GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Bartow Sports Zone High School Basketball Preview

Audio

I visited Bartow Sports Zone on WBHF in Cartersville this morning to preview the high school basketball season. Bartow County teams and a statewide overlook highlights the show. The round table discussion starts at the 41 minute mark and runs for about 50 minutes.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

GHSA Statewide Recap 11-15

Boys

 

Class AAAAAAA

No. 9 Collins Hill 75, Osborne 66: In a loss, the Osborne Cardinals were led by Latrell Tate’s 20 points. Jermaine Thompson scored 14 and Kaylan Davis added 11. JD Ozoh powered the Eagles with 18 points. Chris Parks recorded 16 points while Max Clark finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Kenny Stanciel produced 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Woodstock 66, Northview 61: The Wolverines rallied from a 28-17 halftime deficit to storm past Northview. Woodstock took its first lead of the second half with 1:32 remaining on a Tyreke Johnson free throw. Johnson, playing with a strained groin, poured in 33 points (16-of-20 FT), 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 steals. Running mate Dylin Hardeman scored all 11 points in the second half. Brant Hurter added 8 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block while Cameron Crowe tallied 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Northview received 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal from junior point guard Justin Brown. Joe Jones added 10 points and 5 rebounds. Zane Patel notched 5 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks in the loss.

Parkview 72, Creekside 55: Parkview earned an impressive road win, defeating the Seminoles by 17. Freshman Toneari Lane dropped a team-high 16 points. Justin Spencer scored 15 while Cam Chavers (12) and Ahmir Langlais (8) also did damage. Creekside was led by 6-foot-8 big man Tyson Jackson, the junior scoring 19.

Discovery 72, Jefferson 31: The Titans rolled behind a balanced attack. Jaylen Bussey canned six threes en route to a team-high 18 points. Junior 6-foot-7 post Kalu Ezikpe totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds. Air Force signee Jaden Stanley went for 11 points and 7 rebounds. DJ Young dished out 6 assists.

Central Gwinnett 93, West Forsyth 55: The Black Knights’ potent backcourt overwhelmed the West Forsyth Wolverines. Jalen Hillery pumped in 30 points while Jalen Morgan added 23 and Spencer Turner managed to score 12 points.

Duluth 90, Drew 71: Adam Flagler paced the Wildcat backcourt with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Jalen Hodges collected 17 points and 5 rebounds. Will Huzzie posted 11 points and 8 rebounds. Christian Kelly netted 11 points and Lamont Smith finished with 6 points and 9 assists.

Forsyth Central 60, Pickens 32: Hunter McDonald scored 14 points and picked up 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the Bulldogs over the Dragons. CJ Smith netted 15 points and dished out 6 assists. Ethan Hester added 11 points. Seth Bishop scored 13 points in the loss for Pickens.

Mountain View 55, Archer 37: The Bears raced past the Tigers behind Spencer Rodgers’ 17 points and 5 assists. Miles Long added 11 points and 3 steals while Jalen Hayes notched 9 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.

Pope 83, Kennesaw Mountain 75: Kennesaw Mountain struggled to contain AJ Watson who poured in 31 points and 6 assists to power the Greyhounds.

Roswell 55, South Forsyth 54: Senior RJ Frierson sank a game-winning free throw with :01 second left to propel the Hornets over the War Eagles on the road. Senior James Anderson scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Miles Herron netted 21 in the win as Roswell advances to 2-0.

Class AAAAAA

(Scrimmage) No. 5 Allatoona 69, Milton 43: Trey Doomes poured in 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in a high profile preseason scrimmage.

No. 6 Heritage-Conyers 70, Lithonia 66: Jordan Thomas scored 17 points in addition to his 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Isaiah Banks finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Florida Atlantic signee Byron Abrams went for 16 points, 7 assists and 3 steals. JaQuez Hicks controlled the paint, tallying 8 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 blocks.

Apalachee 83, Monroe Area 77 OT: Omer Ahmed scored 23 points to lead the Wildcats. Deron Collier and Brandon Bannis both pitched in 9 points apiece. Jamonte Wallace added 8 points and Derek Miller finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds.

Creekview 59, North Cobb 41: Weber Sandlin scored 15 points to help the Grizzlies to an out-of-region win. Chandler Wright grabbed 13 rebounds.

Northgate 87, Ola 68: The Vikings received a game-high 34 points from Treveon Cook.

Class AAAAA

No. 8 Southwest DeKalb 43, Stephenson 41: Josh Archer hit a shot with four seconds left to lift Southwest DeKalb over a scrappy Stephenson bunch. Eugene Brown III led the Panthers with 10 points while Quincy Carter added 9 and Archer produced 8 points and 7 rebounds. Khalil Foster-Scott scored a game-high 14 for Stephenson. Trevon Daniel went for 10 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

No. 9 Fayette County 75, 4ANo. 2 Sandy Creek 69: Phillip Young finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals to help the Tigers to a statement victory early in the year. Austin Nesmith scored 16 points. Jaylen Holloway totaled 13 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Joshua Dupree chipped in 8 points, 3 steals and 3 blocks while Furman signee Noah Gurley tossed in 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Three players fouled out for Sandy Creek as the Patriots were hit with 34 team fouls. Evan Jester went for 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks in the loss. KJ Wilkins added 12 points and 4 steals, Xavier Brewer netted 11 points and TJ Bickerstaff finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

No. 10 Riverwood 63, 1ANo. 4 Holy Innocents’ 62: Embry-Riddle signee Elijah Jenkins netted 13 points to go with his 9 rebounds and 6 assists in another tight victory over rival Holy Innocents’. Rudy Fitzgibbons went for 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Charnchai Chantha collected 6 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Senior 6-foot-7 post Josh Brown finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. In the loss, Cole Smith scored a game-high 23 points. Richard Surdykowski added 17 points and Jules Erving followed with 14.

Kell 68, Sprayberry 60: Florida Gulf Cost big man Brian Thomas pulled down a 13-point 11-rebound double-double to help the Longhorns to an in county victory. Sayvon Delgado scored a game-high 18 and Jahwan Smith chipped in 10 points and 5 assists. Sprayberry received 15 points from Rodney Pearson and 16 points from Eddie Figueroa.

Flowery Branch 66, East Jackson 33: Caleb Murphy did damage for the Falcons, tossing in a team-high 18 points to go with his 3 steals and 2 blocks. Brannon Clark scored 13 points and collected 4 steals while Blake Coxworth netted 12 points.

Johnson-Gainesville 61, Habersham Central 34: Will Richter got the Johnson Knights off to a good start this year scoring a team-high 16 points. Alex Sims did the dirty work and collected six points in the process.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Upson-Lee 58, Heard County 44: Upson-Lee dominated, opening up a 28-2 first quarter lead before playing the bench for the majority of the game. Tye Fagan dropped in 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks in limited action.

Blessed Trinity 62, Fellowship Christian 32: Ben Shappard and Andy Swade scored 10 points apiece for Blessed Trinity. Russell Dorvee netted a game-high 12. Sophomore CJ Abrams chipped in 9 points as 10 Titans cracked the scoring column. Fellowship was led by Cody Frazer’s 11 points.

Shaw 92, Harris County 68: Jalen Ken poured in 22 points and grabbed three rebounds while Chris Hicks netted 21 points and handed out 3 assists.

Class AAA

(Scrimmage) No. 2 Westside-Macon 88, Locust Grove 36: New look Westside-Macon romped Locust Grove. Xavier signee Kentrevious Jones went for 25 points and 5 rebounds. Greg Holloway, a sleeper that will be highlighted on hypesouth.com, finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Trey Foster had 9 points and 4 assists. Khavon Moore played sparingly in the blow out.

No. 8 Lovett 51, North Atlanta 46 2OT: With eight players missing from the active roster due to the football state playoffs, the Lovett Lions still found a way to win and proved that free throw shooting wins games. Ryan Greer poured in 32 points and went 16-of-24 from the line while as a team the Lions shot 19-of-28. North Atlanta shot just 10-of-27 and had a chance to win in regulation, but sophomore Robert Ghirardini of Lovett buried a three at the buzzer to send it to an extra period. Ghirardini finished with 6 points while Ryan Pate scored 9. North Atlanta was led by Jadin Knight’s 13 points and Emmanuel Roberts’ 10.

Long County 79, Bacon County 70: Terry Smith and Henry Blair powered the Long County Blue Tide. Smith dropped 24 while Blair pumped in 21 points.

Redan 67, Morrow 64: Electric guard play from Tyonn Stuckey and Jibril Wykcoff tenacity helped the Raiders to a nice out of region victory. Stuckey finished with 18 points, 9 assists and 5 steals. Wykcoff went off for 28 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

Class AA

No. 4 Monticello 69, Jones County 65: CJ Adams erupted for 29 points and 6 rebounds. Ashton Bonner went for 20 points and 5 rebounds as the Hurricane guards propelled Monticello to a win.

No. 8 Banks County 51, North Hall 45: Gabe Martin scored 18 points and Kahmal Wiley tossed in 12 points to withstand the visiting Trojans. North Hall received 13 points from Taylor Hanson and 12 from Justin Rabb.

Class A-Private

Hebron Christian 74, Social Circle 50:  The Derrick Heberling era got off to a good start, defeating Social Circle by 24. John Stewart and Alex Calvert both netted 13 points. Tanner Welch and Wesley Warbington added 10 points apiece.

Prince Avenue 62, Oglethorpe County 60: Sophomore Mack Simmons sank two big free throws late to seal a victory for the Wolverines. Simmons finished with 18 points. Senior Sam Todd netted a team-high 22.

 

Girls

Class AAAAAAA

Mill Creek 43, 4ANo. 3 West Hall 35: Coming off of a disappointing 13-15 season, Mill Creek picked up its second big win of the season. In the loss Anna McKendree was held to 15 points and 5 rebounds. Macy Passmore pitched in 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Class AAAAAA

No. 10 Northview 57, 7ANo. 9 Woodstock 44: Northview’s size overwhelmed Woodstock. Sophomore Ashlee Austin pitched in 14 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. Maya Richards, also a sophomore, produced 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks. Senior Shannon Titus finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 7 blocks. Woodstock was led by South Alabama signee Devyn Lowe, who scored a game-high 23.

Class AAAAA

McIntosh 51, Newnan 31: DeLayne Rotolo led the Lady Chiefs with a game-high 18 points.

Class AAAA

No. 4 North Oconee 49, 5ANo. 8 Loganville 42: The Lady Titans held off Loganville in a great cross classification Top 10 matchup. Emma Weynand netted 15 points while Camryn Williams chipped in 14 to lead North Oconee.

Pickens 61, Forsyth Central 54: Mykenzie Weaver got the Dragonettes off to a season opening win, scoring 20 points.

 

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Heritage rallies from 15 down to stun Southwest DeKalb

No. 6 Heritage 51, No. 8 Southwest DeKalb 47

Down 15 at the half in a hot gym on a late night, Class AAAAAA No. 6 Heritage-Conyers could have easily folded and called it a night. With both Isaiah Banks and Byron Abrams not 100%, no one would have blamed the Patriots for a season opening loss at Southwest DeKalb Showdown III against host Class AAAAA No. 8 Southwest DeKalb. But instead, a team with seemingly no pulse heading into the fourth quarter, found life and stunned the home crowd, 51-47, using a 20-5 run to end the night.

Southwest DeKalb held a 9-6 lead after the first quarter and used an aggressive press to disrupt Heritage. While the Patriots’ veteran guards searched for answers, the Panthers pounced using a deep bench. Jalen Lee entered in the second quarter and brought instant energy as a 6-foot-6 forward. He scored all seven of his points in the frame highlighted by a jam that got the crowd involved and pushed the Panther lead to 21-12 with 1:43 left to play in the half.

Quincy Carter ended the second quarter with a buzzer beater giving Southwest DeKalb a commanding halftime lead, 30-15.

Heritage’s big three, senior guards Isaiah Banks, Byron Abrams and Jordan Thomas combined for just nine points, the Southwest press clearly effecting them as there were chippy moments throughout the game when Heritage tried to advance the ball against the Panther defense.

Eight different players scored for Southwest DeKalb in the first half as the Panthers entered the break 16 minutes away from a quality season opening win.

Any thoughts of an easy rout were thrown out the window as the Patriots tore off a quick 7-0 run to open the third quarter and draw to within 30-22. Josh Archer and Eugene Brown III stemmed the tide however with Archer hanging for a tough bucket in the lane and Brown, the freshman, adding a right wing three to push the lead back to 35-25 at the 3:09 mark of the third quarter and leading to a 39-31 advantage heading into the fourth.

Up 42-31 with 6:37 remaining, Southwest DeKalb took its foot off the gas and called off the press. The result was Heritage’s big three breaking through. Banks hit a three-pointer and soon after Thomas put in an And-1, cutting the lead to 44-39 with 4:13 to play.

Banks then struck again for two more buckets, bringing the score to 44-43, Southwest DeKalb throwing the press back on to try and regain momentum.

Thomas was fouled and sent to the line where he made both free throws, but had his first waved off due to a violation resulting in a tie game and a 13-2 run. With 1:18 remaining, it was Abrams’ turn to hit a free throw giving the Patriots their first second half lead at 45-44.

Banks knocked down two more free throws to go up three. Carter drove the lane for a layup but couldn’t connect with 26.7 seconds left forcing Southwest to begin fouling. Banks, Abrams and Thomas combined to net 19 of Heritage’s 20 fourth quarter points, Banks leading the way with nine of his game-high 19 points in the final eight minutes.

My Take

Heritage did not look good at all in the first half. Southwest DeKalb’s defense frustrated them and a few of the Patriots’ younger players looked like deer in headlights. 6-foot-7 junior JaQuez Hicks was active in the first quarter with two early buckets. He looks like he will be an important piece bringing length into the paint replacing Makyle Wilkerson. The Patriots looked dead in the water heading into the fourth quarter with the Panthers maintaining a steady 10-point lead, but once the press was called off, Heritage gained a full head of steam and their senior guards took over. Isaiah Banks was the catalyst with his rim attacking mentality and his three-pointer at the 6:23 mark ignited the 20-5 run to close. The Patriots’ trio of combo guards are all big and physical. The lack of a true pass-first and ball handling point guard was evident however. Heritage tallied just two assists as a team. Once everyone is healthy and fits into their roles, Heritage is going to be a handful.

Southwest DeKalb has a nice blend of youth and experience. Their press gave Heritage fits. If they kept their foot on the pedal pressing non-stop, I’m not sure Heritage would have been able to string together as many stops and scores as they did. Nine players scored for the Panthers. They won’t be as reliant on a handful of go-to guys like they were with Keith Gilmore and TiQuan Lewis last season. A scoring by committee approach will benefit them for the most part, but down the stretch when they went cold and saw Heritage surge ahead, it would have been nice to have a true No. 1 option. Darius Hogan and Mandarius Dickerson are two guys that should be among the team’s leading scorers this year and both were kept in check with six points apiece. Add those two with Quincy Carter and Josh Archer and the Panthers have a deep backcourt. Eugene Brown III is only a freshman, but I think he will play a big role off the bench for his father. He’s a good shooter and looks like he has high IQ.

 

Top Performers

Heritage
Isaiah Banks – 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Byron Abrams – 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
Jordan Thomas – 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
JaQuez Hicks – 7 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Avante Lederer – 3 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Southwest DeKalb
Josh Archer – 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Quincy Carter – 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals
Jalen Lee – 7 points, 1 rebound
Mandarius Dickerson – 6 points, 3 rebounds
Darius Hogan – 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Eugene Brown III – 5 points, 4 rebounds
Tabais Long – 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Greenforest wins defensive war with Shiloh

No. 1 Greenforest 51, No. 7 Shiloh 40

Opening day of the 2016-17 season saw Southwest DeKalb Showdown III host Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest vs. Class AAAAAAA No. 7 Shiloh, annually two of the state’s most stingiest defenses. Greenforest’s offense would be put to the test without leading scorer Justin Forrest available to play.

The Generals rushed out to an early 7-2 lead behind Brian Coffey and Greg James but Greenforest’s bench instantly made an impact and helped the Eagles close the quarter up 8-7.

Abayomi Iyiola and Mohammed Abdulsalem combined for six quick points to steer momentum back into Greenforest’s corner in a low scoring defensive struggle.

In the second quarter, Greenforest got the slight separation it needed when Michael Evans drained a three and Terrell Sanders followed by banking in a deep ball, giving the Eagles a 16-9 edge. With Forrest out, Coach Larry Thompson had other guards step up. Evans scored all five of his points in the first half while Dougherty move-in David Quimby made his presence known right away, dropping in 13 points on the night.

At the half Shiloh trailed 26-18. Greg James kept the Generals afloat with seven of his game-high 22 points in the second quarter. He and Coffey combined for 17 of the team’s 18 points at the half.

In the third, Iyiola kept Greenforest ahead and had the Shiloh defense scratching its head as the lanky 6-foot-9 forward poured in mid-range jumpers.

Quimby made it 35-18 at the 4:20 mark of the third when Jandan Duggan found him on a baseline alley-oop. The Generals however would answer with a mini 9-4 spurt keyed by a James three at the buzzer, his fourth of five triples.

James opened the fourth with another three to bring Shiloh within 39-30. The Eagles and Generals continued to trade stops and buckets, while MTSU-signee TJ Massenburg began to make a difference. After a quiet first three quarters, the long-armed big man rose up for a thunderous putback dunk to make it 41-33 with 4:45 remaining and the pro-Shiloh crowd in full throat. But like they did throughout the entire game, Greenforest would thwart any type of Shiloh momentum, pushing the lead back to a 10-point deficit at 45-35 with three minutes left.

Shiloh would cut the lead back down to 47-40 with 56.4 seconds remaining, but would have to start playing the foul game where Duggan beat them from the line, hitting all four attempts and scoring six of his nine points in the final quarter.

 

My Take

Greenforest is still the team to beat in Georgia. Their Dec. 3 matchup with Wheeler should be an instant classic and the winner will get bragging rights as the state’s true best. Even without Justin Forrest, the Eagles didn’t skip a beat. The addition of David Quimby will loom large throughout the year as a guard that can get his own shot and take some of the burden off Forrest once he returns. He, Jandan Duggan and Michael Evans combined for 27 important points tonight. Inserting Abayomi Iyiola into the game off the bench really helped Greenforest take off. When he’s hitting jumpers consistently, the Eagles are difficult to beat. He had a team-high 14 points and 12 rebounds. Ikey Obiagu had an emphatic loud block in the opening seconds of the game against Brian Coffey but he was quiet outside of that, even though he did collect four blocks and seven rebounds. He went 1-for-8 from the foul line and finished with five points. His offensive game is still a work in progress and his explosiveness and ability to log major minutes night-in and night-out is still in question. He had a hard time gathering himself on fastbreaks when the Greenforest guards tried to lob him alley-oops. If the offense and mobility never fully comes around, he can still hang his hat on his rim protecting which will prove to be extremely valuable at all levels.

Only three players scored for Shiloh tonight – the three D-I players. Brian Coffey looked quick with the ball and could get into the paint but when facing 6-foot-8 through 7-footers, there wasn’t much he could do in the paint. The same goes for everyone that plays Greenforest, so Coffey had to rely on the mid-range. Greg James was great for Shiloh, hitting five threes. If he wasn’t on, it is scary to think what the score could have been. The VMI decommit also chipped in 10 rebounds. He is definitely someone that LM schools should look at to provide a boost on the perimeter; after last night’s showing it’s hard to fathom why no one has jumped in on him yet. TJ Massenburg battled valiantly but did have a hard time going at Ikey Obiagu, having his shot blocked a few times. It would have been nice to see him use his soft touch from beyond the arc to draw Greenforest’s bigs away from the basket to create driving lanes for Coffey and James, but I only remember him attempting one.

Top Performers

Greenforest
Abayomi Iyiola – 14 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals
David Quimby – 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Jandan Duggan – 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal
Ikey Obiagu – 5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocks
Mohammed Abdulsalem – 2 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Victor Enoh – 8 rebounds, 1 assist

Shiloh
Greg James – 22 points, 10 rebounds
Brian Coffey – 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
TJ Massenburg – 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

GHSA, Girls Basketball

Fulton County Media Day (Girls)

Complete Video: http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/northview-high-school-johns-creek-ga/26883f8408

Cambridge
Head Coach: Lesley Broadwell
2015-16: 10-17 

Does winning a state championship in softball carry momentum over into basketball season: “Absolutely winning breeds winning. Audrey [Smith] was part of that softball team. We are cheering for all the teams at Cambridge and there has been some success in the Fall and are looking to keep moving forward in that direction.”

 

Creekside
Head Coach: Rontashala Williams
2015-16: 5-18

On playing in a difficult region: “I told them someone told me that we were picked to win the region this year so they are so psyched and hyped up, they really don’t know who’s on the other teams. They are just so excited.”

On freshman Sitra Newton: “I’m expecting great things out of her. She still has a lot of things she needs to build on, grown on, but she’s a leader already as a freshman and I’m excited to see her on the court and get in and help lead this team.”

 

Westlake
Head Coach: Hilda Hankerson
2015-16: 25-6 

Is a young Westlake team ready to live up to expectations as Preseason No. 5: “I really think they are especially in their heart. In their heart they are ready. Sometimes that doesn’t always manifest on the floor but sometimes it does. Since they are so young, I will find out real soon. I do believe that they are. We had a real good summer.”


Centennial
Head Coach: John Domville
2015-16: 12-17

What did your team learn from last year’s state playoff berth: “I think the biggest thing was getting those extra practices. I don’t think a lot of people expected us to go to state, we ended that game on a 17-0 run. That was a North Forsyth team that was kind of a skeleton in our closet so to speak. To tell you, those Forsyth schools were always tough for Centennial to beat. And playing a team like Norcross at Norcross, for them to see that environment and again to set the expectations that this is where we are supposed to be.”

 

Chattahoochee
Head Coach: Haaris Quraishy
2015-16: 12-17

On Alayna Ford, Sienna Gore and Marissa Gore: “Alayna has really worked on her game over the offseason. She had a good summer on the AAU circuit and really expanded her game to be able to go inside and outside. Sienna is a little bit of a throwback in the sense that she doesn’t play AAU, she’s in the gym all of the time. Her and her sister are together literally all of the time. They are great kids, they work hard and they are fun to coach.”

 

Johns Creek
Head Coach: Kirk Call
2015-16: 6-19

How to recreate the success he had at Parkview: “It’s very challenging. I’ll be the first to tell you we had a lot of great players at Parkview. The best thing about that group is they bought in. They played for each other. I’m a big proponent of that if you care more about the person next to you than yourself you’re going to be successful. Step 1 to getting that process done is understanding the fact that I’m not out here for myself, I’m out here for my teammates and as long as I’m focused on doing something for my teammate and making everyone else better, that comes back around and works for me when they are creating a play for me.”

 

Alpharetta
Head Coach: David Walden
2015-16: 7-18

What to expect from sophomore Croix Bethune: “I’m looking at her and [Gogo and Juju Maduka] as leaders for our younger kids and for the kids who had little experience last year. I’m hoping with some of the players we got coming up that we can take some of the pressure off her as well from last year, scoring-wise and sometimes ball handling-wise as well. Really for her, the plan is for her to lead by example.”

Croix Bethune

What did you learn your freshman year that you can use going forward: “Really working hard, but not going overboard and to save some of my energy. The seniors that just graduated, having them to help me last season and having these players to help me.”

 

North Springs
Head Coach: Tonique Frasier
2015-16: 11-10 

On this year’s game plan: “Our game plan is to go out and play their basketball that I teach the girls every night from fundamental basics to executing. That’s basically our game plan.”

 

Northview
Head Coach: Chris Yarbrough
2015-16: 16-13 

Is the team ready to handle the pressure of being ranked No. 10 in the state: “One of the things I stress to them with all the accolades; it’s still just on paper. We haven’t played a game yet. Preseason rankings don’t count, they don’t get us anywhere so we need to make sure that we can rise to expectations that people are setting for us. I think we snuck up on people the last couple of years with the way we played but now we have to embrace the target. People are going to be coming after us night in and night out and we have to rise to that level each night.”

Ashlee Austin: “There’s a lot of new stuff: new region, new players but we are going to just keep playing our game and do what we can do.”

Shannon Titus: “We need to just have fun. I think when we are too hard on ourselves we make more mistakes and when we have fun we share the ball; we will be just fine and play our game.”

Maya Richards: “I think a lot of pressure, you can get wrapped up in the pressure so easily that when you’re actually playing, you just have to play basketball and not worry about your parents or school, you got to worry about playing the game and enjoy it.”

What changes in Year 2 after a successful freshman season:

Austin: “A lot more is expected of us this year now that we are older, we’ve had a season playing with them. A lot more is expected of us to contribute to the team and become those kinds of leaders that can lead everybody and create stuff for each other.”

Richards: “I think we’ve both improved from last year and we played AAU together so I think AAU has really helped us. AAU plus summer basketball, we’ve grown as people and players.”

On Shannon Titus’ role one the team and goal for her senior season:

Titus: “I think I just need to give it everything I have both offensively and defensively. I set a record [steals] but I can keep setting records and beat my own record. I guess I’m pretty hard on the younger players just to get them in track because they can goof off a little bit, just to help them and guide them on the right path.”

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