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Class AAAAAA Region Run Down

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Class AAAAAA

Region 1

         Team                            Overall      Region
   No. 4 Tift County          17-2            3-0     
Lee County                       8-11             2-2
Colquitt County            3-12             2-2
Valdosta                             8-11            1-2 
Lowndes                             12-9             1-3  

No. 4 Tift County will likely go undefeated in South Georgia and wrap up the No. 1 seed out of Region 1. Bad news came down earlier this week as leading scorer, 6-foot-6 junior forward Preston Horne went down with an ACL injury and is having surgery. The big man averaged 16.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. Senior point guard Tyrie “Pig” Jackson is still in the fold and will be enough to keep the Blue Devils undefeated in region play. He’s posting 15.7 points a night. 6-foot-4 junior Fred Lloyd has filled in for Horne and will be an important piece moving forward.

Region 2

    Team                         Overall             Region
Tucker                         16-4                 6-0
No. 6 Newton             17-2                 5-1
Rockdale County   10-10               3-3
Lakeside                      13-6                 4-4
Lovejoy                       6-12                 2-4
Alcovy                          3-16                 0-6

Region 2 will come down to No. 6 Newton and perennial power Tucker. Newton hosts the Tigers this Friday in a critical rematch. The Rams shot 7-of-18 from the line in a 57-56 loss at Tucker earlier in the season. Coach Rick Rasmussen’s three-headed backcourt consisting of leading scorer junior JD Notate, senior Jaquan Simms and freshman Ashton Hagans has the Rams off to one of their best starts in school history, while 6-foot-5 sophomore DeAndrae Butler has given the perimeter oriented Rams legitimacy inside. Tucker has survived a potentially down-year thanks to junior Kenton Eskridge. The bowling ball guard has been the heart and soul of the team, getting every big bucket the Tigers need. Norcross transfer Amir Butcher and power forward Adonis Green have helped carry the load. Rockdale County likely won’t win the region, but they can play spoiler. They lost 61-58 at home vs Tucker and last week 64-63 at Tucker. Newton survived the Bulldogs in overtime, 99-94.

Region 3

          Team                          Overall             Region
No. 1 Westlake             13-2                 8-0
No. 7 Pebblebrook      13-7                 8-1
Douglas County            10-9                 5-4
Campbell                          13-5                 4-4
South Cobb                     12-7                 3-5
Langston Hughes        10-8                 3-5
Newnan                             9-10                 2-6
East Coweta                    4-15                 0-8

Thought to be the state’s most talented region, Region 2 hasn’t disappointed. No. 1 Westlake has fended off all challengers and hasn’t suffered an in-state loss yet. The transfer of Chuma Okeke to Westlake from Langston Hughes has successfully shifted the balance of power along with Ronald Bell jumping aboard from North Atlanta. No. 7 Pebblebrook started off the season shaky with defensive issues, but Coach George Washington has tightened the screws and the Falcons have begun getting stops when needed. Hillgrove transfer junior Collin Sexton and Auburn signee Jared Harper have formed one of the most explosive backcourts in years with both players averaging over 27 points per game. UNC signee Brandon Robinson has had a monstrous year pouring in over 25 points a night, but aside from an upset of 5A power McIntosh at Holiday Hoopsgiving in November, the Tigers have struggled against top tier competition. South Cobb and Campbell are both extremely dangerous with their abilities to score while Langston Hughes looks to control tempo and work for good shots as Khalil Cuffee and Derrick Cook power a talented backcourt.

Region 4

               Team                                Overall             Region
No. 8 McEachern                     16-3                 9-0
North Cobb                                 11-9                 7-2
Kennesaw Mountain                10-8               4-4
Osborne                                               4-9              4-4
Marietta                                          10-9                 4-5
Harrison                                          10-10               3-6
Hillgrove                                           9-10                 3-6
North Paulding                              7-13                 1-8

With Hillgrove’s downfall after the departure of Collin Sexton, Region 4 has become watered down and statistically the worst region in the state with no team looking like they can challenge No. 8 McEachern for the No. 1 seed. Length, athleticism and youth have propelled the Indians. Bryce Smith is quick inside and physical on the glass. Isaac Okoro, a 6-foot-5 freshman, has designs on going D1 and has displayed a diverse skillset that helps McEachern all over the floor. Isaac Martin is another freshman that has cut his teeth this year, sinking huge three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help the Indians snag a signature win over McIntosh at the Lake City Classic. Seniors AJ Jones and Darius Jones give opposing guards fits with their speed and decision making. North Cobb is McEachern’s biggest threat with Kenny Ume and DJ Render, but the Warriors already suffered a 61-43 loss at McEachern on Dec. 14.

Region 5

           Team                        Overall           Region
No. 3 Wheeler             14-5                 10-0
Milton                         12-6                 9-1
Etowah                        10-9                 6-5
Pope                            9-9                   5-5
Woodstock                  10-9                 6-6
Cherokee                     9-11                 5-6
Roswell                       9-12                 5-7
Walton                         7-12                 3-9
Lassiter                         2-16                 0-10

The once proud Region 5 has drooped this season. Milton, with its slew of transfers, has been among the state’s biggest disappointments. The talent is there for Milton to be a top 10 team, but for some reason it just hasn’t come together. If the Eagles can’t get it together, No. 3 Wheeler will waltz into the state tournament with a No. 1 seed, looking to repeat as state champs. One storyline to keep an eye on is Woodstock’s vast improvement. Head Coach Kingston Clark is in his first season at the helm after stops at Pierce County, Lowndes and Cross Keys. Since the program began in 1996, the Wolverines have never made the state playoffs and their last winning record came in 2010, a 16-10 mark. A big part of Woodstock’s improvement has been the play of 6-foot-4 junior guard Tyreke Johnson, who gives the Wolverines their first true go-to player since 2012-13 when 6-foot-7 power forward Matt Scott roamed the paint.

Region 6

       Team                      Overall            Region
Lambert                       18-2                 13-0
Johns Creek               18-2                 12-1
Centennial                  11-10               9-4    
Alpharetta                   7-12                 7-5
Chattahoochee          11-8                 6-7
North Forsyth             6-11                 5-7
South Forsyth             9-11                 5-8
West Forsyth               5-15                 3-10
Northview                     6-14                 3-10
Habersham Central     3-17                 1-12     

In years past, Region 6 has come into question whether its top teams are legitimate title contenders or not. When Lambert fell from the top ten after a 73-37 spanking at the hands of No. 8 McEachern at the Lake City Classic, I thought I had my answer. But a 93-67 bounce back win over a struggling, yet talented Milton team, made me change my mind again. The Longhorns might not win the state championship, but Head Coach Scott Bracco has a deep team with a ton of options that can compete with anyone in the state. 6-foot-7 twin towers Connor Mannion (Navy) and Ross Morkem (North Georgia) are tough to handle inside and can manhandle opposing teams on the glass. Shooting guard Tanner Hall and point guard Andrew Melms are both threats to go off any night and the improvement of sophomore Austin Deckard from deep gives Bracco five sturdy options. It is no doubt a two horse race in this region with Johns Creek emerging as one of the state’s best turnarounds, improving from 14-15 last year to 18-2 this season, the school’s most wins in a season by far. The Gladiators’ only losses have come to Brookwood 65-62 in overtime in the Deep South Classic and at Lambert 64-53. Coach Pete Goggin’s roster is heavy on upperclassmen. Seniors Mark Lancaster (15.1), Mason Henkel (13.3) and Ian Joseph (9.6) lead the way for Johns Creek. Another senior, Miles Clay, also averages over nine a night.

Region 7

          Team                     Overall           Region
No. 2 Norcross            17-2                 9-0
Duluth                              13-6                 7-1
No. 10 Collins Hill      16-3                 6-3
Peachtree Ridge          11-8                 5-3
Mountain View           12-8                 3-6
Mill Creek                       10-9                 3-6
Meadowcreek              6-13                 1-8
North Gwinnett          4-14                 1-8

No. 2 Norcross edged No. 10 Collins Hill 50-48 last night at home to all but eliminate the Eagles from taking the top seed in the region unless both Norcross and Duluth falter. Speaking of Duluth, Coach Eddie Hood preached “addition by subtraction” after losing Anthony Showell (St. Francis) and AJ Cheeseman (Collins Hill) to transfers in the offseason. Only three seniors are now on the roster. Javis Diaz leads the team in scoring with over 15 points per game while Obinna Ofodile has continued to control the paint both on the boards and with his shot blocking ability. Sophomores Will Huzzie, Adam Flagler and mid-season addition Lamont Smith have provided fire power. 6-foot-10 freshman Alex Powell has continued to improve and gives Hood possibly the best inside length in the state. The Wildcats lost to Norcross 69-53 on Jan. 8 and get their next crack on Feb. 2 at Norcross. Mountain View, coming off a 6-20 year, has been a pleasant surprise with 12 wins and a nucleus of young players that will only improve. Peachtree Ridge has been sneaky good behind Markel McCollum, Jeremiah Starks and Milz Tatum.

Region 8

      Team                          Overall          Region
No. 5 Shiloh                 14-4                 8-2
No. 9 Dacula                14-4                 7-2
Berkmar                         12-7                 7-3
Grayson                         16-3                 7-3
Brookwood                 14-5                 6-4
Central Gwinnett     8-8                   5-5
Parkview                       8-10                 2-7
Archer                           6-13                1-9
South Gwinnett        5-13                 1-9

Last night’s 61-58 Central Gwinnett upset of No. 2 Shiloh has shaken the region and even the state picture to its core as the balance of power in Gwinnett County has shifted from Region 7 last year to Region 8 this year. Shiloh has now lost two straight region games, the first coming on Jan. 16 at No. 9 Dacula, 66-57. Before the Dacula loss Shiloh’s last in-state regular season defeat was on Feb. 7, 2014 at Archer. The last time the Generals lost back-to-back region games? It’s been over five years. There is now a log jam atop the standings with all four teams in the mix, with Brookwood waiting in the weeds as one of the most dangerous teams in the region. Shiloh (Josh Okogie – GT), Dacula (Kevon Tucker – Wofford) and Berkmar (Al Durham – Indiana) all have D1 star power. Grayson relies on Alphonso Willis and Austin Dukes, two tough as nails guards, while Brookwood has a mixture of youth and upperclassmen making contributions. Bubba Parham, a junior, leads the Broncos in scoring at 16 per. Senior point guard Micah Kinsey is the engine for Coach Daniel Bowles, posting 11.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 4.3 steals per contest. Sean Agnant, Trae Higginbotham and 6-foot-7 sophomore Amari Kelly round out the Brookwood balance.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Double-tech does in No. 4 Gainesville at No. 3 Wheeler

No. 3 Wheeler 82, No. 4 Gainesville 69

D'Marcus Simonds was TwoSpicee at times for Wheeler
D’Marcus Simonds was TwoSpicee at times for Wheeler

A controversial double-technical spoiled what was an outstanding game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as No. 3 Wheeler held off No. 4 Gainesville 82-69.

Gainesville (11-4) entered with just one actual loss and two via forfeit at Lanierland while Wheeler (14-5) strolled in with five straight wins. The litmus test that followed was as stiff as any in the state could face; the feisty Red Elephants at the six-time state champs, highlighted by last season’s 6A title team.

Wheeler entered the game without Cam Jordan at forward, leaving much work to do for the supporting cast. The Wildcats got everything and more from Makhai Eastmond and Kenny Aninye. Eastmond scored 13 points – nine in the first half – while Aninye netted 14 and grabbed six rebounds in his new found starting role. The 13-point final score was not a reflection of how the game unfolded however.

Georgia State signee D’Marcus Simonds started the three-point barrage by hitting Messiah Dorsey to open the game. The Red Elephants sank five threes in the opening period, two apiece via Michael White and Dorsey. Gainesville would finish with seven triples in the first half, but only added one more to the tally in the second half.

While the Elephants were bombing from deep, Darius Perry and unsung hero Makhai Eastmond kept the Wildcats afloat. Perry scored seven of his game-high 21 in the opening period while Eastmond hit two threes to help the ‘Cats head into the second quarter down 19-18.

Darius Perry made all the big plays when Wheeler needed them
Darius Perry made all the big plays when Wheeler needed them

Wheeler opened the second quarter on a quick 7-0 spurt and at the 6:12 mark now up 25-19 after taking their first lead of the game with 7:11 to play, Simonds picked up his third foul. The Wildcats extended their run to 16-to-4 before Simonds checked back in, the Elephants now trailing 34-23 with 3:50 remaining in the first half. Everything seemed to click whenever Simonds was on the floor and while Georgia Tech signee Romello White took a breather on the bench, Gainesville began to attack the basket. Tae Turner, who scored all 10 of his points in the first half, drove for an And-1 and cut the Wildcat lead to 36-30 with 2:06 left.

Momentum swung back into Wheeler’s favor when Perry drilled a straight away three at the buzzer to give the host Wildcats a 43-36 edge heading into the half.

With Simonds back on the floor, Gainesville made another push. He threw down a dunk in transition then added another bucket in the open floor to make it 47-44 before picking up his fourth foul 30 seconds later at the 4:31 mark.

The pesky Eastmond hit a jumper to stabilize things for Wheeler and would spark an 11-5 run to open up a 58-49 lead with 1:29 to play in the third. Then Simonds checked in. The 6-foot-4 guard willed his team back into the game. Within seconds of re-entering, Simonds picked up an assist, hitting Dorsey for a three and then picked Eastmond’s pocket for a layup to bring the score to 60-54. With seconds remaining and Wheeler holding for a last shot, Simonds played the passing lane, picked off a pass and exploded for a thunderous two-handed jam right before the horn to close the gap to 60-58 entering the fourth. His return to the floor ignited an 11-0 run and gave the Red Elephants all the momentum early in the final period as Gainesville had finally caught up to the Wildcats after Simonds came away with another theft up front and boomed home another slam.

On the next possession, Wheeler was sent to the line. The crowd and Simonds still amped up about the dunk, during the free throw attempts on the other side of the court Eastmond and Simonds were jawing. Simonds, known for his fiery play and emotions, finished the back-and-forth with Eastmond and began walking up to the other side of the floor to get ready for the second free throw. While Simonds approached the play, Eastmond followed close behind… a little too close for the referees as they blew a double-technical. With the game tied at 60 with 7:30 remaining and in the midst of an 11-0 run, Simonds was fouled out on the tech.

Simonds’ final line in limited action read: 14 points, four rebounds, six assists and five steals. With the playmaker fouling out, Gainesville had to turn to Dorsey and Michael White. The two combined for nine points in the quarter, but Gainesville would be outscored 22-to-9 with Simonds fouled out.

Anyine scored five consecutive points to push Wheeler’s lead to 71-67 with 2:54 remaining before Romello White finally began to wear down the smaller Elephant frontline. He scored back-to-back And-1s and sparked a 14-2 run to end the game.

My Take: Gainesville looked as if it were going to live and die by the three-pointer early on in the game but the Red Elephants kept coming even with D’Marcus Simonds saddled with foul trouble. A lack of elite size inside hurt Gainesville, who used a frontline of 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6 to try and counter Romello White’s legit 6-foot-8. Sophomore KJ Buffen, who is more of a three, battled valiantly alongside fellow sophomore Bailey Minor against White. Buffen showed flashes offensively with his 12 points, but struggled from the line going 4-of-11 including 0-for-4 in the fourth quarter. Michael White and Messiah Dorsey stretched the defense with their shooting and are great pieces around Simonds. Tae Turner played well with 10 points in the first half, but went scoreless in the second half. Minor blocked four shots, but was never able to establish himself offensively on the low block. Simonds was the best player on the floor today with his explosiveness and quick hands. His plus/minus numbers were through the roof. You take the good with the bad with the caliber of player he is. Some people might classify him as a hot-head with his demeanor on the court, but I liked his emotion and didn’t think any of it was over the top. To be blunt, the referees really botched the double-technical. It didn’t look as if any stern warnings were given and they blew the whistle on a costly interaction which took place in the heat of the moment. Gainesville deserves its top five ranking and will be a scary team to deal with in the AAAAA state tournament.

Wheeler found a way to win without Cam Jordan. As good as Simonds was, Perry was just as good but without the flash. He consistently got big buckets for the Wildcats and went 8-of-8 from the line. Game-ball might have to go to Makhai Eastmond. He is the weakest link for Wheeler but he stepped up big time and played one of his best games, hitting two big threes in the first quarter while Gainesville was on fire and later on baiting Simonds into his fifth foul. Kenny Aninye also played a great game and picked his spots when to attack. His 5-point spurt in the fourth helped give the Wildcats the lead for good. Romello White slammed the door shut with his size as Wheeler began to pound it down low. White posted back-to-back And-1s in the fourth, with the first coming the hard way, cleaning up a miss and powering up strong. He scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and finished 5-of-8 from the line for the game. Al-Wajid Aminu didn’t have a ton of jaw dropping plays, but boy does the North Florida signee have a motor that doesn’t quit. He is always around the ball when it comes off the rim and is a glue guy that does the little things on defense. He finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Top Performers

Wheeler
Darius Perry – 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Romello White – 15 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Kenny Aninye – 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Makhai Eastmond – 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Al-Wajid Aminu – 11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Gainesville
D’Marcus Simonds – 14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals
Michael White – 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block
Messiah Dorsey – 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
KJ Buffen – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Tae Turner – 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal
Bailey Minor – 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 blocks

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 1 Morgan County handles East Jackson

*Guest contribution from Colin Hubbard (@__Chubs__)

No. 1 Morgan County 75, East Jackson 56

The Morgan County Bulldogs (15-3, 7-0) have been a powerhouse in AAA high school basketball for quite some time now, but their 2015-16 squad could be their best team yet. After knocking off the No.1 ranked Laney Wildcats last week, the Bulldogs moved into the No.1 spot and hosted an up-and-coming East Jackson (9-8, 4-3) team on Friday that was hungry for a statement win. Morgan County and East Jackson have been the class of Region 8 for the past two seasons but the Eagles had never beaten them in that time span.

The Bulldogs are led by Florida Atlantic signees Jailyn Ingram and DeVorious Brown while the Eagles are powered by the sophomore trio of Drue Drinnon, Travis Anderson and Jalen Morgan.

FAU signee DeVorious Brown went for 27 against previously undefeated Laney
FAU signee DeVorious Brown went for 27 against previously undefeated Laney

Ingram, who is also a tremendous football player, elected to take his talents to Boca Raton to continue his basketball career and his decision to do so seems to be playing dividends.

Drinnon on the other hand is the Class of 2018’s No.1 ranked combo guard according to Future 150 and has already eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in less than two seasons. In East Jackson’s 81-58 win over rival Jefferson last week, all three of the Eagles’ trio scored 20 or more points before heading into a much-anticipated rematch with the Bulldogs.

Despite a strong effort to start the game, Morgan County was the better team on the night and picked up a 75-56 win to remain undefeated in Region 8.

“We knew coming in that they (East Jackson) were going to come out with a lot of energy so we knew what to expect,” Morgan County Head Coach Jamond Sims said. “We had our hands full with Drinnon in the first half but in the second half we were able to keep him in front of us and that helped us close out the game.”

“The team goes as Jailyn goes and when he wants to assert himself and be the best player on the floor, the rest of our team’s confidence goes up,” Sims said. “Whenever he catches the ball within 18 feet of the basket, he can pretty much shoot over anyone out there so he’s a big part of our success.”

The start couldn’t have been better for the Eagles after jumping out to a 12-4 lead but costly turnovers gave the Bulldogs a 1-point lead after the first quarter, 16-15.

Drinnon and Anderson combined to score 10 of the Eagles’ 15 while the Bulldogs got nine from Jordan Ford.

Travis Anderson | Photo By Ben Munro
Travis Anderson | Photo By Ben Munro

The second quarter did not start out the way East Jackson would have liked and quickly the Eagles found themselves in an 10-point hole midway through the quarter. However, hot shooting from Drinnon cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 41-35 at the half.

Drinnon scored 15 of the Eagles’ 20 points in the second quarter and led all contestants with 20 points at the half on 8-of-8 shooting while Ford added two more to lead the Bulldogs with 11 points.

The Bulldogs found their rhythm in the third quarter and dominated in all facets of the game. Ingram netted eight points in the period and helped build Morgan County’s lead to 61-46 heading into the fourth.

The Eagles managed to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 10 points midway through the fourth quarter but that was the closest they could get. Ingram proved to be too big for the smaller East Jackson frontline and finished with 20 points on the night.

Drinnon poured in a game-high 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting, dished out seven assists and collected four steals.

“We were doing fine at the start but they (Morgan County) started pressing us and that caused us to have a lot of stupid turnovers,” Drinnon said.

“We didn’t rebound the ball. They out rebounded us just like every other team we play so we need to work on rebounding and be safer with the ball going forward.”

Ingram on the other hand was very pleased with the way they played and is excited to see where the Bulldogs are headed.

“We have a lot of experience in playing in tough games so we knew that we would be ready for this one,” Ingram said. “We use all of our games as a learning experience and playing a team like East Jackson helps us going forward.”

Jailyn Ingram was too much inside for East Jackson
Jailyn Ingram was too much inside for East Jackson

East Jackson head coach David Boyd has spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to beat what has become the Eagles’ biggest thorn in their side but has yet to find an answer.

“They are hard to beat and I haven’t figured it out yet,” Boyd said. “I think they have the best team in AAA right now with the amount of length they have. Some of our newer guys that came out for the second semester got introduced to high-level basketball for the first time but we will keep fighting and hopefully get to play them again in the region tournament.”

Colin’s Take: East Jackson arguably has the best young backcourt in all of AAA but their inability to rebound has really held them back. Jalen Morgan, who has played in just three games after transferring from New Hope Christian Academy (NC), gives them the best option down low to rebound the ball but still needs time to get acclimated to East Jackson’s system. While they might not find a rebounding answer this season, they are well on their way to becoming a well-known AAA powerhouse next season and have a great shot at competing for a state championship in the very near future.

Morgan County doesn’t have a weakness. They have three players over 6-foot-6, they run the floor as good as anyone and they can shoot the basketball with ease. Their size and strength wear teams down late in games which gives them a great chance at getting back to the state championship game later this year. If you haven’t watched Morgan County play, then you’re missing out. They play like a Class AAAAAA team and could easily contend in a division of that magnitude.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 5 Cedar Shoals steals win at No. 7 Heritage-Conyers

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No. 5 Cedar Shoals 54, No. 7 Heritage 51

Basketball is a 32-minute game. For 26 minutes, host No. 7 Heritage was the better team, crushing the offensive glass and sinking four first quarter threes, but as all good teams do, No. 5 Cedar Shoals was able to weather the storm and in the end found a way to pull out another Region 8 victory and move to 18-2 overall and 9-1 in region play after edging the Patriots 54-51.

The Jaguars brought a great crowd as both lineups were greeted with smears of boos and cheers echoing throughout the gym as if it were a neutral site. Coach L’Dreco Thomas said before the game that their goal was to keep the slashing Patriots out of the lane and force them to hit open jumpers – they did. Heritage buried four three-pointers in the first quarter paced by Jordan Thomas, who would sink five on the night en route to a team-high 15 points, giving the Patriots a 22-11 lead at the end of one.

With Heritage nailing nearly every open look it had, the Jaguars had to search for the light at the end of the tunnel. It was hard to find any positives in the first quarter however as the Patriots pounded Cedar Shoals on the glass to take a 17-5 rebounding advantage after eight minutes. The Jaguars would lose the rebounding battle on the night 34 to 21, but through quarters two through four, sewed up the tally, 17-16.

Heritage’s 6-foot-6 center Makyle Wilkerson sat with foul trouble for most of the half meaning 6-foot-2, 200-pound Marquis Davis had to step in. Davis, who looks more like a linebacker, gave the Patriots a spark inside collecting five points off the bench in the second quarter and finishing the game with seven points and seven rebounds.

Makyle Wilkerson played well when he was on the floor
Makyle Wilkerson played well when he was on the floor
Marquis Davis played great for Coach Vernon Denmark
Marquis Davis played great for Coach Vernon Denmark

The second quarter belonged to Phlan Fleming and the Jaguars. Held scoreless in the first, the junior swingman hotly recruited by SOCON schools got going. He led an 18-9 Cedar Shoals second quarter with nine of his 11 points. Coach Thomas elected to come out of their zone and extend into a press that began to rattle the Heritage ball handlers while switching the tempo and momentum into the road team’s favor, leading to a 31-29 halftime score; the Jaguars never holding the lead.

While it was Fleming’s second quarter, the third belonged to Cedar Shoals’ Snipe Hall. The junior poured in 11 of the Jaguars’ 15 third quarter points, the other four being scored by point guard Jerrick Mitchell. As Hall worked his way to a game-high 16 points, the Jags still never captured the lead and Davis would make sure the Patriots had the advantage heading into the fourth, scoring off a tip-in as the clock expired, giving Heritage a narrow 46-44 lead entering the final period.

Seen so many times before, teams in an early hole usually spend all of their energy just trying to claw back into the game and in the end fall short. Not Cedar Shoals. When the going got tough, the Jaguars sank their teeth into the Patriots, clamping down and allowing just five fourth quarter points. Senior guard Greg Smith, who was held scoreless through the first 25 minutes of the game, scored back-to-back buckets to give Cedar Shoals their first lead of the game, 48-46 with 6:06 left.

The Jags had finally climbed the mountain top, but would they be able to place their flag atop it? Nearly three full minutes passed without the score changing. With just over three minutes to play, Cedar Shoals took its largest lead of the game at 50-46. Having no momentum to speak of and no baskets coming easy, Byron Abrams took it upon himself to score two of his 11 points on the night to draw back within two. Twenty-two seconds later, Isaiah Banks hit Thomas in the corner for his fifth and final three of the night to make it 51-50 in favor of Heritage with 2:16 to play.

That bucket proved to not only be Thomas’ final points of the night, but the Patriots’ as well. Stavion Stevenson gave the Jaguars the lead back on a jumper. Banks was fouled with 1:36 to play but missed the front-end of the one-and-one. With 24.4 seconds remaining, it was Hall’s turn to miss a one-and-one, giving Heritage another breath. The Patriots went to Banks who drove to the rim but was swallowed up by two defenders, both Fleming and Hall blocking his shot. Banks retrieved it and tried to gather himself to go back up for two, but was denied again by Fleming and now Smith. A jump-ball was called with 7.9 left and the possession arrow pointing in Heritage’s direction. The Jags weren’t out of the woods yet.

Abrams burned two timeouts trying to inbound the ball and on the third try, Mitchell was called for a hold on Wilkerson, sending the big man to the line with a one-and-one opportunity to tie or potentially win the game.

Wilkerson’s free throw bounced on the rim three times before falling into Fleming’s hands. Fleming coolly sank both free throws with 6.2 seconds. Charles Moore raced up the court and pulled up for a clean look to send the game to overtime, but his shot rimmed out.

Cedar Shoals went 2-of-3 from the line in the fourth quarter and finished the night 7-of-12, while the Patriots went 0-of-2 in the fourth, and made just 3-of-9 during the game. The loss drops Heritage to 15-4 overall and 7-2 in region play; both losses to teams ahead of them with No. 4 Gainesville (11-3, 9-0) in first-place.

It was standing room only for the final possession
It was standing room only for the final possession

My Take: The already late 8:30 start time was pushed back to 9:40 after JV games ran late. This classic wasn’t finished until after 11 P.M., but boy was it a good one. It played out how I expected: two evenly matched teams with great balance, not giving an inch to the opponent. Cedar Shoals started off slow and Heritage, coming off a 96-68 inexplicable blowout loss to Brookwood, looked hungry and ready to blow the doors off of whoever stepped foot on the court. Jordan Thomas was cooking early on from deep and helped the Patriots race to a 15-6 lead. After Heritage’s four three-pointer barrage in the first eight minutes, they hit only two the rest of the game. Byron Abrams showed good court vision throughout the game and attacked when needed. Senior Charles Moore did a steady job handling the ball. To open the third quarter Heritage really looked to play at their pace and decided to slow down the offense a bit, hitting the high post and looking opposite. Makyle Wilkerson didn’t get much burn in the first half due to fouls, but he is a nice athletic piece inside, finishing with eight points and five rebounds. Marquis Davis played great off the bench and was a main reason why Heritage wrecked the smaller Jaguars on the boards to open the game.

Cedar Shoals did what good teams do: find a way to win. Jerrick Mitchell is a speedy guard that was able to attack the rim and set up his teammates. His only flaw is that opponents don’t respect his jumper. Abrams literally shooed him off when he had the ball in the corner and told him to shoot it. Credit to Mitchell, knowing his game, he didn’t play into Abrams’ head-games and passed it off instead of forcing a bad shot. Both Snipe Hall and Phlan Fleming carried Cedar Shoals at times. Both teams have 3-4 guys that can go out and lead the team in scoring with 15+ any night, which makes it difficult to slow them down. Fleming got going in the second quarter showing off a nice feathery touch from the mid-range baseline. Even though he is the most recruited player on his team, he never forced the issue and played within himself while playing team ball. Stavion Stevenson didn’t have a huge game, but he battled inside and came away with two big buckets in the fourth quarter. When Cedar Shoals really needed stops, it got them. The Jags started in a 2-3 zone, but moved into a press that really got them back into the game. Both teams went about 7-8 deep. I envision both squads being extremely tough outs in the state playoffs. They might not have the true go-to guy like Gainesville has in D’Marcus Simonds (Georgia State) or Apalachee in Kamar Baldwin (Butler), but their balance is extremely tough to handle when they are clicking on all cylinders.

Top Performers

Cedar Shoals
Snipe Hall – 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
Phlan Fleming – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Jerrick Mitchell – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Stavion Stevenson – 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block

Heritage-Conyers
Jordan Thomas – 15 points (five 3’s), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Byron Abrams – 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Makyle Wilkerson – 8 points, 5 rebounds
Charles Moore – 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Marquis Davis – 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
Isaiah Banks – 3 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Analysis, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Biggest Surprises & Disappointments

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With each new year, storylines present themselves (unless you’re the AJC, you manufacture your own with wildly inaccurate rankings). This season there have been some pleasant surprises and some early disappointments throughout the state.

Class AAAAAA

In Class AAAAAA, no one stands out more than Johns Creek (12-2). The Gladiators started the season 11-0 before suffering their first loss of the year to another turned around program, Brookwood (10-3), who finished 7-19 last year. The Broncos handed Johns Creek a loss in the Deep South Classic, 65-62 in overtime. If you did your homework and studied up on the Broncos roster heading into ’15-16, it should come to no surprise that they are playing this well. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up their hot start in the treacherous Region 8.

Back to the Gladiators though. After a 14-15 season and 10-8 record last year in Region 6, Johns Creek is now 7-1 in region play behind seniors Mark Lancaster and Mason Henkel. Lancaster is averaging more than 16 points and five rebounds per game while Henkel adds 13.1 points and 5.5 boards. The Gladiators along with No. 5 Tift County and region rival Lambert were the last three teams undefeated in 6A. Yesterday they had the opportunity to see how they measure up against Lambert, the region’s frontrunner and lost 64-53 as the Longhorns’ size proved to be the difference with Navy signee Connor Mannion and North Georgia signee Ross Morkem combining for 50 points and 26 rebounds.

Ross Morkem was too big for Johns Cree | Ty Freeman
Ross Morkem was too big for Johns Cree | Ty Freeman
Class AAAAA

A few programs have built off strong seasons and have turned into top ten teams in AAAAA. No. 9 Riverwood out of Region 7B sits at 15-1 overall with their lone loss coming to last year’s 4A state runner-up, Carrollton, at the Lake City Classic. Improved three-point shooting, primarily from Elijah Jenkins and Charnchai Chantha, has also made the Raiders a threat as they now have perimeter support around double-double machine Kohl Roberts, who is averaging over 16 points and 13 rebounds a night.

No. 7 Camden County (13-0, 4-0) is one of two undefeateds (No. 2 Allatoona) left in the classification. The Wildcats come off a 19-10 season and are the team to beat right now in Region 3. Seniors Jaylen Smallwood (17.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), Logan Ballard (13.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Keyshaun Street (12.5 ppg) are among the catalysts that drive Coach William Moore’s offense.

The biggest turnaround has been the Shaw Raiders (10-2, 2-0), hailing from Region 1. A 8-16 mark a year ago seems like a distant memory as Coach Terry White’s team is off to their best start since ’11-12. Averaging 80 points per game, the Raiders are overwhelming teams with their firepower. Seniors Dakeen Diaz (15.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Kourtney Shakespeare (12.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and the emergence of 6-foot-6 center Cam Paulding (12.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) has the Raiders in the mix for a playoff berth while battling the likes of LaGrange, Northside-Columbus and Carver-Columbus.

Dakeen Diaz leads Shaw in scoring | Ledger-Enquirer
Dakeen Diaz leads Shaw in scoring | Ledger-Enquirer
Class AAAA

Region 4-AAAA’s No. 8 Eagle’s Landing (13-1, 6-1) has held its own this year with their only loss coming to No. 1 Jonesboro. Jordan Lewis is pitching in 16.6 points per game to pace the Eagles. The competition is stiff in Region 4, but the Chuck Miller Holiday Classic champs are in good shape to contend.

The biggest disappointment in AAAA? UGA signee Tyree Crump’s Bainbridge Bearcats (7-7, 3-3). The boys from Bearcat Boulevard opened up at No. 4 but find themselves struggling to stay afloat in a deep Region 1. With a star D-I guard, big man Trevon Shaw and DeVonte Jones, the team’s top three scorers from an 18-9, 11-7 season all returning, why shouldn’t they have been highly regarded? The Bearcats have played a decent schedule, but with high expectations, flop losses to Dougherty and Americus-Sumter can’t happen. Bainbridge still has the juice to compete, falling to 2A No. 1 Thomasville 63-61 in overtime last night, but it still has yet to be seen if they can get over the hump.

Tyree Crump needs more help at Bainbridge
Tyree Crump needs more help at Bainbridge
Class AAA

Major overhauls have taken place in Class AAA. Jeff Steele has come over from Johnson-Gainesville and has turned Lumpkin County into a contender behind 1,000-point scorer Jack Howard. The Indians cracked the top ten earlier this season and are 13-3 overall and 4-1 in Region 7 after a 9-20, 5-8 campaign. Coahulla Creek has been inserted onto the map going from 14-11, 8-8 in Region 6 to 13-3, 7-1 this year. Region 2 has seen No. 9 Southwest-Macon (11-3, 7-1) transform into a central Georgia hot ticket thanks to transfer Nick Hargrove and Justin Slocum. The 6-foot-6 Slocum averages 22.1 points and 12.6 rebounds while Hargrove adds 20.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Lumpkin County's "Men of Steele"
Lumpkin County’s “Men of Steele”

A shoutout needs to go to the gang at Jackson County. 4-22 overall last year with a 0-12 Region 8 record. This year they are 8-7 overall and 2-2 in region. Who did one of those two wins come against? My biggest disappointment of the year so far, East Jackson. The Eagles (8-7, 3-2) opened the year ranked No. 4, expected to dethrone current No. 3 Morgan County for region supremacy. A trio of star-studded sophomores were supposed to carry Coach David Boyd’s team in the wide open class AAA. Instead, they have taken their lumps against out of state opponents and haven’t wowed in region play, losing to Jackson County at home 67-63 and falling to Morgan County by 7. The Eagles are better than their record indicates thanks to a tough schedule, but most expected a better showing this far into the year.

Drue Drinnon streaking past Aaron Augustin
Drue Drinnon can steer the Eagles in the right direction | Colin Hubbard

I caught flack for saying it’s been somewhat of a tumultuous season, but look at the facts: Coach Boyd has dealt with health problems, Lamont Smith, one of their two new sophomore guards, has transferred back to Gwinnett County, they’ve taken some bad lumps in national tournaments and a loss to a 4-win team from a year ago isn’t pretty. There is plenty of time left to right the ship. Playing a tough schedule can only benefit the Eagles moving forward as once the state tournament starts, records are thrown out the window and nobody remembers what happened in November. Drue Drinnon and Travis Anderson are still two of the best sophomore guards in the state, but they need more help around them if they are going to live up to the lofty expectations bestowed upon them at the beginning of the year.

Class AA

Much like East Jackson, in AA its Pace Academy (3-8, 2-1) who decided to play a national schedule and couldn’t measure up. No. 2 to start the year, a 2-8 beginning to the season was too much to keep them in the polls. Showcasing big time prospects Wendell Carter Jr., Isaiah Kelly and Zack Kaminsky has hurt the Knights in the Win-Loss column. Now that they are back in Region 6 play, the Knights are looking to recreate last year’s 27-3 success. A win over No. 4 Holy Innocents’ on Tuesday 63-58 is a great start. The cupboard is far from bare for Coach Demetrius Smith. They are battle-tested and ready for a deep playoff run.

Penn-commit Zack Kaminsky is one piece to the Pace puzzle
Penn-commit Zack Kaminsky is one piece to the Pace puzzle

Region 2’s Long County (11-3, 5-1) has been a huge surprise following a 6-22, 1-14 year. Sophomore Henry Blair (11.7 ppg) and junior Perrell Brisbane (10.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) have been two cogs in the success Coach Deshon Brock has seen.

Class A

My biggest shock in 1A is just how wide open the field is. Outside of No. 1 Greenforest, everyone has shown the ability to beat each other, but in the process have uncovered flaws in each team. I can’t foresee there being any 40-point first round blowouts especially in 1A-Private. Of course there are a few slight favorites to make the Final Four, but it would not surprise me if two or three unfamiliar faces crash the party.