Westlake (3-2)
8. Lambert (4-0)
9. Pebblebrook (3-1)
10. Peachtree Ridge (3-1)

Class AAAAAA

1. Tri-Cities (2-1)
2. Alexander (2-1)
3. Coffee (1-0)
4. North Atlanta (2-1)
5. Langston Hughes (1-2)
6. Heritage-Conyers (2-1)
7. Tucker (4-2)
8. South Cobb (2-1)
9. Mundy’s Mill (3-0)
10. Dacula (0-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Southwest DeKalb (2-1)
2. Buford (3-0)
3. Fayette County (2-1)
4. Lithonia (4-2)
5. Eagle’s Landing (0-1)
6. Columbia (3-0)
7. Carrollton (1-0)
8. Woodland-Stockbridge (2-2)
9. Hiram (2-1)
10. Cedar Shoals (0-2)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (2-0)
2. St. Pius X (2-1)
3. Sandy Creek (3-1)
4. Woodward Academy (1-1)
5. Henry County (3-0)
6. Baldwin (1-1)
7. Carver-Columbus (0-2)
8. Westover (0-1)
9. LaFayette (2-0)
10. Americus-Sumter (1-0)

Class AAA

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

Class AA

1. Woodville-Tompkins (2-0)
2. Therrell (0-2)
3. Washington County (0-0)
4. Thomasville (2-0)
5. Metter (0-0)
6. Swainsboro (1-0)
7. Northeast-Macon (1-1)
8. South Atlanta (1-0)
9. Elbert County (0-0)
10. Glenn Hills (3-0)

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

1. Wilkinson County (0-0)
2. Georgia Military College (1-1)
3. Drew Charter (5-3)
4. Macon County (0-0)
5. Treutlen (1-0)
6. Wilcox County (1-0)
7. Lanier County (2-0)
8. Calhoun County (1-0)
9. Pelham (0-0)
10. Greene County (0-0)

There is some early movement among the Class AAAAAAA Top 10. No. 3 Wheeler has quickly become one of the hottest teams in the state, climbing two spots after scoring wins over GISA superpower Holy Spirit Prep 76-68 in overtime before beating defending Class 3A state champion No. 2 GAC 76-66. The Wildcats benefit from No. 5 Grayson’s first loss of the year. After beating Class 6A No. 10 Dacula 66-54, the Rams lost at the Jared Cook Classic to debutant No. 10 Peachtree Ridge. The Lions have followed the lead of first-year Head Coach Marcus Diggs seamlessly. Peachtree Ridge has wins over Grayson 57-56 and Dacula 90-83. The Lions’ only loss came in wild fashion to No. 8 Lambert 88-80 in overtime after Mitch Ganote forced the extra period off a missed free throw and put-back at the buzzer while Colin Granger scored a career-high 42 points. Out of the rankings is Mountain View (3-1). The Bears fell 51-36 to undefeated Berkmar, who flies under the radar for at least one more week. No. 6 Norcross has yet to win a game against in-state competition, but their 78-64 win over Bishop Snyder (FL) could prove to be a springboard as they try to find chemistry. No. 7 Westlake beat Class 5A No. 4 Lithonia 74-69 before dropping to Holy Spirit Prep 72-61.

Class AAAAAA sees No. 1 Tri-Cities survive another week atop the rankings. The Bulldogs rallied from down 41-19 at the half against No. 4 North Atlanta to ultimately stun the Warriors in overtime 90-81. Tri-Cities wasn’t as fortunate against Class 5A No. 4 Lithonia, losing 76-72. After a humbling season opening loss to national power Mountain Brook (AL), No. 2 Alexander rebounded with a pair of wins at the Spartan Turkey Jam in Birmingham, Alabama. They beat Northridge (AL) 69-52 and Sacred Heart (AL) 72-38. No. 8 South Cobb beat Huntsville (AL) 68-55 following their 74-40 loss to Mountain Brook at the Turkey Jam. No. 5 Langston Hughes survived Class 4A No. 7 Carver-Columbus 86-79 in double overtime behind Tyrel Morgan’s 26 points and 11 rebounds and Patrick Carter Jr.’s 24 points and 5 rebounds. The Panthers dropped a heartbreaker to Class A-Private No. 3 Greenforest 62-60 at Holiday Hoopsgiving. No. 10 Dacula is having déjà vu, digging themselves another early hole to start the season. The offensively talented Falcons sink six spots and are now 0-3 with recent losses coming against Class 7A No. 2 Meadowcreek 66-48 and Class 7A No. 10 Peachtree Ridge 90-83. Minus three starters, two coming off the football field this week, Sequoyah (1-2) could not handle their premature Top 10 ranking. The Chiefs rallied behind Jacksen Greco’s 29 points but fell short against Marietta 68-63. Sequoyah laid an egg the following day vs. Pope, getting blasted 97-54. Once Myles McGee and DJ King return to the court, the Chiefs’ upside can be properly measured. Sequoyah is replaced by No. 9 Mundy’s Mill. The Tigers are off to a quick start with unsigned 6-foot-5 senior wing Rayquan Brown and 6-foot-7 Jordan Black leading the charge. Brown averaged 29.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks through his first two games while Black scored 19 points and 6-foot-5 post DeMarcus Fannin averaged 12.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. Mundy’s Mill’s 80-71 win at Luella is their best to date. They have a favorable schedule heading into their December 8th showdown at the SportalShowcase against South Paulding.

The tug-o-war has begun in Class AAAAA, as No. 1 Southwest DeKalb reclaims the No. 1 ranking after a statement 79-69 win over Class 7A No. 6 Norcross at Holiday Hoopsgiving – without three transfers, Maurice Harvey and Terrence Edwards key starters sitting out. Eugene Brown III caught fire from deep, hitting 7 threes en route to 25 points to pace the Panthers. Brown earned offers from Xavier and Kennesaw State – Yes, Kennesaw State – after the game. KD Johnson piled in 23 points, 8 assists and 5 steals while James Glisson III posted 18 points and 4 steals. No. 2 Buford has been no slouch either. They slide back behind Southwest DeKalb but the Wolves beat South Gwinnett 67-58 and Stephenson 93-45 to win the Parkview Tip-Off Classic. No. 4 Lithonia is up a spot after a busy week. The Bulldogs beat Milton in overtime 70-63, drilled No. 10 Cedar Shoals 57-40 – who tumbles four spots – lost to Class 7A No. 7 Westlake 74-69 and capped off the week with a 76-72 win over Class 6A No. 1 Tri-Cities. After an 0-2 start, No. 8 Woodland-Stockbridge has quickly regained its footing, beating Class 6A No. 7 Tucker 60-59 and Douglass 69-60. Maynard Jackson’s time in the poll was short lived. The Jags (2-2) dropped back-to-back games to Dutchtown 60-47 and newly ranked Class 2A No. 8 South Atlanta 77-41. No. 9 Hiram replaces Maynard Jackson. The reigning semifinalist has re-tooled with 2020 guard JaVyen Brown, a McEachern transfer and 2020 three-point specialist Arshad Crepsac, who also started his high school career at McEachern. Crepsac has seen an increased role offensively this season while 6-foot-8 center Nathan Presnell is still one of Georgia’s best big men. Their only loss came in overtime to Campbell 80-77.

Over in Class AAAA, No. 1 Upson-Lee began their title defense with wins over Taylor County (72-43) and Lamar County (71-38) to run the two-time state champs’ winning streak to 65. No. 2 St. Pius X lost to Mountain Brook (AL) 57-41 after the nationally ranked program drilled Class 6A ranked teams Alexander and South Cobb. No. 3 Sandy Creek edged Class 3A No. 2 GAC 70-66. No. 4 Woodward Academy beat The Heritage School 63-58 as Walker Kessler went for 17 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 9 blocks. No. 5 Henry County is up another spot after two more impressive wins. The Warhawks hammered Valdosta 53-26 and knocked off Class A-Public No. 3 Drew Charter 58-42. No. 10 Americus-Sumter handled their business against Lee County 71-63 in their season opener, Josh Lusane posting 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.

After being knocked off their perch in the Class AAA Final Four as No. 2 GAC sank 13 threes, No. 1 Morgan County is finally back on top of the poll. The Bulldogs shined at Holiday Hoopsgiving, beating Class 7A No. 9 Pebblebrook 70-64 and Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis 82-67. The three-headed senior backcourt of Stevin Greene, Tyrin Lawrence and Austin Peay-signee Alec Woodard overwhelmed the opposition. Against Pebblebrook, Woodard finished with 23 points and 5 rebounds while Tyrin Lawrence had 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Greene chipped in 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. In their win over St. Francis, Greene was on fire from deep, the 5-foot-9 point guard dropping in 29 points while Lawrence scored 19 and Woodard netted 17. As everything clicked for the Bulldogs, GAC saw their difficult non-region schedule lend them a 0-3 start. The defending state champs lost 70-66 to Class 4A No. 3 Sandy Creek and to Class 7A No. 3 Wheeler 76-66. Hunter McIntosh poured in 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists against Wheeler, but the absence of 6-foot-5 post Chris Hinton has been glaring inside for the Spartans to start the year. New-look No. 3 Johnson-Savannah opened the season with a 65-53 loss to Lanier (AL) at Holiday Hoopsgiving. Emondre Bowles scored 18 points and Brandon Harris netted 16. No. 6 Westside-Macon is up three spots after beating Pike County 97-52, but more so because of the losses in front of them. No. 7 Dawson County slips a spot after losing to Cumberland Christian 75-64. No. 10 East Hall is down three spots after falling to newly ranked No. 9 Hart County 78-60 at the Tabo’s Tip-Off Classic. The Bulldogs earned an 87-77 win over Walnut Grove after losing their tournament opener to Berkmar 73-59. Hart County replaces Redan (1-3), who lost 63-58 to Alpharetta.

There is a new number one in Class AA. No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins earns its first top ranking in school history after punishing Class 6A Bradwell Institute 91-51. All-State guard Preston Crisp dumped in 32 points followed by Bernard Pelote’s 17, Deante Green’s 11 and freshman Alfred Coaxum’s 10. For comparison, Class 6A No. 6 Heritage-Conyers only beat Bradwell 52-39. No. 2 Therrell blew a 64-51 lead heading into the fourth quarter against Class A-Private No. 6 Holy Innocents’ at Holiday Hoopsgiving to lose 91-85 in overtime. 6-foot-5 sophomore Robbie Armbrester was unstoppable inside, hanging 28 points and 18 rebounds while Ra’Sean Frederick added 18 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. The Panthers have one glaring achilles heel however – no shooters. The loss of DeAndre Brown to Holy Spirit Prep was apparent against Holy Innocents’ as Therrell scored 70 points in the paint, 25 points off turnovers, 22 second chance points and 22 fast break points, but the Panthers got just 9 points off the bench, shot 1-of-9 from three (the one coming at the buzzer from Roman Son to force OT) and just 8-of-21 from the foul line. Holy Innocents’ only led for 2 minutes and 24 seconds the entire game. If Therrell can’t find floor spacers or help off the bench, the Panthers could run into trouble against teams that can match their physicality and pack it in and rebound. Elsewhere in the state, Dublin (0-1) and Chattooga (1-2) exit the Top 10. Dublin was defeated by No. 6 Swainsboro 75-63 at home. Chattooga, missing three of their top seven players, have battled a lack of practice and participation stemmed by injuries. They finished 1-2 at the Dalton Invitational with a pair of losses to Tennessee (TN) and Morristown-Hamblen East (TN). Into the poll is longtime heavyweight No. 8 South Atlanta. Expected to go through a rebuilding process, Coach Michael Reddick’s team had none of it as they walloped Class 5A Maynard Jackson 77-41, knocking the Jaguars from the Top 10 after Ja’Quavian Florence dropped 28 points and John Lawton scored 15. Also debuting is No. 10 Glenn Hills, another team expected to have an extreme makeover after graduating a massive class. Juniors 6-foot-7 Eman Jones and 6-foot-5 John Whitehead are developing into two of the area’s best prospects and most exciting players to watch. The Spartans get a big Region 4 test as they host 2-0 Butler on Tuesday.

For another week, Class A-Private will belong to No. 1 St. Francis, but the margin of error is dwindling. The Knights were outgunned by an experienced senior-laden Class 3A No. 1 Morgan County team 82-67. No. 2 Mt. Bethel could have moved into the top spot, but a less than dominant 65-61 win over Miller Grove and a 59-55 loss to Lanier (AL) gives the Knights one more week atop the heap. No. 3 Greenforest played well at Holiday Hoopsgiving, beating Class 6A No. 5 Langston Hughes 62-60 before falling to Class 7A No. 9 Pebblebrook 57-51. No. 6 Holy Innocents’ looked poised to move into the top five after beating Class 2A No. 2 Therrell 91-85 in overtime, but a shaky 52-50 loss to Sacred Heart (AL) keeps them stuck in neutral. Whitefield Academy (1-2) is a casualty this week after losing 57-47 to Hillgrove then a bad 72-37 loss to North Cobb. They are replaced by No. 9 Mt. Pisgah. The Patriots floated near the bottom of the poll early last season but never gained enough traction to stick. James Madison-signee Quinn Richey is averaging 20.3 points and 8 rebounds while Chandler Minton and Chase Tucker both average over 13 points per game in support. 6-foot-7 sophomore Nate Gordon could be developing into a difference maker, averaging 7.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4 blocks early in the season. The Patriots’ best win came to open the year against Centennial in overtime, 77-71.

Moving up a spot in Class A-Public is No. 3 Drew Charter. The Eagles won the North Forsyth Keller Williams Classic Championship by beating Class A-Private No. 8 Lakeview Academy 66-65 and in the title game, Cherokee 59-55 behind Furman-signee Marcus Foster’s 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. No. 2 Georgia Military clings onto their second position after blowing a double-digit lead to Evans, 65-60. No. 5 Treutlen looked like the Vikings of old, running McIntosh County Academy out of the gym 89-50. No. 7 Lanier County beat MCA 71-54.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 11-24-18

sportal

BOYS


AAAAAAA

No. 1 McEachern 72, Carver (AL) 52: Sharife Cooper posted 18 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists. Jared Jones had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Isaac Okoro and Alyn Breed each scored 12 points.

Wasatch Academy (UT) 75, No. 2 Meadowcreek 67: Tre Williams (22), Richie Saunders (18) and Mike Saunders (15) did the damage for the Utah basketball factory. UAB-signee Jalen Benjamin scored 25 for Meadowcreek. USF-signee Jamir Chaplin (17) and Temple-signee Damian Dunn (10) scored in double digits.

No. 3 Grayson 49, Wenonah (AL) 42: The Rams gutted out a low scoring game behind Deivon Smith’s 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.  Ashton Malone scored 8 points. Josh Smith tallied 7 points and 5 rebounds while Reco Hallmon had 5 points and 5 boards.

No. 5 Wheeler 76, 3ANo. 1 GAC 66: Charles Smith IV netted 20 points and Roscoe Eastmond had 20 points and 5 assists in the win. Sam Hines added 10 points and 15 rebounds. Malachi Rhodes and Kenny Burns scored 10 apiece. Hunter McIntosh went for 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the loss for GAC. Roy Dixon scored 14 and Ben Sheppard had 12.

No. 10 Pebblebrook 57, A-PrivateNo. 3 Greenforest 51: Devin Gordon dropped in 24 points and Jalen Harper had 14 in the win. Anthony Boyd led Greenforest with 13.

South Gwinnett 83, Siegel (TN) 58: Zawdie Jackson finished with 19 points and 5 assists in the win. Jaheim Hudson had 14 points and 5 rebounds while Max Harris chipped in 14 points and 3 assists. Gerald Tillman added 11 points and 2 assists.

South Forsyth 74, Denmark 50: Devin McGlockton double-doubled with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Jefferson Stepp netted 17 points.

AAAAAA

No. 5 North Atlanta 64, Creekside 52: Campbell-signee Messiah Thompson had 17 points and 7 assists. Josh Johnson added 14 points and 5 rebounds while Andrew Robinson chipped in 11 points and 4 rebounds. Michael Ashley produced 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jarontez Garrett had 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Koby Isaac led Creekside with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Devin Bell scored 11 points. Josh Favors finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists while John Moliere had 7 points and 9 rebounds.

Evans 65, A-PublicNo. 2 Georgia Military 60: Cam Cabarrus scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half to rally the Knights past GMC and move to 4-0.

Houston County 74, Mary Persons 72: Charles Brown netted 21 points. HB Morgan scored 10. TJ Morgan (9) and Austin Sloan (7) chipped in for the Bears. Mary Persons saw Dee Morton score 26 points. Dre Zellner (13), Ty Bouie (13) and Brandon Hogan (11) all cracked double digits.

AAAAA

No. 5 Lithonia 76, 6ANo. 1 Tri-Cities 72: Eric Gaines scored 24 points while Brison Rockcliffe and Justin Myles scored 17 apiece as the Bulldogs knocked off No. 1 Tri-Cities.

Chamblee 68, Spalding 58: Zachery Mackson piled in 29 points followed by Rodney Smith’s 23.

AAAA

No. 6 Henry County 58, A-PublicNo. 4 Drew Charter 42: Josh Steele finished with 17 points and 4 rebounds. Lay Davis added 14 points and 8 rebounds. Wisdom Uboh totaled 11 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists.

Cross Creek 83, Harlem 45: Eric Gore scored 21 points and Kobe Stewart netted 18.

Grady 81, Mays 79 2OT: Michael Stevens scored 20 points to pace Grady. Jaylen Dunham had 16 points while Dewan Wright had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Jeff Riddle added 10 points and Kyle Hanson scored 7. Mays got 28 points from Marvin McGhee.

Rabun Gap (NC) 63, Eastside 54: Caleb Woods scored 14 and Kenney Garrick had 12 in the loss.

AAA

No. 5 Pace Academy 47, Starr’s Mill 37: Cole Middleton collected 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks for the Knights. Josh Mininberg hit 3 threes on his way to 11 points. Reign Watkins (9) and Myles Todd (7) provided an offensive lift. Jamaine Mann powered Starr’s Mill with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Daryl Rice added 10 points and Navy-signee Nate Allison mustered 8 points and 8 rebounds.

AA

No. 6 Northeast-Macon 71, Rutland 50: Darius Dunn hung 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Ty’Ree Gilbert added 8 points and 3 rebounds. Jordan Stephens led Rutland with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Marco Hughes tossed in 9 points, 3 assists and 4 steals.

South Atlanta 77, 5ANo. 9 Maynard Jackson 41: The Hornets boat raced the Jaguars behind Ja’Quavian Florence (28) and John Lawton (15).

Banks County 83, Stephens County 78: Carl Cleveland ignited the Leopards en route to scoring his 1,000th career point. The junior exploded for 45 points.

A-Private

Lanier (AL) 59, No. 2 Mt. Bethel 54: Antwan Burnett and Rongie Gordon powered Lanier with 17 and 13 points, respectively. In the loss, Stanley Eze scored 17 points and Jordan Meka totaled 15.

Mt. Pisgah 79, Hebron Christian 60: James Madison-signee Quinn Richey (18), Nate Gordon (16) and Chandler Minton (15) led a balanced Patriots attack.

A-Public

Bowdon 91, Dade County 58: Chris Parker poured in 32 points. Dusty Hopson netted 15 while Kolton Drummond and Cam Buchanan scored 8 apiece. Seth Farmer netted 7.

 

GIRLS

AAAAAAA

No. 1 Collins Hill 58, Sandy Creek 48: Jordan Releford (18), Katherine Fourie (13) and UGA-signee Javyn Nicholson (11) led the Eagles.

No. 3 Cherokee 80, Mays 43: Kate Johnson (13), Sydne Watts (12), Olivia Herrera (10) , Lacie McCoy (10) and Gracie Mixson (9) overwhelmed Mays.

AAAAAA

No. 8 Dacula 60, Peachtree Ridge 52: Aiyana Hamilton erupted for 26 points and 9 rebounds. Lazaria Spearman posted 15 points and 16 rebounds.

No. 9 Pope 79, East Coweta 52: Cheyenne Holloman scored 24 points and Abby McKinley netted 22. Teya Holloman tallied 16 points and 13 assists.

AAAAA

No. 1 Villa Rica 53, 3ANo. 1 Johnson-Savannah 43: Kentucky-signee Deasia Merrill overwhelmed the Atomsmashers with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Tee Windom added 12 points. Aliyah Hindsman contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds.

No. 3 Harris County 72, Rockdale County 45: Ny’Azjha Carter poured in 27 points to pace the Tigers. Taziaha Fanning posted 17 points and ZiKeyah Carter-Ransom added 12.

Cass 69, Clarkston 35: Londaisha Smith and Claire Davis scored 14 points apiece for the Lady Colonels. Ariana Hames scored 9 points followed by 7 points each from Sharia Wade and Brianna Stephenson.

 

AAAA

No. 5 Flowery Branch 62, 2ANo. 9 Douglass 53: Ashlee Locke was a difference maker inside with 22 points. Caroline Wysocki netted 17 followed by Ashley Scott (11) and Ashley Woodroffe (10).

Northwest Whitfield 55, Coahulla Creek 36: Jada Griffin dumped in 17 points. Ally Morrow led Coahulla Creek with 12 points.

AAA

AA

No. 1 Dodge County 62, 5ANo. 9 Wayne County 50: Destanee Wright scored her 1,000th point of her career en route to 23 on the night. Europe Brown netted 19. Kylie Hart scored 8 and Lesha Mitchell added 7.

No. 8 Banks County 62, Stephens County 35: GCSU-signee Jaycie Bowen broke out to score her 1,000th career point during her 29-point outburst. Kailynn Gilstrap scored 11 points. Heather Vaughan, Amber Williams and Kennedy Smith all scored 6 points.

A-Private

Charles Henderson (AL) 54, No. 4 Holy Innocents’ 52: Maori Davenport had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win while Niaira Jones (15) and Tatyana Siler (12) broke double figures. In the loss Marya Hudgins finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Cierra Foster posted 10 points and 6 rebounds. Rachel Suttle chipped in 9 points and 8 rebounds. Jada Farrell collected 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists while Jillian Hollingshead was held to 8 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 1 Girls Rankings

sportal

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (3-0)
2. Forest Park (3-0)
3. Northview (1-0)
4. Douglas County (0-1)
5. Lanier (2-0)
6. Stephenson (2-2)
7. Valdosta (1-0)
8. Dacula (2-1)
9. Pope (1-0)
10. Glynn Academy (2-0)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (2-0)
2. Buford (1-0)
3. Harris County (2-0)
4. Southwest DeKalb (0-0)
5. Eagle’s Landing (0-0)
6. Lithia Springs (1-1)
7. Rome (0-0)
8. Woodland-Stockbridge (1-1)
9. Wayne County (1-0)
10. Carrollton (0-0)

Class AAAA

1. Spalding (0-0)
2. Carver-Columbus (1-0)
3. Madison County (3-0)
4. Henry County (0-1)
5. Flowery Branch (0-1)
6. Baldwin (0-0)
7. West Laurens (1-0)
8. Westover (1-0)
9. Burke County (0-0)
10. Marist (2-0)

Class AAA

1. Johnson-Savannah (1-0)
2. Beach (1-0)
3. Hart County (1-0)
4. Dawson County (1-0)
5. Peach County (0-0)
6. GAC (1-1)
7. Sonoraville (0-0)
8. Morgan County (0-1)
9. Cook (0-0)
10. Jefferson (1-0)

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (2-0)
2. St. Francis (2-0)
3. ELCA (0-0)
4. Holy Innocents’ (0-2)
5. Paideia (3-0)
6. Stratford Academy (0-0)
7. Lakeview Academy (1-1)
8. Athens Academy (2-0)
9. Landmark Christian (0-2)
10. Prince Avenue Christian (0-0)

Class A-Public

1. Telfair County (1-0)
2. Wheeler County (0-1)
3. Marion County (0-0)
4. Calhoun County (1-0)
5. Georgia Military College (0-0)
6. Bowdon (0-0)
7. Greenville (0-0)
8. Taylor County (0-0)
9. Turner County (0-0)
10. Pelham (0-0)

Just like on the boys side, it’s an early fall from grace in Class AAAAAAA for No. 6 Norcross, who tumbles five spots after getting thumped by Class 6A No. 2 Forest Park 61-33 and losing to Class 6A No. 6 Stephenson 55-53. Much like last season, injuries already have the Lady Blue facing adversity as top posts Tionna Carter and Yamani Paul are hurt. No. 1 Collins Hill rises to the top of the poll following two Top 10 wins over Parkview 81-58 and No. 9 McEachern 62-57. The Panthers (1-1) fall out of the rankings and are replaced by No. 10 Grayson. Double-double machine Jazmin Robinson (Navy track & field signee) has carried the Lady Rams along with Victoria Dames. Grayson scored wins over Class 5A No. 8 Woodland-Stockbridge 65-46 and Class 5A Preseason No. 10 Luella 58-54. In other ranked victories, No. 2 Westlake defeated Stephenson 65-53, No. 4 Brookwood snuck past Class A-Private No. 4 Holy Innocents’ 58-57, No. 5 Hillgrove edged Class A-Private No. 7 Lakeview Academy 64-59 and No. 8 North Forsyth knocked off Class 3A Preseason No. 10 Pace Academy 45-35.

There was a clerical error to open the season in Class AAAAAA. Tucker (0-3) was ranked in the Top 10 without knowledge of all their top players still being suspended from last year’s playoff disqualification. The Tigers have lost their first three games by an average of 44.6 points. They are replaced by No. 10 Glynn Academy. The Red Terrors defeated Ware County 56-47 behind Zoesha Smith’s 38 points and 17 rebounds. Defending state champion No. 1 Lovejoy has rolled so far, winning by an average of 44 points per game, highlighted by a 66-37 dismantling of Campbell, but Region 4 rival No. 2 Forest Park looks like a legitimate title contender after blasting Class 7A Preseason No. 1 Norcross 61-33, No. 6 Stephenson 43-28 and No. 4 Douglas County 42-30. No. 8 Dacula drops four spots after losing to Central Gwinnett 62-56. No. 7 Valdosta climbs three spots following a dominant 68-43 win over Class 2A Preseason No. 1 Josey. No. 3 Northview moves up two spots thanks to a 45-39 win over a shorthanded Class A-Private No. 4 Holy Innocents’.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Villa Rica shook off the rust after a close 52-46 win over Heritage-Conyers to beat No. 6 Lithia Springs 75-54 behind Aliyah Hindsman’s 34-point outburst. No. 3 Harris County drilled Dothan (AL) 53-31 as Taziaha Fanning double-doubled with 20 points and 19 rebounds. Decatur (1-2) and Starr’s Mill (0-1) exit the Top 10. The Bulldogs had two tough losses to Class A-Private No. 5 Paideia 56-35 and to No. 8 Woodland-Stockbridge 63-40. The Panthers were dropped by Class 2A No. 9 Douglass 61-49. Into the mix are No. 9 Wayne County and No. 10 Carrollton. The Yellow Jackets beat Brantley County 52-30 to open the season while the Lady Trojans tip off their 2019 campaign against 3-0 Fayette County this Saturday.

No. 2 Carver-Columbus took advantage of an undermanned No. 4 Henry County to earn a 57-45 victory in an early Top 5 showdown in Class AAAA. No. 3 Madison County is up two spots after defeating Mill Creek 76-57. The All-State tandem of Old Dominion-signee Jordan Bailey (35) and Kayla McPherson (33) combined for 68 points. No. 5 Flowery Branch is down two spots after losing to Class 3A No. 4 Dawson County 65-57. Luella (2-1) narrowly slips out of the Top 10 after a 58-54 loss to Class 7A No. 10 Grayson. They are replaced by No. 10 Marist, who scored a pair of Top 10 wins in their opening week by winning at Class 3A Preseason No. 10 Pace Academy 41-32 and at Class A-Private No. 9 Landmark Christian 57-40.

Class AAA Savannah powers No. 1 Johnson-Savannah and No. 2 Beach cruised in their season openers, the Atomsmashers handling Dutchtown 58-31 and the Lady Bulldogs blowing out New Hampstead 68-39. No. 3 Hart County got 27 points from Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks and 23 from Nesha Alexander in their 72-50 win at East Hall. No. 4 Dawson County jumps inactive No. 5 Peach County after beating Class 4A No. 5 Flowery Branch 65-57 behind Clemson-signee Kaylee Sticker’s 31 points. Pace Academy (0-3) is a hard luck out after losing to three ranked teams to start the season: 41-32 vs. Class 4A No. 10 Marist, 64-21 vs. Class A-Private No. 1 Wesleyan and 45-35 vs. Class 7A No. 8 North Forsyth. They are replaced by No. 10 Jefferson who rolled Berkmar 70-4.

There is a new No. 1 in Class AA after No. 3 Josey slips two spots following a 68-43 loss to Class 6A No. 7 Valdosta. No. 1 Dodge County will assume the top position as they enter play on Saturday against Class 5A No. 9 Wayne County in their season opener. No. 5 Laney inches closer to the top after beating Grovetown 54-43. No. 7 Fitzgerald defeated Pierce County 62-54 and No. 8 Banks County edged East Hall 47-34. No. 9 Douglass lost 54-53 at Class 7A Marietta but bounced back by knocking Starr’s Mill out of the Class 5A Top 10 with a 61-49 victory.

Two of the three perennial powers in Class A-Private have handled their business with No. 1 Wesleyan beating Pace Academy 64-21 and Sequoyah 66-51 while No. 2 St. Francis kicked off the season with an 84-54 win over Class 3A No. 6 GAC. No. 4 Holy Innocents’ is down a spot after a 0-2 start. The Golden Bears were expected to be a little inexperienced this season but with All-State center Jill Hollingshead and Rachel Suttle unavailable early in the season, the back-to-back state runner-up was unable to get past Class 7A No. 4 Brookwood (58-57) and Class 6A No. 3 Northview (45-39). Once Coach Nichole Dixon can get her cast at full strength, the early season losses could prove valuable in building depth and confidence for her role players and bench come March. No. 5 Paideia is up three spots after winning at Lovett 59-57 and beating Class 5A Preseason No. 8 Decatur 56-35 on the road. No. 9 Landmark Christian tumbles four spots following losses to Class 4A No. 10 Marist 57-40 and Alexander 78-64.

The biggest game in Class A-Public was No. 1 Telfair County stopping evenly matched rival No. 2 Wheeler County for the third straight time dating back to last season, 65-60. Preseason All-State picks Brandy Mackey (25) and India Wells (22) powered the Lady Trojans while the Bulldogs got 27 points from Keyona Mincey in a losing effort.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 1 Boys Rankings

sportal

Class AAAAAAA

1. McEachern (2-0)
2. Meadowcreek (2-0)
3. Grayson (4-0)
4. Discovery (3-1)
5. Wheeler (1-1)
6. Norcross (0-1)
7. Westlake (2-1)
8. Mountain View (2-0)
9. Lambert (2-0)
10. Pebblebrook (1-0)

Class AAAAAA

1. Tri-Cities (1-0)
2. Alexander (0-1)
3. Coffee (1-0)
4. Dacula (0-1)
5. North Atlanta (1-0)
6. Langston Hughes (0-1)
7. Heritage-Conyers (1-1)
8. Tucker (3-1)
9. South Cobb (1-0)
10. Sequoyah (1-0)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (1-0)
2. Southwest DeKalb (1-1)
3. Fayette County (2-1)
4. Eagle’s Landing (0-1)
5. Lithonia (1-1)
6. Cedar Shoals (0-1)
7. Columbia (0-0)
8. Carrollton (1-0)
9. Maynard Jackson (2-0)
10. Woodland-Stockbridge (0-2)

Class AAAA

1. Upson-Lee (0-0)
2. St. Pius X (1-0)
3. Sandy Creek (2-1)
4. Woodward Academy (0-1)
5. Baldwin (0-0)
6. Henry County (1-0)
7. Westover (0-1)
8. Carver-Columbus (0-1)
9. LaFayette (0-0)
10. Americus-Sumter (0-0)

Class AAA

1. GAC (0-1)
2. Morgan County (0-0)
3. Johnson-Savannah (0-0)
4. Cedar Grove (1-0)
5. Pace Academy (2-0)
6. Dawson County (1-0)
7. East Hall (1-1)
8. Liberty County (0-1)
9. Westside-Macon (0-0)
10. Redan (1-2)

Class AA

1. Therrell (0-1)
2. Woodville-Tompkins (1-0)
3. Washington County (0-0)
4. Thomasville (0-0)
5. Metter (0-0)
6. Northeast-Macon (0-1)
7. Swainsboro (0-0)
8. Elbert County (0-0)
9. Chattooga (0-0)
10. Dublin (0-0)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (2-1)
2. Mt. Bethel (1-1)
3. Greenforest (0-0)
4. ELCA (0-1)
5. Trinity Christian (2-1)
6. Holy Innocents’ (0-1)
7. Walker (1-0)
8. Whitefield Academy (1-0)
9. Lakeview Academy (1-0)
10. Darlington (0-0)

Class A-Public

1. Wilkinson County (0-0)
2. Georgia Military College (0-0)
3. Macon County (0-0)
4. Drew Charter (3-1)
5. Treutlen (0-0)
6. Wilcox County (1-0)
7. Lanier County (1-0)
8. Calhoun County (1-0)
9. Pelham (0-0)
10. Greene County (0-0)

Star-studded opening week tournaments have already started to shift the state rankings, giving us three new No. 1’s in Georgia’s three biggest classifications. Class AAAAAAA has dominated its smaller class competition to tip-off the season and has seen its own heavyweights already start to knock each other off. No. 6 Norcross plummets five spots after opening the season atop the heap. No. 5 Wheeler used a balanced attack to shock the Blue Devils in their home opener at the On the Radar Hoops Tip-Off Classic 62-55. Malachi Rhodes (Bucknell) and Roscoe Eastmond (Denver) combined for 31 points. Up to the top is No. 1 McEachern. The Indians rallied to beat Holy Spirit Prep 75-72 at the GE8TOC, getting 16 fourth quarter points from Sharife Cooper to neutralize a 31-point effort from Anthony Edwards. The Indians followed up with a 71-65 win over No. 7 Westlake, who is up a spot after earning wins over Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis 78-75 and Class 5A No. 4 Eagle’s Landing 79-69. Defending state champion No. 2 Meadowcreek has shined defensively in wins over Wheeler 70-54 and No. 4 Discovery 70-56. The Mustangs held Wheeler to 17 second half points and saw Damian Dunn (Temple) go for 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Speaking of Discovery, they pounded Class A-Public No. 4 Drew Charter 71-45 before holding off Preseason Class 5A No. 1 Southwest DeKalb 70-68 on a Jaden Walker game-winner. No. 3 Grayson is off to a 4-0 start highlighted by wins over Class 5A No. 10 Woodland-Stockbridge 62-54 and Class 6A No. 4 Dacula 66-54. Deivon Smith starred in their win over Dacula with 22 points and 9 rebounds. No. 8 Mountain View beat Class 3A No. 7 East Hall 66-61, No. 9 Lambert defeated Class 4A No. 4 Woodward Academy 71-64 and No. 10 Pebblebrook pulled away from Class 5A No. 6 Cedar Shoals 65-48.

An injury to Malik Battle has left Class AAAAAA No. 2 Alexander’s star-player sidelined. His scoring void was apparent in the Cougars’ 72-39 loss to Mountain Brook (AL). Alexander slips from their top spot as they wait for Battle to heal and now sees Region 5 foe No. 1 Tri-Cities assume the position. The Bulldogs overpowered South Paulding in the season opener 79-58, pulling away in the fourth quarter. Tri-Cities’ depth was on full display as 10 Dogs scored led by reigning Freshman of the Year Peyton Daniels’ 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Coach Omari Forts got 25 points from his bench. No. 4 Dacula slips two spots after losing to Grayson 66-54. College of Charleston-signee Brenden Tucker netted 21 points while Mekhail Bethea had 15. No. 5 North Atlanta survived a scare from Chamblee 60-59 while No. 6 Langston Hughes wasn’t so lucky in their season-opener, the two-time defending state champs losing 60-54 to Shiloh. No. 8 Tucker has had mixed results thus far but a 3-1 record is a good start. They routed Creekside (89-52) and Stephenson (88-45) but barely held off Lovejoy 63-62 and couldn’t score in a 50-43 loss to South Gwinnett.

Class AAAAA will be full of storylines with the most important currently surrounding No. 2 Southwest DeKalb. The Preseason No. 1 edged Class 2A No. 1 Therrell 88-87 before losing to Class 7A No. 4 Discovery 70-68.  The Panthers are without Miller Grove transfers Terrence Edwards and Maurice Harvey, the reigning Region 5 Player of the Year. Their eligibility is up in the air. With the two, Southwest DeKalb can deploy one of the best starting fives in the state. Without Edwards and Harvey, the trio of KD Johnson, James Glisson III and Eugene Brown III is more than enough to win games, but their depth will be tested. Junior Jarrett Walton has already paid dividends and could be an important X-Factor for the Panthers. No stranger to having the target on their back, No. 1 Buford claims pole position. The Wolves beat No. 10 Woodland-Stockbridge 66-55 behind Oklahoma State-signee Marcus Watson’s 33 points and 5 rebounds. The Wolfpack slip two spots at 0-2 but cling onto a spot in the Top 10 due to a difficult schedule. The decision for Jalen Mason to stick with basketball his senior season is a big positive for Woodland after his playing status was initially uncertain. No. 3 Fayette County moves up three spots after rebounding from an 86-73 loss to East Coweta by beating Class 4A No. 3 Sandy Creek 74-66 and surviving Newnan 56-55. The three-point reliant Tigers will need to find consistency, but when their shots are falling they are tough to beat. They climb over No. 4 Eagle’s Landing who lost to Class 7A No. 7 Westlake 79-69 without Kirshon Thrash and No. 5 Lithonia who lost to Sandy Creek 65-61. Starr’s Mill (0-1) was upended by Lakeview Academy 56-55. All-State forward Jamaine Mann, a transfer from ELCA, reportedly did not play. Replacing the Panthers in the Top 10 is No. 9 Maynard Jackson. The Jaguars beat Class A-Private No. 5 Trinity Christian 70-62 and Miller Grove 87-72.

In Class AAAA, No. 2 St. Pius X steamrolled Demopolis (AL) 76-42 and No. 3 Sandy Creek earned wins over Whitewater (63-58) and Class 5A No. 5 Lithonia (65-61) after losing to Class 5A No. 3 Fayette County 74-66. No. 7 Westover disappointed in their season opener losing 61-52 to Lee County, who finished just 9-18 last year in Class 6A. The Patriots sink three spots. No. 4 Woodward Academy benefits from Westover’s defeat and moves up a spot after a tough 71-64 loss to Class 7A No. 9 Lambert, the War Eagles proving they can play with one of the state’s most consistent winners. Moving up the poll is No. 6 Henry County. The Warhawks climb two spots after beating No. 8 Carver-Columbus 59-56. Josh Steele scored 16 points while Wisdom Uboh tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Defending Class AAA state champion No. 1 GAC lost to Peachtree Ridge 73-65. The Spartans hold serve at No. 1 however since No. 2 Morgan County and No. 3 Johnson-Savannah have yet to tip-off. The Sharman White era is off to a good start at No. 5 Pace Academy. The Knights beat Marist 56-44 before drilling Creekview 82-61. Preseason All-State sophomore forward Cole Middleton had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks against the Grizzlies. The high expectations bestowed upon No. 6 Dawson County looked warranted in their 73-25 throttling of a young rebuilding Flowery Branch team. No. 8 Liberty County drops a spot after a 60-59 loss to Bradwell Institute. No. 7 East Hall leap frogs the Panthers after beating Banks County 62-58 and losing to Class 7A No. 8 Mountain View 66-61. No. 10 Redan may be living on borrowed time right now. They remain in the poll due to inactivity among the rest of the state. The Raiders lost to Butler 68-60 and Roswell 71-67 with a 51-36 win over Lakeside-DeKalb sandwiched in between.

There is no movement in Class AA even though No. 1 Therrell lost to Class 5A No. 2 Southwest DeKalb 88-87. In the loss against the shorthanded Panthers, Roman Son proved worthy of his Preseason All-State accolades, hanging 29 points on Southwest DeKalb while Ra’Sean Frederick posted 20 points. No. 2 Woodville-Tompkins dismantled Groves 89-45, Preston Crisp scoring 28 points and Charleston Willingham netting 18. Freshman Alfred Coaxum lived up to his billing with 20 points. The only other Top 10 team that was active was No. 6 Northeast-Macon, who lost to defending Class 5A state champion Warner Robins 52-49.

Class A-Private feels much stronger with the additions of No. 2 Mt. Bethel and No. 5 Trinity Christian. Mt. Bethel lost in overtime to The Heritage School 64-62 before pulling a rabbit out of their hat to beat No. 4 ELCA 50-49 after a Jordan Smalls turnover with 10 seconds left led to a game-winning Stanley Eze layup with 2.6 seconds remaining. Mt. Bethel’s extreme lack of depth will be interesting to keep an eye on as the season progresses. The aforementioned Trinity Christian Lions rise one spot after wins over Miller Grove 78-67 and Southwest Atlanta Christian 58-47 with a 70-62 loss to Class 5A No. 9 Maynard Jackson in between. No. 1 St. Francis maintains their grasp over the classification, bouncing back from a 78-75 loss to Class 7A No. 7 Westlake by hammering Creekview 87-50 and Brewbaker Tech (AL) 94-70. No. 6 Holy Innocents’ lost to Duluth 74-69 while No. 7 Walker won a thriller in overtime against Cumberland Christian 88-87, Chandler Baker hitting a buzzer-beater to put the icing on his 34-point, 10-rebound, 3-block performance. North Cobb Christian (0-1) exits the poll after losing 52-44 to Shaw. No. 9 Lakeview Academy replaces the Eagles. The Lions knocked Starr’s Mill from the Class 5A Top 10 with a 56-55 victory, Blake McIntyre scoring 22 points.

With just handful of results, there are no changes in the Class A-Public poll. No. 4 Drew Charter is off to a 3-1 start after an early loss to Class 7A No. 4 Discovery. The Eagles beat The King’s Academy 73-53 as their best win to date. No. 6 Wilcox County outscored Crisp County 84-73, No. 7 Lanier County flexed its muscle in a 63-52 win over Class 7A Colquitt County, 6-foot-4 freshman EJ Brown totaling 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. No. 8 Calhoun County blasted Hawkinsville 73-36.

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