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GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 3 Boys Rankings

sportal

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

1. Tri-Cities (3-1)
2. Alexander (4-1)
3. Coffee (3-0)
4. North Atlanta (5-1)
5. Brunswick (4-0)
6. South Cobb (4-2)
7. Tucker (6-2)
8. Langston Hughes (2-3)
9. Cambridge (4-2)
10. Evans (6-0)

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

Two new teams crack the Top 10 in Class AAAAAAA for the first time this year, one familiar face and one burgeoning dark horse that has earned its time in the spotlight. No. 7 Newton crushed No. 10 Lambert 88-63 at the North Georgia Showcase, dropping the Longhorns two spots. It was a 30-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter. Armani Harris thoroughly dominated inside, the 6-foot-7 senior hanging 39 points and 11 rebounds, going 20-of-23 from the foul line. Tre Clark added 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists while Tyrease Brown netted 17 points as the trio combined for 75 of the Rams’ 88 points. No longer flying under the radar, No. 8 East Coweta is off to their best start in over a decade at 8-0. Playing in the brutal Region 2 with the likes of No. 3 Wheeler, No. 6 Pebblebrook and Westlake (3-3), not to mention 2018 quarterfinalist Campbell, the Indians stamped another signature win by knocking Westlake from the poll with an 88-74 victory. Mandez Jones poured in 32 points as East Coweta tamed the Lions for the first time in their last 17 meetings. The Indians have a blend of potent guard play with Jones teaming with Chris Youngblood and Brandon Stroud, who scored 20 and 15 points respectively along with the move-in of 6-foot-5 forward Zac Hill, who added 15 points in the Westlake win. Friday was no fluke, as the Indians also hold wins over Class 5A No. 3 Fayette County (86-73) and four-time Alabama state champion Carver (68-60). Their next test will come against No. 6 Pebblebrook, who took down Class 6A No. 6 South Cobb 67-59. Making room for Newton and East Coweta in the poll is Westlake and Peachtree Ridge (4-2), the Lions rallying to beat Duluth in overtime 59-54, but falling to Shiloh in double overtime 79-67. Sinking four spots but remaining in the Top 10 is No. 9 Grayson. The Rams were upset by 4-1 Mill Creek in the nightcap of the North Georgia Showcase, 70-58. After trailing 29-19 at the half, the Hawks outscored Grayson 51-29 over the final 16 minutes getting 32 points from the bench led by Sebastian Augustave and Nathan Ward’s 12 points apiece.

Class AAAAAA is a mess right now. Heritage-Conyers (2-2), Mundy’s Mill (4-1) and Dacula (0-5) all depart from the poll. The Patriots lost to rival Rockdale County 51-44, the Tigers looked rusty in a 62-59 loss at Mt. Zion-Jonesboro and the Falcons, the Preseason No. 2 ranked team in back-to-back seasons, has flopped again, this time losing to Duluth 78-57 and in overtime 73-69 to Mountain View to seal their fate. No. 7 Tucker has not played well either, barely escaping 0-6 Forest Park 56-53 before showing small signs of improvement against ML King 61-47. Simply put, the Tigers have played down to the level of competition in the majority of the games they’ve played this season, but still have upside if Coach James Hartry can get his team on the same page. Three weeks into the season, no one has taken a stranglehold of the classification which should lead to plenty of movement in the polls and a fun next three-plus months. No. 2 Alexander missed 20 free throws but somehow managed to survive at Douglas County 69-67, riding former Tiger Malik Battle to 26 points. Earlier in the week Douglas County defeated No. 8 Langston Hughes 56-42, dropping the two-time defending state champs three spots. No. 4 North Atlanta avoided a scare against Riverwood as Campbell-signee Messiah Thompson proved his All-State mettle, hitting a buzzer beater to win 50-49. With the middle of the ranking’s order nearly obliterated there’s been some major movement. No. 5 Brunswick debuts after beating Tift County 66-56. No. 6 South Cobb is up two spots after beating Osborne 66-55 and pushing Class 7A No. 6 Pebblebrook to the limit before losing 67-59. No. 9 Cambridge is into the rankings with their best wins coming against Jefferson 99-89 and Alpharetta 82-64. Surprise from east Georgia, No. 10 Evans sneaks into the Top 10. The Knights had quite the offseason, losing 6-foot-10 center Dylan Cardwell to Oak Hill Academy and seeing 6-foot-7 Dajuante Williams flirt with Evans before ultimately spurning them at the last moment. If the two were still enrolled, the Knights would have opened in the Top 10. 6-foot-5 Chevez Trask however did enroll and he’s provided a physical presence around the rim while Cameron Cabarrus and Christian Chambers lead the Knights from the perimeter. Evans’ signature wins to date have come against North Augusta (SC) 64-52 and rallying to beat Class A-Public No. 2 Georgia Military 65-60.

There was terrible news in Class AAAAA as No. 1 Southwest DeKalb’s Eugene Brown III fractured his tibia against No. 10 Columbia in a 78-47 win. One of the hottest prospects in Georgia, Brown’s season ends with averages of 15.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3 assists while hitting 13-of-25 threes. With the Miller Grove transfer situation still lingering, not many teams have dealt with more adversity on and off the court than the Panthers have. Southwest plays No. 4 Lithonia and Miller Grove this week. No. 3 Fayette County edged Jonesboro 54-52 before clipping Class 4A No. 5 Woodward Academy 57-56. No. 6 Hiram is up three spots following a 3-0 week headlined by a 72-55 win over South Paulding, 6-foot-8 center Nathan Presnell recording 26 points and 15 rebounds. Carrollton (1-2) is out of the rankings after losses to Harris County 57-53 and Class 4A No. 2 Sandy Creek 86-61. Defending state champion No. 8 Warner Robins claws its way into the poll after beating Jones County 55-38.

After spending the entirety of last season and the first three weeks this season chasing right behind No. 1 Upson-Lee in Class AAAA, No. 3 St. Pius X finally relinquishes its grasp of second-place following an 85-64 loss to Class 3A No. 2 GAC. The Golden Lions rebounded with a 59-58 win at Class 3A No. 7 Pace Academy on a Chase Cormier three with six seconds remaining, but No. 2 Sandy Creek is inching closer to the top following an 86-61 demolition of Carrollton. Drexel-signee TJ Bickerstaff is averaging 18 points and 10.2 rebounds while Julian Alexander is scoring 14.5 points a night. Following a season-opening loss to Class 5A No. 3 Fayette County 74-66, the Patriots have won six straight highlighted by wins over Class 5A No. 4 Lithonia and GAC 70-66. Last week they escaped Fayetteville with a 66-57 overtime win at Starr’s Mill. The Patriots return to action next week against red-hot Class 7A No. 8 East Coweta. Below the top three, a lot has changed. No. 4 Henry County is up after No. 5 Woodward Academy lost a nail-biter at Fayette County 57-56. No. 6 Americus-Sumter shoots up four spots following convincing wins over Dougherty 87-58 and at Lee County 81-52. Baldwin (2-2), Westover (0-3) and LaFayette (5-0) exit the poll. Baldwin scored a 64-43 win at Dublin but lost at Class 2A No. 3 Washington County 69-53. Westover has been a massive disappointment, losing again to Lee County 64-54 and getting beat in Region 1 play by Northside-Columbus 59-55. LaFayette’s tradition of soft scheduling hurts them again, not impressing in a 51-41 win over rival Heritage-Catoosa before taking care of Trion 63-37. The Ramblers will likely resurface in the Top 10 later this season as the rest of the poll beats on each other. In at the bottom of the rankings are three teams that have tried to challenge themselves this year. No. 8 Chapel Hill is off to its best start since 2005-06 when the Panthers won 25 games. Michael Bell has provided instant offense for an up-tempo team that is averaging 85 points per game through their first four. Javante Jackson paces a quick defense that loves to trap. The Panthers have quality wins over Class A-Private No. 9 Mt. Pisgah 85-77 and New Manchester 83-77 in overtime. Chapel Hill is already a win away from matching last season’s win total. No. 9 Shaw could throw a monkey wrench into the Region 1 picture as the junior class of Darnell Moran (13.4 ppg), Dylan Harris (10.9 ppg) and Rod Winfrey (9.7 ppg) lead a balanced offense. The Raiders hold nice wins over Harris County 72-59 and Spencer 66-61, while maybe their most impressive result was a 63-51 loss against Class 7A No. 10 Lambert. Following a down year in which they finished just 7-18, No. 10 Thomson looks like they might be ready to return to the statewide picture. The Bulldogs earned wins over traditional Class 2A power Laney (64-59) and Josey (74-48). Seniors Antrone Murphy (17.5 ppg) and Zander Hamilton (17.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg) are off to hot starts.

In Class AAA, No. 2 GAC drilled 14 threes to bury Class 4A No. 3 St. Pius X 85-64. No. 7 Pace Academy is down two spots after losses to Redan 55-50 and St. Pius 59-58. No. 8 Westside-Macon slides two spots after a loss to Class 2A No. 8 Bleckley County 75-74 in overtime. No. 6 Hart County is on the move, climbing three spots after beating Class 7A South Gwinnett 62-61 and outscoring Elbert County 26-11 in the fourth quarter to rally and stun the Blue Devils 55-52. East Hall (3-3) is rosterless on MaxPreps and also out of the rankings after losing a tight one with Duluth at the North Georgia Showcase 51-44. The Vikings are replaced by No. 10 Central-Macon, who opened up the season with a 58-57 win over Class 2A No. 9 Northeast-Macon.

Injuries have helped shake up Class AA. Swainsboro (1-2) exits the Top 10 after losing to newly ranked No. 10 Vidalia 58-42 and at Statesboro 69-58 as the Tigers were without leading scoring Jamil Watkins, Fredrick Seabrough and Jamal Watkins in the losses. The loss of Jamil Watkins is a huge blow, the wing is out 3-4 weeks with a malleolus bone fracture in his ankle. Also out of the poll is Elbert County (1-1) who couldn’t close in a 55-52 loss to Class 3A No. 6 Hart County. Replacing the Blue Devils is upstart No. 8 Bleckley County. First-year Head Coach Garrett Collins has come in from the middle school ranks and has the Royals flourishing at 5-0. Wins over Class 3A No. 8 Westside-Macon (75-74 OT), Class 5A Veterans (65-62) and Class 4A Perry (64-56) all look good. They have a big test on Tuesday as they head to Central Georgia Tech to play No. 9 Northeast-Macon, who beat Class A-Public No. 1 Wilkinson County at the Palace 93-90 before dropping 58-57 to Class 3A No. 10 Central-Macon. No. 6 Glenn Hills rises four spots thanks to a crucial Region 4 victory over Butler 76-69 and a thumping of Harlem 78-50. No. 3 Washington County’s long-awaited season debut went off without a hitch, drilling Johnson County 81-33 before knocking Baldwin from the Class 4A poll with a 69-53 win. It’s likely the biggest week in regular season history for No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins as the Wolverines test their No. 1 ranking at Swainsboro and at No. 10 Vidalia before heading to the SportalShowcase to battle Chattooga. The Wolverines broke the scoreboard in a 100-47 win over Bacon County and are averaging 91.7 points per game.

Class A-Private saw No. 1 St. Francis treat host No. 8 Lakeview Academy rudely in a 76-58 victory. No. 3 ELCA stepped up in a major way, outlasting No. 4 Greenforest 84-83 in overtime behind College of Charleston-signee Trevon Reddish’s 23 points and Kamari Smith’s 18. X-Factor Felix Uadiale posted 13 points and a school-record 28 rebounds. The Chargers turned around and beat No. 5 Trinity Christian 62-53 as Uadiale tallied 19 points and 16 rebounds as an encore performance. No. 7 Holy Innocents’ slips a spot following a 69-65 loss to Hillgrove. Darlington (0-1) is out of the poll and replaced by No. 10 Riverside Military who garners their first-ever Sandy’s Spiel Top 10 ranking. The Eagles beat Darlington 61-55. Isaac Teasley is averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 rebounds while Gainesville transfer Shad Dabney is posting 11 points and 4.4 assists per game as sophomore.

No. 1 Wilkinson County clings onto the top spot in Class A-Public after losing 93-90 at home to Class 2A No. 9 Northeast-Macon, outscored by the Raiders 33-24 in the fourth quarter. No. 6 Wilcox County took it to No. 8 Lanier County 79-61. No. 7 Calhoun County had two close calls, slipping past Chattahoochee County 75-74 and Early County 61-60.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 2 Boys Rankings

sportal

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 1 Boys Rankings

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Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

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

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

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

Class AAA

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

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

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

Class A-Public

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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