Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Williams, Berrien carry poised Panthers to overtime upset of No. 5 Heritage-Conyers

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Lakeside-Evans 62, No. 5 Heritage-Conyers 58

“It’s just another game,” said sophomore guard Kalen Williams before Lakeside’s biggest test of the season, a road showdown with Class AAAAAA No. 5 Heritage-Conyers who made national headlines earlier in the week with Isaiah Banks shattering a backboard with a thunderous dunk. With a chance to prove they could play with the big boys outside of the Augusta area, the Panthers didn’t miss their shot – literally and figuratively.

Heritage came out of the gates hot and jumped on Lakeside 15-6, pressing and getting out in transition. The Panthers found their footing at the end of the quarter and weathered the storm. Williams buried a three and Deon Berrien cleaned the glass for a put-back to cap a 12-2 run to take a 18-17 lead and eventually head into the second quarter tied at 18.

Berrien, the 6-foot-6 senior forward, was instrumental in keeping the Patriots afloat, posting eight points and six rebounds in the opening eight minutes.

The second quarter was nip-and-tuck, both teams trading baskets. Jordan Thomas scored two of his game-high 25 for the Patriots on a euro-step before entering the half down 27-24, the Panthers outscoring Heritage 21-9 after their early deficit.

In the third quarter, both defenses continued to stiffen as just a combined 15 points were scored. Thomas scored six of Heritage’s eight points in the frame while Lakeside nursed a 34-32 lead into the final period of regulation.

Things started to get hot and heavy as Heritage ramped up the pressure and started picking up full court after Williams dropped off an assist to push the Panthers to their largest lead of the game at 40-32. The Patriots began to force rushed shots and turnovers and attacked the rim at the other end, living at the foul line.

Florida Atlantic-signee Byron Abrams hit a streaking Banks on an And-1 to cut the lead to 40-36 at the 4:36 mark. 21 seconds later, Abrams found a basket of his own, cutting the lead to two. Lakeside extended its lead back to five after a Williams hoop in traffic.

But Heritage quickly raced back, scoring four straight to make it 44-43 with 2:10 remaining after the Patriots played volleyball on the rim and Banks finished a tip-in.

 

Following a huge Brad Hilley bucket on the block at the 1:44 mark giving Lakeside a 46-43 advantage, the Patriots stormed ahead. Kre’Sean Hall missed a free throw up 46-45 and Abrams cleared it and pitched to Banks who rushed ahead the length of the floor for a layup in transition giving Heritage a 47-46 lead with just 15.7 seconds left.

Momentum had swung and Lakeside was forced to foul Blake Roberts. Roberts sank both free throws to take a 49-46 lead as the Patriots and their fans had a chance to exhale with the prospects of a come from behind victory just 10.9 seconds away, but Deon Berrien had other plans.

With two men on him and Abrams’ hand in his face, Berrien sank a contested three at the buzzer to force overtime, the Panthers bench pouring onto the court to celebrate.  

Overtime saw Lakeside take a quick 53-50 advantage and the emotionally drained Patriots struggle to corral Williams. With 54 seconds remaining, Jalen Nealious sank a pair of free throws to move the Panthers lead to 55-52. Heritage couldn’t tie on the following possession and had to send Williams back to the line to supply the dagger with 2.5 seconds left as he buried his final five free throws in overtime and taunted the home crowd as his 19th and 20th points of the game secured Lakeside’s biggest win in years.

 

My Take 

All of Lakeside’s winning over the summer with the Georgia Bulls program has spilled into this season under first-year head coach Jeff Williams.  Back in May I said Lakeside-Evans was a sleeper. The Panthers’ mixture of confidence and cockiness has them playing with a major chip on their shoulder, especially when they play a rare game outside of the Augusta-area. Kalen Williams wasn’t worried pregame about taking on the No. 5 team in the state and let me know after his 20-point performance that the sophomore is “the next Collin Sexton.” Deon Berrien said when the ball left his hands at the end of regulation that he “knew it was cash.” With two players as confident as Williams and Berrien, the Panthers are now in the driver’s seat in Region 3 and should run the table until their rematch with Heritage on January 31.  As far as the play on the court goes, Berrien brought it from the opening tip, battling for 18 points and 10 rebounds. His energy around the basket matched Heritage’s. The Patriots were bigger, faster and stronger at every position, but that didn’t deter the plucky Panthers. Williams was hounded for a few five second calls but once he saw his first rainbow three drop, the gamer was up to the challenge. Jalen Nealious gave Lakeside a spark off the bench with 11 points and his two free throws in overtime were as big as any shots in the game. He’s a herky jerky athlete that looks more like a football player on the court, but his energy was key. Kre’Sean Hall had a tough scoreless night but still grabbed 10 rebounds. Brad Hilley scored 13 points with only one three-pointer. Seeing him score inside the arc is a major boost for Lakeside who had just four players score on the night but all four were in double figures.

Heritage-Conyers looked amped up to start the game and jumped all over Lakeside-Evans and in the back of their mind might have thought they were going to run away with the game. Jordan Thomas was great throughout the night with 25 points. Isaiah Banks turned it on late with eight of his 10 points coming in the fourth quarter. Byron Abrams missed three free throws in the fourth quarter which came back to haunt the Patriots. JaQuez Hicks swatted away five shots. The Patriots will definitely have January 31 circled on their calendar.

Top Performers

Lakeside-Evans
Kalen Williams – 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block
Deon Berrien – 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Brad Hilley – 13 points, 3 rebounds
Jalen Nealious – 11 points, 1 rebounds, 2 steals

Heritage-Conyers
Jordan Thomas – 25 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Isaiah Banks – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Byron Abrams – 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
JaQuez Hicks – 6 rebounds, 5 blocks

Coaches' Corner, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

BREAKING: Milton head coach Matt Kramer resigns mid-season

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Multiple sources have told Sandy’s Spiel that Matt Kramer and the Milton boys basketball program have severed ties. Effective immediately, assistants Julian Barfield and Sean Revels will lead the program. Milton, state champions in 2010 & 2012, has struggled to find long term stability at the head coaching position since David Boyd left. The Eagles are currently 5-8 overall with Duke-signee Alex O’Connell as Milton’s centerpiece.

Parents received this message of the resignation:

Hello Parents,

This note is to inform you that effective January 9, 2017, Coach Matt Kramer has resigned his duties as Head Basketball Coach at Milton High School due to personal reasons.

Under his leadership, many players earned basketball opportunities at the college level and we won’t forget the 2016 Final Four achievement . We thank Coach Kramer for all he has done for the program and wish him well.

Coach Barfield and Coach Revels will share coaching duties for the remainder of this 2017 season. GO EAGLES!

GHSA Basketball

Fayette Sports Podcast

I was a guest on the Fayette Sports Podcast (@FCsportsPod), hosted by Chris Dunn (@FayetteSports) and Josh Akeman (starting at the 8:00 mark). The landscape of the GHSA was covered along with Class 5A & 4A as well as my thoughts on local teams Sandy Creek and Fayette County.

Please take a listen and follow the Podcast and Chris on Twitter and be sure to visit http://fayette-news.com/category/sports/ for prep coverage of Fayette County.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

GHSA Statewide Recap 1-10

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BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 1 Newton 63, Shiloh 54: JD Notae scored 21 points and had 3 assists as the Rams pulled away in the second half to remain unbeaten. Darvin Jones scored 16 points and Dante Johnson had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Ashton Hagans totaled 12 assists and 4 steals. Isaiah Miller had 13 points and 5 rebounds.

No. 8 Berkmar 61, No. 4 Norcross 58: Al Durham fueled the Patriots, scoring 29 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Jay Estime added 17 points. Norcross received 25 points and 11 rebounds from Rayshaun Hammonds. Jordan Goldwire netted 11 points.

No. 9 Collins Hill 60, North Gwinnett 43: Kenny Stanciel scored a team-high 14 points and Max Clark added 13 in the win for the Eagles. Mickey Joseph pumped in 17 points in the loss for the Bulldogs.

Duluth 63, No. 10 Peachtree Ridge 60 OT: Will Huzzie netted 18 points and dropped in the game-winning three at the buzzer for the Wildcats. Huzzie also grabbed 10 rebounds. Adam Flagler scored 19 and dished out 3 assists and Christian Kelly posted 14 and 5 rebounds. Lamont Smith had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists while Jalen Hodges posted 5 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Connor Heyward led the Lions with 21.

Brookwood 57, Central Gwinnett 51: Bubba Parham poured in 23 points and drew two charges. Markus Smith added 16 points and Trae Higginbotham finished with 12 points.

Grayson 68, South Gwinnett 58: Travis Anderson scored a team-high 16 points and added 2 steals. Gerald Buncum had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Kenyon Jackson had 4 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Orvel Graham added 8 points.

Forsyth Central 65, West Forsyth 50: CJ Smith went for 26 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Gray Bowline and Mark Heard both scored 8 points. Patrick Thomas had 4 points and 8 rebounds.

South Forsyth 54, North Forsyth 49: Santhosh Saravanan led South Forsyth with 15 points. Connor Stephenson scored a game-high 18 for the Raiders.

Mountain View 52, Mill Creek 43: The Bears set a new school record with their 14th win of the season. Spencer Rodgers finished with 15 points while Kevin Kayongo (13) and Miles Long (8) also pitched in.

Class AAAAAA

No. 1 Gainesville 87, Lanier 53: Bailey Minor finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds. KaJuan Hale scored 11 points and Jim Barnett netted 10. All active players scored.

No. 2 South Paulding 57, No. 4 Langston Hughes 42: South Paulding went on the road and picked up a huge Region 5 victory to firmly take control of the driver’s seat and give Coach Gil Davis his 100th career victory. Kane Williams went for 22 points and Ja’Cori Wilson tallied 23 points and 16 rebounds.

No. 3 Jonesboro 78, Drew 41: MJ Walker erupted for 40 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. CJ Marria added 11 points and 9 rebounds.

No. 5 Heritage-Conyers 40, Evans 14: Isaiah Banks shattered the backboard with a dunk, ending the game with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. He and Jordan Thomas scored 13 points in the shortened game.

No. 7 Alpharetta 61, Dunwoody 59: Brandon Barron had 15 points and 6 assists. Jaycee Horn pitched in 14 points and 4 steals. Ellis Merriweather went for 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Ryan Jenei had 13 points and 8 rebounds.

No. 9 Richmond Hill 61, No. 10 Brunswick 60: Marcus Scott scored 20 points and had 6 assists while Kymani Dunham posted 13 points and 6 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to fend off the Wildcats. In the loss, Daquan Humphreys had 11 points as well.

Lakeside-Evans 64, Grovetown 49: Deon Berrien posted 24 points and 16 rebounds while Kalen Williams tallied 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the win.

Tucker 71, Mundy’s Mill 61: Jevon Tatum netted a game-high 22 points while Trevon Flowers pitched in 13 points for Tucker. Mundy’s Mill was led by Tyre Keith’s 20 points and Jordan Black’s 11.

Dacula 92, Winder-Barrow 49: Arusha Hunter finished with 30 points and 6 rebounds. Justin Goodson had 11 points and 6 assists. Shayne Buckingham notched 11 points and 4 blocks.

Cambridge 57, Chattahoochee 53: The Bears moved to 11-5 overall after surviving the Cougars. Kamar Robertson had 14 points and David Banks added 13. Kyler Ingram (10), Jackson Boyea (9) and Bryce Boutelle (8) all played key roles.

Class AAAAA

No. 1 Buford 81, Johnson-Gainesville 38: Marcus Watson poured in 20 points and 7 rebounds. Tobi Obasanya added 12 points. David Viti finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Donell Nixon had 9 points and 4 assists.

No. 3 Cedar Shoals 72, Loganville 53: Phlan Fleming and Snipe Hall both netted 18 points. Stavion Stevenson went for 16 in the win.

No. 5 Fayette County 81, Starr’s Mill 65: Austin Nesmith went off for 29 points and 13 assists. Kahmonnie Willis tacked on 19 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. Noah Gurley posted 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Phillip Young had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.

No. 8 Columbia 68, Arabia Mountain 57: Darius Giles scored 22 points and Jordan Sterling added 10 points in the loss.

Flowery Branch 58, Walnut Grove 37: Brannon Clark had one of his best performances of the season, finishing with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. John Mills had 10 points and 4 assists. Fred Johnson chipped in 7 points and Joey Nidoy added 5. Blake Coxworth tossed in 4 points and 6 rebounds while Caleb Murphy tacked on 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Riverwood 51, Decatur 47: Elijah Jenkins poured in 19 points to lead the Raiders. Josh Brown had 10 points and Rudy Fitzgibbons had 8. Charnchai Chantha chipped in 7.

Villa Rica 98, East Paulding 64: Nigel Taylor and Rodney Thomas each scored 19 points to power the Wildcats. Latrell Swanigan added 13 points.

Class AAAA

No. 1 Upson-Lee 70, Spalding 39: Tye Fagan scored 13 points, Zyrice Scott had 9 points and 6 assists, Travon Walker posted 12 points and 14 rebounds and Michael Smith had 12 points as the Knights romped Spalding and sat their starters for the fourth quarter.

No. 2 Sandy Creek 86, Cartersville 80: The Patriots survived a scare and outscored Cartersville 25-17 in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. Evan Jester had 19 points and 6 rebounds. KJ Wilkins scored 19 points and had 4 assists. Jarred Godfrey pitched in 14 points and 5 assists. Eric Williams added 14 points and Xavier Brewer had 13 points and 5 rebounds. TJ Bickerstaff finished with 6 assists and 6 rebounds. The Hurricanes were led by Jaylon Pugh’s 23 points. Perignon Dyer had 13 and Isaac Gridley added 11 points and 5 rebounds. Trase Fezzia had 10 points and 6 assists. TJ Horton had 10 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. JKobe Orr added 9 points.

No. 3 Henry County 79, Woodward Academy 50: Javon Greene scored 20, Kovi Tate had 15 and Damion Rosser added 14 to power the surging Warhawks. Josh Steele and Seth Brown had 8 apiece. The War Eagles were led by Julian Cameron’s 10 points and Hunter Falconer’s 7.

No. 4 Richmond Academy 65, Hephzibah 52: Moses Williams had 20 points and Jason Weaver scored 17 to pace the Musketeers. DT Stephens scored 11 points and Lucas Thomas added 10.

No. 6 LaGrange 64, Troup 47: The Grangers rolled in their rivalry game. Laperion Perry had 24 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals. Bo Russell added 10 points. Bryan Fanning finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds. Gabe Duckett chipped in 9 points and 5 rebounds.

Thomson 68, Cross Creek 54: Coach Michael Thomas Sr. earned his 600th career victor. RJ Johnson scored 17 points and Darius Turman added 14 points and 7 rebounds. JT Thomas pitched in 11 points.

Shaw 77, Columbus 75: Lincoln Smith finished with 24 points and 7 rebounds in the win. Larrie Scott had 19 points and 6 boards. Devan Porter-Wilson added 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Northwest Whitfield 62, Murray County 57: Alex Hooker finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds while Luke Shiflett had 17 points to carry the Bruins.

St. Pius 76, North Oconee 54: Brian Gonzalo scored 13 points and Everett Lane added 12 to lift the Golden Lions in region play.

Westover 82, Hardaway 45: Jamarea Grier led the Patriots with 16 points. Kris Garnder had 13 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Quin Smith tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals.

Druid Hills 76, North Clayton 48: Without Ahsan Asadullah available, North Clayton was blown out by Druid Hills. Elijah Durham scored a game-high 21 points for the Red Devils. Alex Quaynor scored 15 for the Eagles.

Class AAA

No. 1 Westside-Macon 79, Rutland 42: Khavon Moore hung a triple-double with 21 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 11 blocks. Trey Foster finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Brendan Anderson added 15 points and 3 rebounds.

No. 5 Pace Academy 69, Stone Mountain 38: The Knights raced out to a 24-0 lead and never looked back. Isaiah Kelly led the way with 14 points. Wendell Carter Jr. and Barrett Baker both added 8.

No. 9 Cedar Grove 46, Redan 44: Devon Barnes hit Omar Davis for the go-ahead bucket to give the Saints an important Region 5 victory. Barnes finished with a game-high 15 points and Davis added 10 points and 9 rebounds. Jamari Dean gobbled up 19 rebounds. In the loss Jibril Wyckoff finished with 13 points.

No. 10 Central-Macon 82, Kendrick 71: Antarius McCoy and Dewan Owens scored 20 apiece to carry the Chargers. Kylan Hill chipped in 11 points.

North Hall 65, Lumpkin County 58: Alden Lewallen (15), Noah Holman (12), Taylor Hanson (11) and Dan Jackson (10) led a balanced Trojan offense.

Sonoraville 55, Bremen 42: Brad Wilson drilled 7-of-12 threes and finished with a game-high 21 points. Wil Walraven had 12 points and Bryce Waters chipped in 9.

Class AA

No. 4 Monticello 83, Social Circle 68: Ashton Bonner got hot, going for 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Malik Crawford posted 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Hapeville Charter 69, No. 10 Therrell 62: Jemarre Ezzard pumped in 31 points and Brandon Goldson added 10 as the Hornets stung Therrell.

Glenn Hills 89, Screven County 68: Timmy Sellers exploded for 31 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Dante Booker added 22 points and 5 rebounds. John Whitehead, a freshman, had 19 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 6 blocks.

Putnam County 58, Oglethorpe County 46: D’Mario Reed scored 23 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while Kemon Harris posted 13 points and 12 rebounds. Carl Johnson chipped in 12 points.

Class A-Private

No. 4 St. Francis 86, Pinecrest Academy 47: Dwon Odom finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Wallace Tucker added 11 points. Sean Paradise tacked on 10 points and 6 rebounds.

No. 7 Lakeview Academy 84, Commerce 46: Tre Gober dropped in 27 points and Drew Cottrell added 19. Josh Randolph finished with 12 points. Ryan Lackey had 8 assists.

No. 9 Tallulah Falls 62, Hebron Christian 43: Michael Weidner had 18 points to pace the undefeated Indians. Josey Keene and Trey Wilcox scored 14 apiece while Michael Van Hooser added 10.

Class A-Public

No. 2 Quitman County 87, Mitchell County 73: Shahee Billings finished with a game-high 33 points to power the Hornets. Laqueveus “Spud” Nelson added 26 and Jadarian Gibbs chipped in 9 points.

Bowdon 92, Excel Christian 24: Octavius Meadows poured in 26 points. Chris Parker scored 19 points and Zaylin Wood (11) and Tay Sheppard (10) also got in on the act.

Lincoln County 93, Taliaferro County 57: Maciah Gunby and Javon Reid netted 21 apiece for the Red Devils. Ahmad Rand had another triple-double with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 15 blocks. 

                                                      

GIRLS 

Class AAAAAAA

South Forsyth 43, North Forsyth 22: Zoe Maisel scored 14 points followed by Mari Jonassen’s 10 to propel the War Eagles over county rival North Forsyth.

West Forsyth 65, Forsyth Central 30: Ella Madson finished with 19 points while Abby Quincy added 16. Maggie Quincy scored 11 and Kalie Schlegel chipped in 7 in the win.

Class AAAAAA

No. 4 Lovejoy 57, No. 8 Forest Park 16: Freshman Genesis Bryant scored 13 points to lift the Wildcats.

No. 5 Grovetown 67, Lakeside-Evans 40: Destiny Marshall dropped in 30 points.

Centennial 51, North Atlanta 33: Shekinah Guthrie scored 13 points. Divine Guthrie and Aerial Nathan scored 11 apiece. Hayden Garrison and Bailey Hebermehl both netted 6.

Class AAAAA

No. 2 Flowery Branch 66, Walnut Grove 32:  Taniyah Worth posted 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks to carry the Falcons. Lexie Sengkhammee had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Caroline Wysocki added 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 steals while Ashley Woodroffe chipped in 8 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Julianne Sutton finished with 7 points and 7 rebounds.

No. 8 Villa Rica 77, East Paulding 39: Sophomore Deasia Merrill netted her 1,000th point as she went for 26 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 steals. Jaila Orozco scored 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Emerald Parham had 12 points and 5 assists. Alexia Cooley chipped in 10 points.

No. 10 McIntosh 73, Riverdale 27: DeLayne Rotolo scored the 1,000th point of her career in McIntosh’s rout of Riverdale. Rotolo finished with 19 points while Rylee Calhoun led the way with a game-high 25. Savannah Soles scored 15 and Kennedi Miller added 11.

Eagle’s Landing 55, Union Grove 24: The Eagles advanced to 12-2 overall. Chelsea Aalim led three double digit scorers with 12 points. Kiera Howard scored 11 and Ashley Foster netted 10.

Class AAAA

No. 1 North Oconee 59, St. Pius 53: Emma Weynand scored 21 points and Kya Watson had 12 to avoid an upset.

No. 6 Northwest Whitfield 53, Murray County 15: Holly Heath scored 11 points, Mattie Capehart had 10 points and 7 rebounds and Bria Clemmons finished with 8 points and 6 assists in the Bruin victory.

No. 9 Sandy Creek 65, Cartersville 35:  Madison McKinney scored 9 points and Kimora McClinic had 8 in a losing effort.

No. 10 Henry County 57, Woodward Academy 48: Auburn signee Brooke Moore piled in 33 points to carry the Warhawks.

Class AAA

No. 1 Beach 77, Islands 42: Judasia Hills posted 24 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Ja’Brekia Bass had 15 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Maryyana Page went for 14 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. Tatiannya Morris finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals.

No. 5 Redan 49, Cedar Grove 47: Sydney Brown scored 10 points including an 8-foot game-winner with 1.2 seconds left to lift the Raiders. Jocelynn Small had 19 points to lead Redan. Cedar Grove received 29 huge points from Jayda Jackson inside in the loss.

No. 10 Central-Macon 49, Kendrick 46: JeNya Wilder had a double-double with 17 points and 19 rebounds. Jada Clowers did the same, adding 12 points, 4 rebounds and 13 blocks. Kendrick was led by Kiara Price (14) and Cudrea Veasley (13).

Franklin County 70, Monroe Area 30: Mya Jones netted 18 points to pace the Lions. Ivey Ginn (15), Maddie Moorhead (14) and Asia Jones (12) all cracked double digits.

North Hall 74, Lumpkin County 53: Taylor Anne Kelley pumped in 34 points, six steals and 8 blocks.

Class AA

No. 2 Rabun County 63, Banks County 62: The Wildcats used overtime to escape Banks County, rallying from down 18 points and taking their first lead in the fourth quarter. Savanna Scott had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Brooke Henricks posted 11 points, 11 rebounds and 7 steals. Laken Stiles came away with 11 points and 6 rebounds.

No. 3 Dodge County 58, No. 10 Washington County 37: Destanee Wright scored 14 points and Tierra Hamilton had 13 in Dodge County’s dominant Region 3 performance.

Berrien 71, No. 4 Fitzgerald 57: Berrien upset Fitzgerald in Region 1 action. In the loss, Kirstin Crook had 17 points and T’Kayshza King scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. King also netted her 1,000th point.

No. 9 Hapeville Charter 48, Therrell 27: Freshman Simone Rowland had 9 points and 6 assists while senior Gayla Bostic notched 10 points and 5 rebounds.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 8 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Norcross (16-1)
  2. McEachern (9-5)
  3. Collins Hill (13-1)
  4. Mill Creek (14-1)
  5. Archer (11-3)
  6. Newton (10-2)
  7. Brookwood (11-4)
  8. Westlake (10-5)
  9. Lambert (13-2)
  10. Marietta (13-3) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (13-2)
  2. Winder-Barrow (9-4)
  3. Douglas County (13-2)
  4. Lovejoy (12-2)
  5. Grovetown (10-5)
  6. Stephenson (11-5)
  7. Northview (13-3)
  8. Forest Park (11-4)
  9. Sequoyah (12-3)
  10. Gainesville (8-3) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (13-0)
  2. Flowery Branch (12-3)
  3. Southwest DeKalb (12-4)
  4. Griffin (14-0)
  5. Warner Robins (14-0)
  6. Maynard Jackson (12-1)
  7. Carrollton (13-1)
  8. Villa Rica (12-1)
  9. Harris County (11-2)
  10. McIntosh (11-2) 

Class AAAA

  1. North Oconee (12-2)
  2. Carver-Columbus (13-1)
  3. West Hall (12-4)
  4. Cross Creek (13-4)
  5. Columbus (9-3)
  6. Northwest Whitfield (11-4)
  7. Americus-Sumter (12-2)
  8. Heritage-Catoosa (14-2)
  9. Sandy Creek (8-4)
  10. Henry County (11-5) 

Class AAA

  1. Beach (13-1)
  2. Johnson-Savannah (14-1)
  3. Greater Atlanta Christian (10-4)
  4. Hart County (14-2)
  5. Redan (9-3)
  6. Ringgold (11-4)
  7. Calhoun (13-3)
  8. Haralson County (13-3)
  9. Monroe (11-3)
  10. Central-Macon (10-3) 

Class AA

  1. Laney (14-1)
  2. Rabun County (14-1)
  3. Dodge County (12-2)
  4. Fitzgerald (9-0)
  5. Model (10-4)
  6. Vidalia (11-3)
  7. Dade County (11-4)
  8. Bryan County (9-2)
  9. Hapeville Charter (9-4)
  10. Washington County (6-3) 

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (14-1)
  2. St. Francis (9-4)
  3. Wesleyan (11-3)
  4. Pinecrest Academy (9-2)
  5. Lakeview Academy (12-4)
  6. Calvary Day (11-3)
  7. Landmark Christian (10-3)
  8. Christian Heritage (7-4)
  9. First Presbyterian Day (9-3)
  10. Darlington (8-5) 

Class A-Public

  1. Pelham (12-0)
  2. Telfair County (12-1)
  3. Woodville-Tompkins (14-3)
  4. Greenville (12-2)
  5. Wheeler County (12-2)
  6. Wilcox County (10-4)
  7. Taylor County (9-3)
  8. Treutlen (9-4)
  9. Mitchell County (10-3)
  10. Hancock Central (9-3)

 

Due to the lack of games played because of the snow and ice, and a dearth of upsets this week, three classifications see no changes at all. There was no movement in Class AAAAAAA and hardly any action on the court. No. 1 Norcross managed to build its resume with a 55-38 win over Parkview. No. 9 Lambert is dangerous at the bottom of the poll, defeating West Forsyth 63-38. No. 10 Marietta edged Mountain View 68-56.

Region 6-AAAAAA’s Top 10 showdown didn’t disappoint as No. 1 Harrison was able to hold off a pesky No. 9 Sequoyah team. The Hoyas survived not having Sydne Wiggins (Rice) and 10 Sequoyah threes – six from Peyton Satterfield (20 points) – to win 73-60. The Lady Chiefs lost star point guard Alyssa Cagle to a broken nose in the second quarter, but still were in striking distance heading into the fourth quarter on the road down 58-51. The third time was a charm for No. 2 Winder-Barrow as the Lady Doggs finally found a way to solve Class AAAAA No. 2 Flowery Branch, 53-45. Olivia Nelson-Ododa carried the load with 17 points and 11 rebounds. No. 7 Northview evaded a late Alpharetta rally to win 42-41 and take a commanding two-game lead in Region 7. Shannon Titus scored 24 points.

Even with their loss to Winder-Barrow, Flowery Branch holds onto No. 2 in Class AAAAA, meaning there is no change in the polls this week. The Falcons stay ahead of No. 3 Southwest DeKalb due to strength of schedule and a whopping six wins over ranked opponents. Junior forward Taniyah Worth continued to cement herself as one of the best junior forwards in the state, posting 30 points, eight rebounds and three steals against Winder-Barrow’s frontline anchored by the No. 1 ranked junior in the nation. No. 4 Griffin had a nice 60-36 win over Spalding while No. 7 Carrollton handed Rome just their second loss of the season, 74-51. No. 10 McIntosh took care of business in their rivalry game with Class AAAA No. 9 Sandy Creek, 49-44 led by Rylee Calhoun’s 17 points.

No. 4 Cross Creek is getting hot in Class AAAA, drilling Burke County 59-37 and Hephzibah 71-46, both games on the road.  No. 6 Northwest Whitfield dumped Dalton and Gilmer while No. 7 Americus-Sumter drilled Cairo. Sandy Creek slips a spot to No. 9 after losing to McIntosh.

Everything remained status quo in Class AAA with no shuffling. No. 1 Beach went on the road and defeated Brunswick 60-51 and Jenkins 67-33. No. 2 Johnson-Savannah crushed Islands and pounded away at Brunswick 55-39 on the road. No. 4 Hart County dispatched of East Jackson 79-48 and Morgan County 56-53, who is now 4-11 overall.

Class AA sees Dublin tumbled out of the Top 10 after taking a 75-45 loss to new No. 10 Washington County. Region 3 has been very competitive this season and the Golden Hawks will put their new ranking to the test right away as they host No. 3 Dodge County on Tuesday. Elsewhere, No. 4 Fitzgerald remains unblemished behind their balanced scoring attack. In their 70-59 road win over Brooks County, T’kayshza King finished with 20 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals. Shalynn Thornton added 18 points and 10 rebounds while Kirstin Crook (14) and Briana Richardson (11) both cracked double figures.

No. 1 Holy Innocents’ received 16 points apiece from Khayla Pointer (LSU) and Kaila Hubbard to knocked off No. 3 Wesleyan 61-54 in a crucial Region 5 A-Private tilt. No. 2 St. Francis drilled Fellowship Christian 70-17 and will now host No. 4 Pinecrest Academy on Tuesday. Calvary Day moves up a spot to No. 6 after shaking off a loss to Class A-Public’s No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins and beating No. 5 Wheeler County (70-55) and No. 8 Treutlen (54-38). Tattnall Square Academy and Stratford Academy both exit after underwhelming performances. The Trojans lost to Wilkinson County 43-38 while the Eagles were held scoreless in the first quarter and to just three points at the half in an ugly 24-13 loss at new No. 9 First Presbyterian Day. Darlington rejoins the party at No. 10 and remains dangerous with Wofford-signee Anna Claire Atha able to take over a game at the blink of an eye.

Class A-Public sees Telfair County take over No. 2 after Wheeler County slips three spots to No. 5 after a loss to Calvary Day. No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins is surging, enjoying their best season in school history. The Wolverines swept Calvary Day with a 62-58 win this week. Macon County and Marion County don’t survive the week after the Bulldogs lost to the Eagles 60-57 and to No. 4 Greenville 60-52. The Eagles dropped to Central, AL 67-54 and barely lose out on a Top 10 spot. Replacing the two are No. 9 Mitchell County and No. 10 Hancock Central. Mitchell County hung a 52-41 loss on Terrell County on the road. The Bulldogs are 7-0 in Region 7 with their only losses coming to ranked opponents. Class AAAA’s Baldwin beat them twice while Class AA Washington County edged them once.

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